IRVINE : New Plan Submitted on Home Like Castle

Haym and Fern Ganish turned in plans for completion of their castle-like house Tuesday, just a few minutes before the latest deadline granted to the family was to expire.

The city has been given authority by Superior Court to tear down the house if the couple does not comply with city requirements. The city has been at odds with the Ganishes for 13 years over the transformation of their Kron Street house into a stone castle.

City Building Department manager Bob Storchheim said the plans will be thoroughly examined to determine if they meet city building codes.

“I don’t even know what they’ve got,” Storchheim said.

A Superior Court judge has upheld the city’s claim that the house is unsafe and in violation of state safety and building codes. The Ganishes have said they are being unfairly harassed by the city.

After failing to meet a Dec. 9 deadline to file building plans with the city, Fern Ganish asked a Superior Court judge to block the city from demolishing the house. The court refused.

The City Council agreed to “go the extra mile” by having a meeting between the Ganishes and city officials on Jan. 27. As a result of the meeting, the Ganishes were given a Feb. 7 deadline to file building plans. But city officials say the agreement did not release the Ganishes from court-ordered requirements for completion of their house.

On Nov. 9, Fern Ganish pleaded no contest to criminal charges of failing to bring the house into compliance with state building codes. As a condition of her plea, she was given one year to complete the remodeling of the house, contingent on a series of deadlines. Haym Ganish refused to take part in the agreement, and criminal charges against him are pending.