Doug Burdge and His Architectural Firm Kick Off ‘Re-Bu’—Rebuild Malibu

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Burdge & Associates Architects

“RE-BU,” short for “Rebuild Malibu,” is an idea Burdge & Associates Architects came up with just after the Woolsey Fire destroyed more than 500 homes in and around the city. The architectural firm, founded by local Doug Burdge, has now teamed up with local builders, contractors, engineers and many others to create a one-stop shop for residents who lost their homes in the fire. 

Burdge, who’s lived in Malibu for 30 years and raised his children here, is passionate about helping the town get back on its feet. He and Malibu-based architect Lester Tobias gave a joint presentation to the planning department, two members of the planning commission, at least one member of city council and Environmental Sustainability Director Craig George in December—“Conformance Review Board Meeting #1.” Well-known local architects Ed Niles and Tom Torres also attended. 

Burdge and Tobias presented ideas on how to reduce the total amount of time it takes in Malibu to get a house rebuilt, pointing out that there are eight different areas requiring approval, and all of those are at the front end before construction even starts—planning, biology, grading, fire, water, environmental/health, geology, and soils and septic system. They made an argument for pushing some of those items until after construction starts, like the septic system, so that some approvals could be happening concurrently with construction and save time.

The two had talked to architects in other cities that recently lost many homes to disasters, including Napa, San Diego and Montecito, to collect ideas on how to speed up the usual building process.

“You have to give these people some hope,” Tobias said. “You can’t tell people they have to wait three years to build back their 1976 house.”

Burdge pointed out that insurance companies typically pay temporary living expenses for displaced households for a period of two years. “So, the house needs to be rebuilt in two years, but the reality is that’s not always the case in Malibu,” he told the officials. “The whole process is a ticking clock that started ticking on Nov. 8, 2018—the day of the fire.”

And, compounding the time problem is that, “a majority of the Woolsey Fire burnouts predate the Malibu Local Coastal Plan (LCP) and also contain construction for which permits don’t exist or can’t be found,” Tobias stated.  

According to their research, the typical Malibu home that burned down in the Woolsey Fire was about 3,000 square feet, with only a few in the 6,000- to 7,000-square-foot range. “We need to squeeze down the usual timeline it takes to build … and rebuild this town,” Burdge said, adding, “There are a lot of people hurting and we need to give them some hope.”

RE-BU’s website includes a number of links to information about rebuilding, and a list of its rebuilding partners—debris removal, arborists, surveyors, septic systems, builders, civil engineers, soils and geology experts, and structural engineers.

The RE-BU website is a work in progress that will be constantly updated “as more information becomes available from the city and other professionals that Burdge works with,” according to communications manager Harley Martin in a phone interview. “We’ve been here for over 30 years and have worked with all of those contractors,” she said. 

Many locals have expressed interest in rebuilding with a pre-fabricated home, and Burdge & Associates has partnered with the Santa Monica-based Plant Prefab. “We were very impressed with them and Amazon just invested in them,” she stated. “They’re 100 percent sustainable, using all reclaimed and recycled building materials. Their factories are in Palm Desert, and people can tour their facilities both there and in Santa Monica.”

Burdge plans a big rollout of “RE-BU” with a “RE-BU Live” event on the green at Trancas Country Market on March 23 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. There will be 10-15 vendor booths, speaker panels with local professionals and community activities. More information will be released in the coming weeks. 

“This will be an informative event for anybody looking for alternative housing ideas,” said marketing representative Karen Waldron in a phone interview, “like the pre-fab homes, which come 90 percent completed and go up much faster than a conventional home. In addition, the ‘Living Vehicle’ company will be the star of the show, bringing a state-of-the-art tiny house that can be moved on a trailer head and serve as a temporary home during rebuilds.”