New Home Has a Solid Foundation : After Four Years, Controversial Laguna Beach House Built Into Rock Is Nearing Completion

It’s been four years since architect Brion Jeannette revealed his plans to build a house inside a huge oceanfront rock, drawing scorn from local preservationists and attracting press attention from as far away as Russia.

Now, 2 1/2 years after excavation began at the South Coast Highway site, workers are putting the finishing touches on the two-bedroom house alongside Aliso Creek.

The new owner might move in by Christmas, Jeannette said.

Originally, Jeannette said the rock would be scooped out like a pumpkin to build the home inside.

But a worker at the site this week said construction crews actually sliced through the craggy 27-foot-tall boulder to build the two-story residence. It features a waterfall on the exterior wall, a running stream in the foyer and a small theater downstairs.

From the shoreline, the structure looks much like any other contemporary home. From another angle, it looks much like the original rock.

To create what owner Dennis Morin has called “a harmonious interfacing between the outside and the inside,” workers played on the themes of the rock and the seashore, mixing abalone and other shells into the flooring and painting the interior in blended sea shades so that the curved walls and ceilings seem to flow together.

“I think ‘unique’ is probably the key word,” Jeannette said. “The textures and colors are almost like you’re in a fishbowl.”

Laguna Beach building official John Gustafson praised the project, which received final city approval last month. “Actually, they did a fantastic job,” he said. “I did some of the inspections myself, and I’ve rarely seen better work, to tell you the truth.”

Not everyone, however, has been enthralled by the effort.

Members of the South Laguna Civic Assn., for example, opposed the project because they considered the rock “a cherished landmark.”

Mike Beanan, vice president of the group, said he believes the simulated rock exterior looks fake. “Obviously,” he said, “we would have rather kept it in its natural state.”

But even its detractors consider the rock house an interesting architectural achievement, he said.

The 2,700-square-foot house will be home to Morin, who in 1994 bought the 9,800-square-foot parcel with the bulging boulder for $650,000. At the time, he called it “a steal.” Morin could not be reached for comment.

The previous owners--who bought the property in the 1950s for $36,000--had struggled for years to concoct a building plan that could win approval from the city and the California Coastal Commission.

In 1992, after about six public hearings, the Laguna Beach Design Review Board endorsed Jeannette’s project. The Coastal Commission followed suit the next year.

As a concession, the former owner agreed to remove the natural vegetation that blanketed the rock and preserve it at a nursery while construction was underway. Workers said the house has now been recapped with the original soil and shrubbery. “This was a revegetation project that has become a new model,” Jeannette said.

To build the structure, workers created a concrete shell before adding wood framing to shape the rooms. Ten to 15 truckloads of concrete were required for the roof alone, partly because it had to be sturdy enough to support the soil and plants that now rest on it, one worker said.

But while the original focus was on the exterior, Jeannette now speaks glowingly of the home’s interior. The style mimics that of Antonio Gaudi, a deceased Spanish architect who used curved surfaces to created a sense of movement and playfulness, he said.

His goal, Jeannette said, was to transform the property into both a thing of value and a “work of art.”

“Once you leave the front entry, you feel you’ve been completely displaced,” he said. “You feel like you’ve been beamed up by Scotty almost.”