The House That Papa Dave Is Building Is a Grandkid’s Wonderland

Everyone knows that grandparents are for spoiling grandchildren.

Dave Hardin is about to raise the bar -- a batting cage, mini movie theater, a pool with slides and caves and, budget allowing, maybe a bowling alley.

Those are the main features of a multimillion-dollar home the 51-year-old banker from Mission Viejo is building in Covenant Hills, an exclusive subdivision in south Orange County’s Ladera Ranch.

On the outskirts of Hardin’s lot, other mansions are rising with different themes. On one end of the 722-acre village, a builder is constructing a pair of Spanish ranch-style houses with swim-up bars and outdoor kitchens. Down the street from Hardin, someone else is building a French chateau-inspired house complete with a castle for wine tasting. The theme for Hardin’s home is simply fun.

“I don’t know,” he said, “I’ve always enjoyed family.”

The lot was not much to look at -- 16,000 square feet of dirt and weeds. It took some imagination to see the house, but Hardin led the tour with all the enthusiasm of a boy showing off a new toy.

“This is where the batting cage is going to go,” he said, pointing to a spot on the blueprints. “I’m going to have nets coming down here and here. I’ll probably have to pad the ceiling. You don’t want those balls coming back at you.”

The first one to wield the bat is likely to be Payton, Hardin’s 5-year-old grandson -- the oldest of two grandchildren, with two more on the way.

“He doesn’t grab the concept completely” of the new house, said Aaron, Payton’s dad and Hardin’s oldest son, whose family also lives in Ladera. “It’s pretty insane.”

Payton loves baseball, the father said: He’s been playing T-ball and is in Ladera Ranch’s Little League. “Now, we’ll be able to just drive to Papa Dave’s house up the street,” he said. “That’s what we call him, Papa Dave.”

Papa Dave doesn’t look like a typical grandfather. During the recent visit to the site, Hardin, who resembles a friendly version of Hulk Hogan, was wearing a red and white bowling shirt and wraparound shades.

Hardin is the third of seven children and the oldest son. His Navy test-pilot father instilled in him an appreciation for the fun things in life, he said, and a carefree attitude. “Test pilots have a different mind-set. Not that he didn’t care about things, but he knew that any day can be your last day.”

His father also taught him about the value of family. His parents have 15 grandchildren. Hardin and his high school sweetheart, Patti, whom he married while attending Cal State Fullerton, are building up their own ranks: They have five children and a growing number of grandkids.

Aaron and wife Michelle are expecting their third child, a girl, to join Payton and his younger brother, Boston, almost 3.

Jeff, 27, is married to Tiffany and attending medical school in Arizona. They are the only members of the family not living in Ladera Ranch.

Tim, 26, rents a town home but is moving into a house this summer. His girlfriend has two kids. “So that would be an instant family if they get married,” Hardin said.

The youngest son, Zack, 24, and his wife, Raquel, are expecting their first child.

Hardin, Patti and their youngest, Stacie, 15, are living in a house near Aaron while their Covenant Hills home is built. Hardin expects it to be completed in a couple of years.

With his family living so close, it only made sense to build a house that could be a gathering place for all, Hardin said.

The 11,000-square-foot compound, with its view of the Saddleback Mountains, will have a 2,500-square-foot basement that doubles as a playroom complex and garage. The driveway entrance to the basement will be under a man-made cave with overhanging plants and rocks.

Inside the garage will be the batting cage and a 320-square-foot media room with a large-screen TV and rows of sofas to accommodate all the Hardins. Also in the garage will be a playroom with pool tables and maybe a false bookshelf hiding antique slot machines.

There won’t be much room for actual cars, maybe just Hardin’s truck and Harley-Davidson motorcycle, so on the other end of the house Hardin is building a proper three-car garage.

Just the basement will cost $350,000, he said. The house will set him back about $3 million: $1.8 million in construction costs, $400,000 for design and engineering, and the nearly $800,000 he paid for the land.

Despite the price tag, his house is not about luxury, he said: “The marble doesn’t have to be virgin marble from Tibet.”

What he wants is a house that will have his grandchildren looking forward to visiting Papa Dave and playing in the garage and the pool. And he still is trying to squeeze more fun into his budget. The bowling alley was part of his original plan but was scratched because of costs.

“Maybe, if I can fit it over here,” Hardin said, pointing to a spot near the batting cage. “Depending on the economy and how business is going.”

Aaron is not surprised.

“He’s always putting us before the stuff he needs or wants,” the son said. “When we were growing up, he did not have fancy cars, even though he could afford them, because he wanted to make sure that all of us had cars to drive.”