SubHub – Community-Shared Construction Vendors for Malibu Fire Rebuilds

Get Your Permit Fee Waiver

The City of Malibu waived all permit fees for fire rebuilds.

1. You need to apply for your Permit Fee Waiver.
2. You can start your permitting process immediately after applying for the fee waiver. You don't need to wait for its approval to get your fees waived
3. The fee waiver for the City of Malibu automatically helps you get the fees for the fire department waived as well.

Get your Topo Survey done

You will need a topographic survey for your plans. You can schedule this now using one of the surveyors in the directory.

Get your Geotechnical report

Hire a Geo consultant (e.g. from the directory) and order your geo report. This has been the most time consuming item in the permitting process for many, there is no way around it, so start finding your geo consultant today. Make sure they are aware of the city's Geotechnical Guidelines and the Geotechnical Review Checklist.

They've gone through the process and have a direct line to the city. If your zone captain cannot answer a question, they know how to get it answered. Fast. Find your Zone Captain here.

What happened to you is an atrocity. You did not ask for it, you don't deserve it, you should be able to close your eyes, snap your fingers and walk into your new house. You know how it was right after the fire - walking around in a fog with a reality around you that does not match the reality inside your head. Only you know to what extent that fog has already lifted, but you are suddenly sitting here with multimillion dollar project that you need to manage. A project that nobody cares about as much as you do. Here are your options:

• Pay someone to do everything and walk into your new house when it's done.
• Build the house yourself.
• Lead a team that builds it for you.

If you are underinsured and scrambling to get your house rebuilt, the lowest cost option get through the permitting process has been Pacific Sands. (See directory). Two fire survivors in Big Rock were able to complete the design process with them for under $30.000 them as their design team. But it requires close supervision.

If you have not been paid out your insurance money yet, consider involving...

• The insurance commissioner: How to file a consumer complaint with the Insurance Commissioner
• The County Counsel. Contact: Scott Kuhn, Assistant County Counsel, skuhn@counsel.lacounty.gov or 323-719-9606.
• United Policyholders. Contact: Annie Barbour: annie@uphelp.com
• If you have an Ordinance and Law endorsement in your insurance policy, this document may help you and your contractor identify items that may fit this category. Note, that while your insurance adjuster may tell you that those endorsements can only be paid out as the work occurs, policy holders have received these prior to construction.

When your design team has finalized the architectural plans, we recommend meeting with your design team and the city staff in person before you submit. You can schedule a respective appointment at the Malibu Rebuild Center in person or via phone (310) 456-0470.

Why in person? You cannot overestimate the value of personal relationships. If you handle multimillion dollar projects on a regular basis and this is just one of many, maybe delegation is the right move for you. If this is the largest and most personal project you are (involuntarily) working on, we recommend giving it your personal attention. The city staff that is involved in the rebuild process is genuinely interested in you getting back home and very helpful. In the event that you come across obstacles involve your Zone Captain, the City's Community Development Director Yolanda Bundy, or the City's Assistant Community Development Director Tyler Eaton. Both are outstanding individuals who want to see you back in your home.

If applied for too late, the fire department permit can hold up your permit approval process. Apply at EPICLA immediately after receiving the approval of your architectural drawings.

You may have an account already from your debris removal - try your email addresses. If none is registered, create a new account and follow these guidelines.
You will have o fill out a form-195 as well and upload it to the EPICLA portal together with your architectural plans.
If you need help, contact the Malibu Rebuild Center or your Zone Captain.

Before starting to work on your plans for your Building Plan Check application, we recommend meeting with your design team and the team at the city (Building and Safety, Environmental Health, Fire, Geology, Public Works) in person and go through the plan check checklist together, to make sure nothing gets missed and the specificities of your project are addressed. You can schedule a respective appointment at the Malibu Rebuild Center.

In this meeting you will go over all necessary items that have to find their way into your plans. This meeting may cost you an hour but can save you months.

When your plans are ready, schedule another meeting with members of all departments to see if any glaring red flags need to be addressed before you submit.

After submission or latest when you receive your first set of corrections get your water and backflow preventer installed before you get your permit - you need water for grading - this costs approx $3000. Make sure the contractor you hire for this handles the (independent) permitting process for you.

The Malibu Rebuild Task Force has fought for 1.5 years together with the city to create an expedited rebuild process. While the rebuild process has been expedited significantly, it turns out that the city of Malibu has a secret menu. And just like you felt awkward the fist time you ordered animal fries at In-n-out burger, you may feel awkward asking for these items. But if you don't, there is a possibility that your design professional may have to do some time and money consuming extra work, or simply feel unable to create the house for you that you deserve.

Why does the City of Malibu have a secret menu? Because in absence of fire rebuild category there are discretionary items that are possible to allow most homeowners in this extraordinary situation, but there may be reasons a few people cannot, because of certain conditions on, or close to their property.

• FIXTURE COUNT - If you call out low flow toilets in your plans, then your toilets are counted as 3 fixture units and not 6 fixture units. This may enable you to add an extra sink, bathtub or even powder room or bathroom.
• FIRE DEPT -  Many approaches to houses and roads do not comply with Fire Department guidelines. For fire rebuilds the fire department has discretion to give the resident back what they had. Contact your zone captain if you run into problems.
• GEOTECHNICAL REPORT - Possibly the most daunting task. When you receive the comments / corrections on your report, do not run with them and order the requested studies. Review the document with your zone captain or the Community Development Director. For example, the city's geo consultants tend to ask for slope stability studies, many of which can be avoided with a written statement from your geo consultant stating that due to a house being there for X number of years and there being no indication of an instability, a further study is not necessary.
• MEPs are NOT required for homes are under 5000 sq ft but they can be helpful for your rebuild and cost around $11K
• Fuel modification plans are deferred and you do not need to present one to receive your permit. On the other hand you can just draw your own - labeling the existing or future trees on your lot. Ask your Zone Captain for help.
• So now your permit is issued - what's next?  Immediately contact your SoCal Edison Planner (See Directory) to schedule your temporary power for construction.
• Build your house