Blufftop Laguna Beach estate that cantilevers over surf seeks $112 million

A 14,434-square-foot contemporary estate of wood, glass and concrete that extends beyond a Laguna Beach oceanfront bluff recently debuted on the market for $112 million.

Read more Riverside woman hopes to continue IVF after husband killed outside Kaiser Permanente by driver fleeing police

If the property fetches near its asking price, the compound designed by the late modernist architect Fred M. Briggs would surpass an Emerald Bay beachfront estate that quietly traded hands for $110 million in early June to become the highest single-family home sale in county history.

Set behind two gated entrances, with the main entrance off a private street, the 1-acre-plus estate includes a main house and a detached guest house, for a total of eight bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and a full, luxury spa-resort-style wellness retreat with a fitness studio, sauna, steam shower and rock waterfall.

Beyond the living spaces, it features more than 2,000 square feet of terraces.

There’s a pool and spa, a private amphitheater, a championship tennis court, a Zen garden with a weeping Buddha fountain and a treehouse. Private steps lead directly to the sand.

Near the lower part of the bluff, a path ends at a sitting area perched above the ocean.

Listing agent Meital Taub of Livel Real Estate noted that ultra-luxury buyers frequently buy neighboring homes and land simply to create a buffer of privacy around themselves.

“It’s not about size anymore,” Taub said. “It’s about the controlled environment, meaning buyers are really optimizing their privacy preferences. And that’s really the idea with this type of property.”

The sellers are David Wilson, owner and chief executive officer of Wilson Automotive Group, and his wife, Holly. Redfin shows the property last sold for $17.9 million in September 2001, but Wilson told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the listing, that he bought the house for about $16 million.

Wilson later embarked on a two-year, $20 million renovation. More than $3 million of that investment went toward extensive steel and concrete reinforcement to counter coastal erosion and satisfy local building codes, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Jill Lockhart of Livel Real Estate, who shares the listing with Taub, said the reinforcement “transformed this already extraordinary piece of oceanfront land into one of California’s most significant residential offerings.”

She added the house would be “virtually impossible to assemble again.”

Workers completed the Briggs-designed home in 1974 for Boyd L. Jefferies and his wife, Sharon. The late Wall Street trader in 1987 pleaded guilty to felony charges related to illegal stock transactions.

Read more Changes are everywhere in Orange County football for 2026 season

The completion came two years before the California Coastal Commission implemented setback rules, grandfathering in a design that suspends the home’s living room, library and primary bedroom beyond the cliffside, with water on three sides.

Spanning three levels, the house organizes its living spaces across the upper levels. The top floor contains the primary retreat, where an automated ceiling opens above a rotating bed to reveal the sky.

For security, the private wing that houses the primary suite and two secondary bedrooms, and the library downstairs, can be completely locked off from the rest of the compound. A built-in walk-in safe, an emergency escape door and security cameras further fortify the space.

The estate blends serious security with high-end comfort.

“You won’t see it in the pictures, but as you walk into the main room … you feel like you’re in a super-luxury hotel lobby,” Taub said, describing how the architecture works in tandem with high ceilings and glass walls to set the warm wood surfaces aglow.

The main oceanfront living room, which features a sit-down bar, opens to the gourmet kitchen with its oversized island and professional-grade appliances.

Taub said descending the spiral staircase alongside glass walls and arriving at the glass floor feels “like you’re floating in the ocean. The property has many locations that allow you to enjoy the lifestyle in a meaningful way.”

A movie theater, formal dining room and a wine cellar contribute to the layout.

Separate from the main house is a two-bedroom guest house with an ocean-view deck.

An eight-car garage with a catering kitchen and a motor court that can accommodate an additional 20 vehicles rounds out the real estate.

Arrangements can also be made for the home’s contents. A $1 million wine collection and a curated art portfolio that includes works by Andy Warhol, Picasso and Don Sorenson, which the Wilsons inherited from the previous owner, according to the Wall Street Journal, are available for purchase separately outside of escrow.

Read more Recent fighting with Iran further draws down key US air defense stockpiles, analysis says