Hall of Famer downsizes

Randy Johnson’s Mummy Mountain home

is on the market for $25M

The “Big Unit” is downsizing.

With a couple of children off to school, former Diamondbacks pitcher – and now Hall of Famer – Randy Johnson and his wife have listed their 25,000-square-foot Paradise Valley mansion on the market and bought a home in north Scottsdale’s Silverleaf.

Sitting on five acres with two separate entrances and exits, the 25,000-square-foot Mediterranean estate is the epitome of luxury. The home boasts seven bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a 21,000-square-foot main house and a 2,000-square-foot guest house. Among its amenities are a 2,000-square-foot fitness facility, an outdoor kitchen, two-story water slide, tanning salon, movie theater, wine cellar, billiards room, pet suite with a wash station, elevator, recording studio and lush resort-style grounds and gorgeous mountain views.

THE COLLABORATORS

In 2006, a design dream team began a collaboration to build the home. The collaborators included PHX Architecture Principal Erik Peterson, AIA; former Principal Jeff Innes, AIA; Jerry Meek, president of Desert Star Construction; Colleen Pawling of Pawling Design; and Jeff Berghoff of Berghoff Design Group.

“Our best projects are the ones where the interior designer, builder, landscape architect and special trades are involved from the beginning,” says Peterson. “Collaboration and communication are the heart and soul of the project. It’s nice when you are all on the same page and working toward the same thing, while staying mindful of the project requirements – specifically, the budget.”

Meek agrees. “The expert collaboration of this talented design team together with the owners allowed us to maintain a strict schedule and stay within our budget and parameters.”

The project scope involved constructing multiple buildings across a five-plus acre site. The course of the project from initial meeting to completion took a little over three years.

“The velocity of construction with over 35,000 square feet under one roof in just 22 months would not have been possible without the constant communication, meetings and collaboration,” Meek says.

Interiors were designed by Colleen Pawling of Pawling Design.

Pawling’s most rewarding part of the experience was the daily site meetings at 6:30 a.m. for months. “Achieving the level of detail in every area inside and out was the most rewarding and intense part of working on the project,” she says. “In the end, I am most proud of having been an integral part of creating an environment that was not only cohesive in design, but intimate, functional, and reflected the client’s vision and lifestyle.”

Aside from the early morning meetings, “Everyone on the project had fun – and I mean everyone!” Meek states. “The owners would regularly attend our onsite barbeques for the tradesmen and share their appreciation. It is such a gift when our clients take the time to do this for us and for our partners. As with every project we accomplish, our success and the satisfaction of our clients is a direct result of being a part of a great team.”

Jeff Berghoff designed a lush, resort-style landscape, creating a private sanctuary in the desert.

“One of the dynamic aspects of this project was the site,” Berghoff says. “The site was completely cleared when we first began construction – everything from the grading to the washes were worked on and reconfigured. The grading and washes created unique opportunities for terraces and courtyards.”

Berghoff and his team worked creatively with the opportunities presented from the site and came up with a resort-style landscape. “Using the native aspects of the surroundings provided the home with a private sanctuary in the desert.” Berghoff states. “Each space is a discovery of its own with different types of gardens in each location.”

        Aside from the resort-style grounds, Berghoff and his team             also designed the pool and surrounding patios. “This was             the first time a client had requested a unique slide to be                 designed with the pool,” Berghoff says. “We worked with               PHX Architecture to integrate a slide that would                               complement the architecture as well as be a unique                       pool amenity for the owners to entertain.”

       “This project was the perfect blend of personalities and                   experience working together to seamlessly create this                   dream home for our client and his family,” Peterson adds.

(left) A musical-instrument collector's room holds Johnson's guitar collection.

(right) The fully equipped fitness room is 2,000 square feet.