It will be very interesting to see these concepts take form on the hills of Malibu.

I’ve been following your progress vicariously via this blog and am excited that you’re getting closer and closer. I’m also relieved that I don’t have to deal with the coastal commission w/ HOF.

Where do I sign up for automatic updates for this weblog?

Aloha,

KFC

Thanks for giving majorearth a look. I hope my website didn’t scare you away!! That was not my intention at all…it was just meant to shed some light on the whole process. There are many different variables for each piece of land you might look at…I just tried to lay out all the ones I ran into along the way.

Building in the Malibu/Topanga area can be a bit tricky due to the Coastal Commission rules and regulations and also because the remaining inexpensive land around tends to be steep hillside or has some interesting geology…but it can be done! If you do the proper research to know what the variables are for the piece of land you are looking at and if the cost of these variables fits into your budget…you’ve got a project.

As far as prefabs go…they can definitely be cheaper than traditional stick built homes…but in Southern California they are not going to be wildly cheaper. When I started looking into prefab a few years back people were talking about the cost being in the $120 – 130 a sq ft range…now the reality seems to be more like $170-255 depending on the model and level of finish in terms of brands of counter tops, flooring, windows etc…plus the additional site costs of foundation, utilities, landscaping, hardscaping, decks, etc.

I think prefab provides great benefits:

1. You get a great architecturally designed home.

2. If you go with someone like Marmol-Radziner or Michelle Kaufmann you can actually go visit a model, walk around and get to know what it feels like.

3. You get a known fixed price for all the construction of the home as well as fixtures etc.

4. You get a known fixed timeline for delivery.

5. It can potentially cut down the headaches that can come with trying to keep a traditional build on schedule and within budget.

These links might give you a better idea of the costs of prefabs:

http://www.marmolradzinerprefab.com/design/index.html

http://livemodern.com/mkdbudget

Thanks,
Mike

You have a great looking home planned.

I’ll stop in to the site from time to time and follow the progress.

I have been in contact with your Dad regarding family tree research. I have been, and will continue to visit County Monaghan Ireland to research your Gr-gr-gr-grandfather Owen Byrne and his son Michael (for whom I am sure you were named).

If you are interested in this sort of stuff, please review the data that I am just sending to your Dad.

Good luck on the home, take care,

Cousin Nic