Our clients lost their home with all their belongings in the November 8, 2018 Woolsey Fire.

It was their desire to to reclaim and reinhabit their property as soon as possible. Our goal became to move them back onto their land as fast as possible. To achieve this, we came up with a three phase project. In the first “campsite” phase we planned an area for a temporary “living vehicle” that we connected  to two Tuff Sheds and a tent with a large deck. They were  the first family to move back onto their property shortly after the site was decontaminated. The family with their two sons lived and slept in the RV. The tent and deck became playroom, den and outdoor dining area. The shed were used as laundry room, office and bike & surfboard storage.

Campsite Phase  – “Living Vehicle”, two sheds and a tent

During the initial phase we planned and permitted a guest house / ADU that was constructed off site in a factory as a pre fabricated home. The prefab strategy allowed us to prepare the site and build infrastructure and foundations simultaneously, while the house was completed off site complete with appliances, fixtures and finishes. We designed the prefabricated home to the maximum width and height as permitted for transport by the California  Highway Patrol.

From a permitting perspective we designed this structure as a main house but limited the size to the allowed square footage of a guest house as defined by the city of Malibu. That would allow us to design, permit and built the final main house for our clients at which point the completed prefabricated home would become a guest house to the larger phase two main house. Breaking up the permitting and construction of the two permanent buildings into the two phases allowed our clients to move into the first prefabricated building at least a year sooner.

The house was delivered and installed as one of the first new structures in Malibu after the Woolsey fire. After the initial install we added eave overhangs, decks and trellises to give more dimension to the otherwise simple building volume. By adding these elements on site we were able to maximize the size of the prefabricated transportable building module.

While our clients already lived in the prefabricated “guest house”, we completed the design, planning and permitting along with the required coastal development approvals for their dream house with pool, decks and pool accessory structure. Phase two is currently under construction, scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2023.

Phase 1 – Prefabricated Guest House/ ADU

Phase 2 – Main House, Pool & Pool Accessory Structure

Renderings

Construction progress photos