PPCC Hosts Architect to Speak on Home Rebuilding, Reconstruction

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor 

The Pacific Palisades Community Council board meeting on Thursday, February 27, included an informational presentation on steps ahead for residents considering or planning on rebuilding their homes.

Speaking on behalf of architectural firm Marmol-Radziner, Leo Marmol organized a presentation for attendees, covering “the path to reconstruction.”

Marmol started the presentation by acknowledging what he has heard from individuals in the community, as they navigate remaining mortgage costs and costs of reconstruction, as well as speaking to architects and builders for the first time.

“We’re here in the spirit of community, to support, to outline a basic understanding of the overall process to rebuild your home,” Marmol said.

Marmol recommended individuals collect architectural drawings, photographs, site surveys, title reports and anything else that documents their home that was lost. He said doing so will guide the conversation between an architect or building professionals and the city, to help them understand the conditions of the house before the fire.

“How do you confirm your original height? The building is no longer there,” Marmol said. “The better documentation you have of your house, the easier that conversation will go.”

Marmol explained that the Palisades—all of the coastal areas, exclusions, categorical exclusions, single and dual jurisdiction—are eligible for expedited permit processing, and with that, can increase their footprint by 10%.

“You can increase your square footage and height,” Marmol said during the presentation. “In addition to that, you can also add an ADU, an accessory dwelling unit.”

Marmol recommended individuals hire or work with a design team for additional support, and to begin looking at an overall project budget. Marmol said individuals will be looking at hard construction costs, which include the replacement cost for the house itself, as well as site costs.

“Site costs are everything beyond the current footprint of your building,” Marmol explained. “There will be what we call ‘hard scape,’ and those are patios, walkways, driveways, gates, fences—all the elements on the site. Then there are land landscape costs, planting, irrigation … And then there’s all the other site elements: swimming pools, spas, water features, whatever you have out on the property. Those will be hard costs for the site.”

Marmol explained the number that is the source of the most confusion, discrepancies and uncertainty is currently the cost per square foot to replace the house. This number typically doesn’t include aesthetic choices and details beyond what is necessary for the home.

Marmol closed his presentation by explaining that the Palisades and Altadena are going to be the only communities in the county of Los Angeles with new infrastructure, which “is incredibly valuable to the long-term value of your property.”

PPCC will host its next board meeting on Thursday evening, March 13. A link to the agenda and the Zoom are available at pacpalicc.org.

Marmol’s presentation is available at youtube.com/watch?v=vkODXKgCzdU.