SELLERS: Susan Egan and Robert Hartmann
LOCATION: Irvine, Calif.
PRICE: $4.195 million
SIZE: 4,200 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms
YOUR MAMA’S NOTES: An informative little birdie dropped a digital note in our celebrity real estate nest to let us know that Tony-nominated actress Susan Egan and prolific comedy producer Robert Hartmann have their recently remodeled neo-Spanish hacienda style house in the fancy, guard-gated Shady Canyon development in Irvine, Calif., up for sale at $4,195,000
The showbiz-steeped couple — she originated the role of Belle in the Broadway production of “Beauty and the Beast,” and he’s produced at least half-of-a-dozen specials for ventriloquist comedian Jeff Duhnam — purchased the property, as per property records, in March 2012 for $3 million and gave the place a soup-to-nuts cosmetic renovation that included the installation of espresso-hued, wide-plank wood flooring and a state-of-the-art, camera-equipped security system. Listing details show the low-slung, single-story residence was built in 2006 on a flat, 0.52-acre lot and measures in at about 4,200 square feet with five bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms.
Wood gates open to a custom-tiled entry courtyard with the first of the home’s many catty-corner gas-fired fireplaces, this one with a raised hearth and a colorful, custom tile surround. The main entry leads directly into a spacious, bifurcated living area with a catty-corner gas-fired fireplace at one end, a wall-mounted flatscreen television at the other and a soaring ceiling overhead with slender wood beams and muscular exposed wood trusses. The step-down formal dining room, just off the front entry, has custom floor tiles, more slender wood beams on the vaulted ceiling and access to the front courtyard through a pair of glass and wood French doors.
The television-viewing end of the main living room is open to an informal dining area and roomy, center-island kitchen outfitted with two-tone cabinetry, both marble and granite countertops, a three-stool snack counter, built-in desk area and a full suite of high-grade stainless steel appliances.
At least one of the four guest/family bedrooms has direct access to the many exterior living areas along with the master suite, which also includes an adjoining office, a pretty-nearly all-white marble and tile bathroom and — you got it, buckaroos — a catty-corner gas fireplace, this one a hearth-free raised firebox surrounded by chunky and geometric three-dimensional tiles.
The gardens and grounds around the house were also extensively refreshed by Miz Egan and Mister Hartmann and include numerous tile terraces ringed and shaded by well-laced olive, oak and pepper trees. A pergola shades one terrace while operable canvas shades can be drawn over an outdoor dining area to thwart the always-scorching Orange County sunshine. There’s also a built-in fire pit, a built-in barbecue setup, boulder-strewn lawns, raised bed kitchen gardens, a sunken spa and a second central courtyard, also with operable canvas sun shades.
The property’s $550 per month homeowner’s association fees allow residents and their guests access to the community clubhouse and swimming pool complex, a barbecue area, a children’s playground and tennis courts. Of course, membership to the elite Shady Canyon Golf Club is extra: As of late 2012 initiation fees were rumored and reported to run upwards of $100,000, with additional monthly dues of around $1,500 and quarterly food and beverage minimums of $400.
The property is represented by Brian Backstrom at Teles Properties in Newport Beach.
