Concept study

Malibu Residence

A two level, four bedroom house on a 3.73 acre ocean bluff lot, drawn and rendered by Akopi Builders as a study. It has not been built.

Concept design. The images on this page are renderings, not photographs of a built home.

Aerial rendering of a two level flat roofed house with a long pool on an ocean bluff, a dry garden between the pool and the bluff edge.
House, pool and bluff garden from above, back from the edge.
Lot
3.73 acres, 250 x 650 ft
Conditioned area
9,112 sq ft
Levels
2
Bedrooms
4
Back from the bluff edge
100 ft, house and pool
Light fittings drawn
337

This is a concept study, not a built house. Akopi Builders drew it for an imagined bluff lot in Malibu, the way we would want a real project handed to us: a full plan set, one model behind every image, and every light, speaker and air slot placed on paper. We made it to show how we think before we build. Look at the images first. Then open the plans.

Twenty six views in the order you would walk the house, by day and at dusk.

Renderings of a concept design, not photographs of a built home.

Rendering of a paved driveway between low stone walls and two rows of olive trees, the house and the ocean at the far end.
The driveway, lined with olives and dry stacked limestone walls.
Rendering of a stone paved motor court with a three door garage in cream plaster and an olive tree in a stone planter.
Motor court and the three bay garage, doors in dark timber.
Rendering of a tall dark timber front door with a long bronze pull under a timber soffit, the ocean visible through the glass each side.
Front door: one dark timber pivot leaf between two glass sidelights.
Rendering of the upper level foyer looking through a seating group and floor to ceiling glass to the ocean, a glass guard around the stair opening.
Foyer and ocean gallery, with the stair opening at left.
Rendering of a straight open riser stair with a glass guard beside a limestone bar with lit shelves, the dining table beyond.
Straight stair with open risers and glass guard, bar at left.
Rendering of the great room with two sofas and two leather armchairs under an oak ceiling, open to the pool terrace and the ocean.
Great room, both glass bays open to the pool terrace.
Rendering of the kitchen with a cream stone island and five stools in front of an oak wall with a stone lined range niche.
Kitchen: quartzite island, range niche and oak panel wall.
Rendering of a dining table for twelve under a bar pendant, with glass to the pool, the garden and the ocean.
Dining room, open to the great room, facing pool and ocean.
Rendering of a dark powder room with a floor to ceiling green marble wall, a floating marble basin, a lit mirror and two amber glass pendants.
Powder room by the bar: book matched green marble, brass pendants.
Rendering of an office with a walnut desk and a wall of walnut shelves, a large window onto olive trees and the paved court.
Office with a walnut shelving wall, window to the motor court.
Rendering of the primary bedroom with a low bed and an oak ceiling, a wall of glass onto the terrace and the ocean.
Primary bedroom on the upper level, glass to the terrace.
Rendering of a bedroom with a leather headboard, an armchair and a floor lamp at a glass wall facing the ocean.
Bedroom 2, upper level, with the terrace and ocean beyond.
Rendering of a gym and lounge with a treadmill, a bike and a bench, glass on two sides to the terrace and a sunken stone court.
Wellness lounge and gym, glass to the terrace and plunge court.
Rendering of a glass fronted timber sauna beside a frosted glass steam room door, towel shelves at the right.
Sauna with a glass front and the steam room door.
Rendering of the house from the bluff garden: a lower level of glass between stone piers and an upper level set back behind a glass guard.
The ocean side: two glass levels between limestone piers and plaster.
Rendering looking along the travertine pool terrace beside the glass wall of the house, four teak loungers and the pool at right.
Pool terrace in honed travertine, fire lounge at the far end.
Rendering of an outdoor dining table and grill under a dark timber pergola, the indoor kitchen and dining room visible through the glass.
Outdoor kitchen under the timber pergola, kitchen seen through the glass.
Rendering of two teak loungers facing a vanishing edge pool, low coastal planting and the ocean horizon.
Vanishing edge pool, bluff garden and the ocean.
Rendering of a sunken stone court with a small plunge pool, a bronze outdoor shower and a stone stair up to the garden.
Wellness court: cold plunge, outdoor shower and the west garden stair.
Rendering from the west side of the house: lavender in the terrace edge planter behind a glass guard, the court, olive trees and the ocean below.
Upper terrace planter and glass guard over the wellness court.
Aerial rendering at dusk of the lit house and pool on the bluff, the beach and the coastline to the left.
The house at dusk from above, exterior lights on.
Rendering at dusk of both levels of the house lit behind glass, reflected in the pool, with four loungers on the terrace.
Ocean side at dusk across the pool.
Rendering of the great room in the evening with a long gas fire in a limestone wall, two sofas, two leather chairs and three lamps.
Great room at dusk: limestone fireplace wall washed by downlights.
Rendering of the kitchen in the evening with a line of light under the island and the tall oak wall washed by downlights.
Kitchen in the evening, island and oak wall lit.
Rendering of the primary bedroom in the evening with sheer curtains drawn across the glass wall and bedside lamps on.
Primary bedroom in the evening, sheers closed.

Plans

A client should notice that the rooms were planned before they were pictured. An architect should notice the setbacks on the site plan, the section through the step in the lot, and a lighting plan drawn over the furniture.

A1 Site plan, whole lot

The whole lot with its setbacks, buildable pad, bluff line and drive, so the limits are set before the house is.

Sheet A1: Site plan, whole lot. Concept drawing, not for construction. Sheet A1, phone page: Site. Concept drawing, not for construction.

A2 Lower level floor plan

Great room, dining, kitchen, wellness and guest suite on the pool terrace, with the service rooms behind them against the hill.

Sheet A2: Lower level floor plan. Concept drawing, not for construction. Sheet A2, phone page: Great room, bar and wine room, part of the sheet. Concept drawing, not for construction.

A3 Upper level floor plan

Entry, office, primary suite and two bedrooms on the upper terrace, with the garage and mudroom on the motor court.

Sheet A3: Upper level floor plan. Concept drawing, not for construction. Sheet A3, phone page: Primary suite, part of the sheet. Concept drawing, not for construction.

A5 South elevation, the ocean side

The ocean face drawn square on: where stone, glass and plaster start and stop, and how far the upper level sets back.

Sheet A5: South elevation, the ocean side. Concept drawing, not for construction. Sheet A5, phone page: South elevation. Concept drawing, not for construction.

A9 Building section through the stair

A cut through the stair from street side to ocean side, showing how two levels sit across the step in the lot.

Sheet A9: Building section through the stair. Concept drawing, not for construction. Sheet A9, phone page: Section at the stair. Concept drawing, not for construction.

A13 Kitchen plan and elevations

The kitchen at a larger scale, every appliance, panel and clearance fixed, which is what a cabinet shop prices and builds from.

Sheet A13: Kitchen plan and elevations. Concept drawing, not for construction. Sheet A13, phone page: Kitchen plan. Concept drawing, not for construction.

A14 Lighting key plan, lower level

Every light fitting drawn over the furniture, so each one is placed for a seat, a wall or a work top.

Sheet A14: Lighting key plan, lower level. Concept drawing, not for construction. Sheet A14, phone page: The lights of the great room, bar and wine room, part of the sheet. Concept drawing, not for construction.

A20 Powder room by the bar, wall elevation

The marble wall of the bar powder room with slab joints, fittings and mounting heights, drawn before any stone is cut.

Sheet A20, drawing 1: Powder room by the bar, wall elevation. Concept drawing, not for construction. Sheet A20, phone page: Powder room by the bar, the east wall. Concept drawing, not for construction.
Rendering of a dark powder room with a floor to ceiling green marble wall, a floating marble basin, a lit mirror and two amber glass pendants.
Powder room by the bar: book matched green marble, brass pendants.

Eight of the 21 sheets are shown. The full set also has the cover, the roof plan, the north, east and west elevations, the two camera plans, the exterior lighting plan, the upper level lighting plan, the fitting schedule, the scenes schedule, the power and audio visual plans, and the air and curtain plans. It is available on request.

Selected sheets, PDF 8 pages, 1.1 MB

Materials

  • Honey limestone, coursed, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Honey limestone, coursed

    Piers and end walls of the lower level, court and retaining walls

  • Lime plaster, cream, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Lime plaster, cream

    Upper level walls outside, room walls inside

  • Honey oak planks, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Honey oak planks

    Ceilings of the main rooms, kitchen panel wall

  • Honed travertine, large format, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Honed travertine, large format

    Floors inside, pool terrace and upper terrace outside

  • Honed cream quartzite, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Honed cream quartzite

    Kitchen island, counters, range niche and hood

  • Deep green marble, book matched, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Deep green marble, book matched

    Vanity wall and basin block of the powder room by the bar

  • Dark stained timber, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Dark stained timber

    Front door, garage doors, pergola

  • Walnut, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Walnut

    Office shelving wall and desk, bath vanities, joinery

  • Granite setts, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Granite setts

    Motor court

  • Pool water over pale sandy plaster, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Pool water over pale sandy plaster

    Pool, sun shelf and spa

  • Bluff garden planting, swatch cut from a rendering.

    Bluff garden planting

    Between the pool and the bluff edge

  • Limestone
    Plaster
    Oak
    Travertine
    Green marble
    Pool water

What it takes to build here

General points, true of this kind of site. None of this is legal advice, and a real project starts with the City and the project's own consultants.

  1. The coast has its own permit.

    In the coastal zone, work generally cannot start until a coastal development permit is issued. Malibu reviews these itself under its Local Coastal Program, so that review comes before the building permit, not alongside it.

  2. The bluff sets the house back.

    Malibu's coastal plan asks blufftop buildings to stand 100 ft back from the bluff edge, and allows less only when the geology proves it. This house and its pool keep the full 100 ft. Nothing is built on the bluff face.

  3. Geology is reviewed, not assumed.

    The City's geologist reviews the geology reports and the grading plans, and on an ocean bluff a coastal engineering report looks at erosion and sea level rise over the life of the house. This study assumes drilled caissons under the house and the pool.

  4. All of Malibu is a wildfire zone.

    The whole city is in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. The county fire department approves a fuel modification plan, which is the planting plan around the house, before a building permit is issued.

  5. Wastewater is usually handled on the lot.

    A house without a sewer connection runs on its own onsite wastewater treatment system. In Malibu a new system needs its own review, its own ground on the lot and an operating permit after it is built.

  6. Salt air chooses the metals.

    Near the ocean, fasteners, connectors and exposed metal corrode faster than they do inland. Stainless steel, heavier galvanizing and keeping unlike metals apart are decided in the drawings, not at the supplier's counter.

  7. The coast road is a state highway.

    Pacific Coast Highway is under Caltrans, and work that touches it or the City's streets can need its own permit. Deliveries, crane days and parking are planned before the first truck is booked.

How the job would run

Schedule by phase

The phases, in order, for a house like this on drilled caissons. Planning numbers for a concept, not a promise.

  1. 1 Preconstruction The drawings are read in full, conflicts are flagged, long lead items are listed and the job is priced. 12 weeks Before construction, beside the permits
  2. 2 Entitlements and permits Coastal permit, geology and coastal engineering review, fire and wastewater approvals, then building plan check. 90 weeks Before construction, set by the agencies
  3. 3 Site preparation and grading Access, fencing, erosion control and a working pad for the drill rig, then the cut for the lower level and the pool. 8 weeks Weeks 1 to 8
  4. 4 Foundations and retaining walls Drilled caissons and grade beams under the house and the pool, the retaining wall behind the lower level, the pool shell, and waterproofing below grade. 20 weeks Weeks 7 to 26
  5. 5 Structure Steel piers and roof beams, slabs, the upper terrace slab and framing. 18 weeks Weeks 23 to 40
  6. 6 Envelope Roofing, terrace and planter waterproofing, glass walls and exterior doors until the house is dry, then the stone and plaster outside. 26 weeks Weeks 37 to 62
  7. 7 Rough systems Plumbing, air, electrical, lighting control, audio and the curtain pockets, all before any ceiling closes. 22 weeks Weeks 39 to 60
  8. 8 Interior finishes Plaster, oak ceilings, travertine, stone, the kitchen, the wet rooms, the sauna and the steam room. 40 weeks Weeks 59 to 98
  9. 9 Pool, terraces and landscape Paving, outdoor kitchen, exterior lighting, planting and the bluff garden, with the pool finish and start up last. 44 weeks Weeks 57 to 100
  10. 10 Commissioning and handover Every system is run and set, scenes are programmed, the punch list is closed and the manuals are handed over. 8 weeks Weeks 97 to 104

Phases overlap, so the weeks are for each phase and not a sum. Construction runs about 104 weeks from mobilization to handover.

Entitlements and permits come first and are counted apart, because the agencies set that time and the builder does not.

The house and the pool stand on drilled caissons tied together by grade beams. Each shaft is drilled, checked by the geotechnical engineer, fitted with its steel cage and poured under a deputy inspector. The drill rig works from a pad cut behind the 100 ft setback line, never at the bluff edge.

Budget structure

The cost categories, in the order they are built, as shares of the whole. Planning shares for a concept, not a price.

  1. Site work, grading and wastewater system 6%
  2. Foundations: caissons, grade beams and retaining walls 15%
  3. Structure 10%
  4. Envelope: roofing, waterproofing, glazing, exterior stone and plaster 15%
  5. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing 10%
  6. Lighting, controls and audio visual 5%
  7. Interior finishes: plaster, timber ceilings, flooring 10%
  8. Millwork, kitchen and stone 10%
  9. Pool, spa and wellness rooms 5%
  10. Landscape, hardscape and exterior lighting 6%
  11. General conditions 8%

This shows how the cost of a house like this is organized, as shares of the whole and with no dollar totals, because a total belongs to a real site and a real set of drawings.

The 100 percent is the hard cost of construction, with the builder's general conditions. The allowance for what the ground can turn up is carried inside the lines where that risk sits. It leaves out the land, design and engineering fees, permits and agency fees, furnishings and financing.

Sample weekly owner report

SAMPLE. CONCEPT. This report is an example of the format. The house has not been built and none of this work has happened.

Malibu Residence, concept study. Owner report, Week 62.

Work completed this week

  • Great room and dining room: honey oak ceiling planks installed, boards running east to west.
  • Lower level glass line: curtain pockets and linear air slots checked against sheet A19 before the ceiling closed.
  • Kitchen: range niche framed and backed for its stone lining. Island plumbing roughed in.
  • Sauna: walls insulated and foil lined, ready for cedar.
  • Pool terrace: travertine paving set from the spa to the sun shelf.

Next two weeks

  • Kitchen: oak panel wall delivered and started.
  • Kitchen: island templated for its quartzite, one block with waterfall ends.
  • Steam room: membrane on walls, ceiling and bench, then the flood test, then stone.
  • Upper terrace edge planter: waterproofing, drainage layer and flood test before any planting medium goes in.

Decisions needed from the owner

  • Approve the book match of the two green marble slabs for the powder room by the bar. Photos of the slabs laid side by side are attached.
  • Confirm the keypad finish against the door hardware sample.
  • Choose one of the two linen sheers hung on site in the great room.

Selections due

  • Counter stools for the island, five.
  • Sun loungers for the pool terrace, four.
  • Bedside lamps for the four bedrooms.

Changes

  • Sample change: the pool bath gets two wall lights, one each side of the mirror, in place of one. Sheets A14 and A20 were revised before the electrician returned. In a real report the cost and the time effect of each change are stated here, and nothing proceeds until the owner signs.

Inspections

  • Passed: rough electrical, lower level.
  • Passed: shower pan flood tests, guest bath and wellness bath.
  • Scheduled: insulation, upper level.

Photos

  • Everything about to be covered, before it is covered: in-wall plumbing at the wet rooms, curtain pockets, air slots and the backing for stone.
Quality checklist

Checks a careful builder runs. General practice, each one confirmed against the product maker's instructions on a real job.

Waterproofing

  • The surface slopes to the drain before the membrane goes on, not after.
  • One system from one maker: membrane, primer, corners and drain parts that are made to work together.
  • The membrane turns up the walls and runs over the curb or under the door threshold with no break.
  • Every pipe, drain and niche is sealed and photographed.
  • Flood test: the pan, terrace or planter is filled, the level is marked, and it is checked again after the hold time the maker gives.
  • The room below is looked at during the test, not only the water level.
  • The membrane is protected from the next trade the same day it passes.
  • Nothing is covered until the test is logged and signed.

Sauna

  • Walls and ceiling are insulated and lined with a foil vapor barrier, seams taped, foil facing the room.
  • The heater is sized to the room by the maker's table, glass area included.
  • The heater has its own circuit and its clearances and guard rail match its listing.
  • Fresh air enters low at the heater and leaves through the vent the drawings show.
  • Lining and benches are untreated timber, with no fastener where skin can touch it.
  • The door opens outward and has no latch that can lock.
  • Lights, speaker and sensor are rated for the heat and set where the heater maker says.
  • First heat up is run and watched before handover.

Steam room

  • Walls, ceiling, bench and floor are one continuous vapor tight membrane.
  • The ceiling slopes so water runs off and does not drip on a seat.
  • The generator is sized by the maker for the room volume and the stone, and sits where it can be reached and drained.
  • The steam line is insulated, slopes the right way and has no valve in it.
  • The steam head is low and away from where people sit or walk.
  • The door is gasketed and the lights and speaker are sealed fittings.
  • The purge extract runs after each use, as drawn.
  • The enclosure is flood tested before stone.

Two short reads

Planning a house on the coast or in the hills.

Send the drawings or call. Hovik reads the set before he prices it.

(818) 214-7500 akopibuilders.com/contact