Ekedal Masonry wins Best Basement of the Year

The Portabello estate in Corona del Mar carries with it a $75 million price tag, as well as a 50,000-square-foot basement with a bowling alley, grotto and a tunnel to the ocean.

It’s also paved the way for one of the contractors who helped build the home to become an award winner. Corona del Mar-based Ekedal Masonry and Concrete worked on the basement and was honored this year for the 2007 Best Basement of the Year by the Concrete Foundations Assn. of North America.

“It’s nice when people recognize your work because it doesn’t normally happen,” Ekedal said. “It’s nice to hear things from our peers and competition that they look up to us and that we’re setting standards for what the industry is doing.”

— Amanda Pennington