JUPITER ISLAND — By the time pop star Celine Dion completes her six-continent "Taking Chances" tour in Montreal's freezing February weather, she might be ready for a warmer climate.
If so, the 40-year-old diva's estate here could be ready and waiting for her.
Dion's Canadian firm, Renlec Management, filed paperwork last May to begin building on a 3.7-acre oceanfront property in the 200 block of South Beach Road, and Jupiter Island Building Official Jeff Newell said the $3.2 million in new construction is now about 80 percent complete.
Last week, the property was buzzing as usual with construction trucks and workers. The main structures were erected, but the landscaping was not complete and the buildings were surrounded by dirt.
It is difficult to estimate when the home will be in ready for Dion to move in, but the family anticipates it could take at least another year, said Conrad Damon, Dion's Florida attorney.
Renlec bought the property in June 2005 for $12.5 million. At the time, the land contained a two-story home, two-story guesthouse and a pool, but all the structures were leveled for Dion's estate.
West Palm Beach Architect Roger P. Janssen's plans for the new estate reveal tropical-themed architecture with wide verandas and balconies, cupolas atop copper roofs, French doors and white Bahama shutters.
When complete, the estate will feature two guesthouses, an underground garage, two pools, two tennis courts, a pool cabana and a beach cabana containing a small gym.
The main residence, a 9,825 square foot two-story structure, has six bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, an elevator and a basement for laundry and staff living quarters.
Damon said Dion and her manager-husband Ren'é Ang'élil designed the estate to create an island, "Bahamas-like" atmosphere for relaxing and raising their family. The couple have one child, 7-year-old son Rene-Charles.
"The goal and concept for this home is that it's going to be a comfortable, family home," Damon said. "It will have a laid back feel to it."
The entrance for the estate will be at an adjacent 2-acre lot to the north that Renlec purchased in January for $7 million. The driveway will feed off to a future 2,621-square-foot guesthouse, tennis court and underground garage on that property before curving south to an entry pavilion and parking spaces on the larger lot.
Just inside an 8-foot-tall cypress fence sits an additional eight-bedroom guesthouse. .
Damon said a "spectacular" swimming pool will one day grace the middle portion of the property and showcase unique, children-friendly features.
The main residence, on the far east portion of the property, is shaped as a three-pronged cross centered around an octagonal-shaped middle area.
On the first floor, the octagon includes a living room facing the ocean and separates north and south wings containing bedrooms and a sound-proof TV room.
On the second floor, an elevator and staircase lead into a playroom and children's rooms on the west side and an octagonal-shaped adjacent master suite on the east side.
While the suite includes an outdoor spa, wide balconies and three fireplaces, perhaps its most impressive feature is a 460-square-foot master closet that rivals the sleeping area.
In addition to the main home's center, the estate's entry pavilion and beach cabana are octagons. Damon calls the octagonal concept, "a significant component of the design" for Dion, who wanted an open-space feel to her home. But it's also credited as the root of a lawsuit Dion filed against her first architect, Randall Stofft of Delray Beach.
Renlec hired Stofft for the project in June 2005, but the contract fell apart because Stofft refused to incorporate the octagonal design and even "mocked it in a vulgar fashion," Damon said.
But Stofft's attorney, Cole Fitzgerald of West Palm Beach, said his client made every effort to keep Dion satisfied by incorporating octagons into his design.
"The only difference was when it was suggested the octagon should be the main element of the main house," he said.
Despite the termination of the contract, Stofft claimed Renlec still owed him $104,500 for work, and he filed a lien against the property in April 2006. Four months later, Renlec filed a lawsuit against Stofft to remove the lien, and now the parties are litigating to resolve the issue.
But any tussle with Stofft has failed to mar Dion's love for the area — her family has owned homes in Admiral's Cove and Jack Nicklaus' Bear's Club — and they are eager to move into their "dream home" and quietly blend into the Jupiter Island community, Damon said.
"I'm sure they'll be good neighbors," he said.
Here's a look at the history of future Jupiter Island resident Celine Dion's estate:
June 24, 2005: Dion's Canadian firm, Renlec Management, buys a home in the 200 block of South Beach Road from Barbara and F. Morgan Taylor Jr. for $12.5 million.
June 28, 2005: Renlec signs a building contract with Stofft Architects of Delray Beach for $550,000 based on 18 months of construction.
July 14, 2005: Renlec pays Stofft $20,000 for the schematic design phase of a new home on the property.
July 2005: Architect Randall Stofft flies to Montreal to "resolve differences in vision" with Renlec.
Oct. 14, 2005: Renlec pays Stofft $95,000 for the preliminary design phase ($45,000) and part of the design development phase ($50,000).
October 2005: Stofft representatives fly to Montreal to "correct the deficiencies" of Stofft's plans.
March 13, 2006: Renlec terminates its contract with Stofft.
March 31, 2006: Renlec hires Dailey Janssen Architects of West Palm Beach to finish the home for $500,000 based on 16 months of construction.
April 14, 2006: Stofft records a claim of lien against the property in the amount of $104,500 for work Renlec claims was "unauthorized."
Aug. 15, 2006: Renlec files a lawsuit against Stofft for filing a fraudulent lien and breaching their contract.
Nov. 28, 2006: Stofft files a counterclaim against Renlec to collect on the lien for breach of contract and for unjust enrichment.
May 11, 2007: Renlec files paperwork to begin building on the property.
Jan. 17, 2008: Renlec buys the adjacent 2-acre property to the north for $7 million.
June 5, 2008: Renlec files paperwork to begin building on the northern property.
CELINE DION'S ESTATE
Total acreage: 5.7 acres
Purchase price: $19.5 million (includes cost for two adjacent lots)
Main residence: 9,825 square feet
Total covered area: 17,868 square feet
Total bedrooms: 15
Total bathrooms: 14 full, 6 half-baths
