Why so many new Pacific Palisades homes look the same

The Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles has long been known for its distinctive homes and innovative architecture, but as one of America’s most expensive communities rebuilds after the 2025 Palisades Fire, it’s starting to look a little more cookie cutter.Instead of designing completely custom homes from scratch, more homeowners are choosing from catalogs of predesigned houses, sacrificing some uniqueness for a faster, simpler path home.“When you look around the Palisades now, there’s been great progress.What do you notice? All the homes look the same,” said Matt McRoskey, head of growth at homebuilder Builders Workshop.

“You’re not seeing a whole lot of design diversity.” The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.Please provide a valid email.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story McRoskey lives in the Palisades.

His parents and relatives all lost their homes, and he’s now dedicating his career to the rebuild. Builders Workshop just debuted four home designs for Palisades survivors to choose from, under a new program called RESET. RESET is Builders Workshop’s first catalog of predesigned homes, designed to meet the growing demand for a faster, simpler way to rebuild in the Palisades. RESET says its designs are ready to submit to the city for permitting.It has a set price range, a predictable timeline, and underwriting commitments from insurance companies. The homes are also built using cold-formed steel, a more fire-resilient alternative to timber. “This hasn’t been our business,” McRoskey said.

“We’re a custom home builder.We’re really good at it, we love doing it.

But we didn’t have a catalog of homes.”For families desperate to rebuild their lives, architectural individuality may not be the first priority.To build a custom home, it can take years to hire the right team, design the home within b...