David Foster, Katharine McPhee Drop Millions on Brentwood Park Teardown

Though it was widely reported last year that David Foster and Katherine McPhee were house hunting in Montecito — so they could be near the $14.7 million home of their close friends Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, naturally — the Grammy-winning songwriter/music producer and his singer/actress wife have instead settled on a teardown property in Los Angeles. Records reveal the couple quietly struck an off-market deal over the summer, paying $7.1 million for a very traditional and rather decoratively tired house in the affluent neighborhood of Brentwood Park.

Originally built in the 1920s, and last sold in 2019 for $6.5 million, the existing two-story structure offers six bedrooms and five bathrooms in just over 4,000 square feet of light-filled yet dated interiors. But a building permit filed with the city of L.A. in August shows the old digs will be bulldozed to make way for a newer and bigger mansion, complete with 7,449 square feet of living space on two levels, plus an almost 2,000-square foot basement and a separate three-car garage.

An obvious draw is the land on which the house rests. Nestled on a quiet street just North of Sunset Boulevard, on a nearly half-acre parcel near the ever-popular Brentwood Village, the private backyard is completely surrounded by towering trees; and it also has ample room for an updated pool, along with plenty of room for al fresco dining and entertaining areas. The property is also surrounded by the homes of famous neighbors; in fact, it happens to lie right next door to the $13 million main residence of Jennifer Meyer, the ex-wife of actor Tobey Maguire. It’s also just two doors away from James Corden’s $10 million home. Also on the same block are Helen Hunt, Ted Chervin and the $20 million mansion of NBA star Russell Westbrook.

Foster, 71, first met McPhee, 37, when she was a contestant on season five of “American Idol” in 2006; she performed Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing,” which Foster wrote. First romantically linked in 2017, the two were married in 2019 — it was the fifth marriage for Foster and second for McPhee — and welcomed a son earlier this year. Since their marriage, the couple have resided in Foster’s L.A. “bachelor pad,” a high-floor condo in the Wilshire Corridor area that he bought in 2015 following his split from his fourth wife — and “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum — Yolanda Hadid.

Conrad Adamczak of The Beverly Hills Estates repped the buyers.