Luxury home with 'man cave,' mountain views among 5 Valley spec projects in works

A luxury spec home, featuring its own wellness center and 'man cave' that's being built on a quiet cul-de-sac with Mummy Mountain views, has listed for $15 million.

The 8,600-square-foot estate's wellness center features a built-in infrared sauna, said Jill Brenenstuhl, partner at Retsy-Forbes Global Properties, the listing agent for the property at 6232 E. Bret Hills Drive in Paradise Valley.

"It's going to be a jewel box," she said, noting that the interior of the home will be more inviting than many contemporary properties that have been introduced to the market lately.

The 1-acre property has space to add a private pickleball court if the buyer gets in early, she said.

"Also, we have a man cave that is a special collector car garage for that special vehicle with a bar and sitting area," Brenenstuhl said.

The project is expected to be completed in December or January, said J. Andrew Turley, a luxury appraiser who is developing the luxury home.

It had been owned by former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Eric Gagné, who had sold it to another group that had planned to redevelop it before Turley and his group took over the project.

Diamond West Construction is general contractor, Moderna Architects is architect, Dream Home Design is the interior designer group and Levinson Studios is the landscape design group for this project.

It is one of several projects Turley and his groups of investors have in the works.

Home formerly owned by Phoenix Suns star also being redeveloped

For example, a $6 million estate on five acres at 39602 Charles Blair MacDonald Road in Paradise Valley is expected to be completed by the end of June, while another $6 million project at 5761 N. Echo Canyon Circle in Phoenix will be completed in September or October.

Also expected to be completed this fall is a $10 million estate on a golf course at 9790 N. 56th St. in Paradise Valley and an $8 million project at 6748 E. Berneil Lane in Paradise Valley.

The Berneil Lane property had formerly been owned by Phoenix Suns star Deandre Ayton, It was conceptually designed by renowned architect CP Drewitt in the late 1990s, Turley said.

While that property is a renovation, nearly all of the construction is new, he said.

The first luxury spec home Turley and his wife started was in 2006 when he saw one of his clients building custom homes, selling them and never living in them. At the time, it was a new concept to Turley.

"For me, it made a lot of sense logically because I was doing all the back-end research as an appraiser, and I could connect the dots on what you paid for the land, how much it cost to build a home, and then what it was sold for, and then what are your soft costs and other costs like Realtor fees that allowed me to see what the profit could potentially be," he said.

It was his wife who pushed him to get into the game.

"Let's do it," she told him at the time. "We're young and we can always bounce back if it goes wrong. My parents were always taking calculated risks to get ahead."

As an appraiser he was exposed to the best talent in the state, giving him plenty of ideas for his own projects.

The couple's first spec home development was a ground-up new construction project within the Las Sendas community in Mesa on a half-acre lot.

'Watershed moment' for Valley luxury market

Over the years, the couple has had two or three projects going at the same time.

"This is the most projects we've ever had going on at once," Turley said.

"For me, being a researcher and an analyst, I can see with fervent confidence that Arizona is having a watershed moment in the luxury space when it comes to migration patterns, migration patterns of the wealthy, the options of lifestyle living our wonderful area offers when it comes to security — gated communities — hospitality in the form of resorts, healthy and wellness spas, amazing dining options and outdoor options — golf, hiking, weather — and vibrant culture," he said. "The luxury market has never had so much momentum from a fundamental analysis when you zoom out and connect all the dots."

It also helps that he has capital partners who believe in the vision and are brave enough to invest, he said, along with a strong build/design team.

"It's like a symphony of talented people coming together to pull these passion projects off. The thing that drives me is pushing the limits of what we can do, working with amazing talented people and acquiring land or a house and making it something epic that few others can really see in their minds of what it could be," he said. "I do believe for the luxury side of real estate we are going to look back at say the 2020-2030 decade and be like, 'That's when Arizona really grew up in design, architecture, luxury pricing ... as a top-tier city in the U.S. and what it has to offer and who it attracts to live there."

🏡 Final Thoughts:

Arizona’s luxury real estate market is entering a bold new era. With stunning projects like the $15M estate on Bret Hills Drive—complete with wellness center, collector’s garage, and mountain views—Paradise Valley and greater Phoenix are redefining high-end living. Spearheaded by experts who blend data-driven insight with design ambition, these developments reflect the Valley’s rising appeal among affluent buyers. As luxury migration intensifies, Arizona’s blend of beauty, lifestyle, and investment potential is putting it on the national map as a premier destination for refined living.