Custom Home Design Firm IR Architects Shares Insider Tips on Building Back or Selling
IR Architects, led by CEO Ignacio Rodriguez, AIA, has 14 Eaton and Pacific Palisades fire rebuilding projects in progress as of fall 2025. Photos courtesy of IR Architects.
Los Angeles – Recovery efforts in Los Angeles began with rapid cleanup after the fires of January 2025, but the real work of rebuilding has slowed as the city navigates approvals and infrastructure hurdles. Los Angeles design firm IR Architects has created homes in the highly restrictive Santa Monica Mountains since 2012. The architecture and interior design firm has 14 Eaton and Palisades fire rebuilding projects in progress as of fall 2025, with more pending. The firm provides free rebuilding consultations to fire survivors, sharing insights accumulated from a half-billion dollars’ worth of approved residential construction projects completed to date.
IR Architects CEO Ignacio Rodriguez, AIA, shares answers to common early-stage questions from Altadena and Pacific Palisades-Malibu residents who lost their homes. “The single best thing homeowners affected by the fires can do is start the permitting process as soon as possible,” he says. “It sounds counter-intuitive if you’re planning to sell, but the permit is an added benefit to the buyer.” Current owners have more design flexibility, which wouldn’t be available to new owners—unless there are approved permits tied to the lot.
The process can sound overwhelming for people traumatized by losing their homes. Property values of lots with approved plans typically increase well beyond the cost of architectural and permitting fees compared to unpermitted parcels.
In Los Angeles, permitting approaches differ between the city, which encompasses Pacific Palisades, and the county—Altadena and the unincorporated parts of Malibu, generally inland of the Santa Monica Mountains ridgeline. LA City has a streamlined process in which the planning department coordinates any necessary approvals from its various sub-agencies. LA County is less centralized. Incorporated Malibu, which has its own planning and building ordinances, is the most siloed, requiring time-consuming shuffling and consensus-building among departments.
Regardless of jurisdiction, time is of the essence as a permitting logjam is starting to form, spreading city and county staff thin to review and approve plans. IR Architects shares five primary considerations for people who want to rebuild as quickly as possible:
• The city allows fire survivors to rebuild up to 110 percent of their former footprints. The current interpretation emphasizes that this applies only to the footprint (the building perimeter), not total square footage. This means that basements may be added, depending on lot location.
• Obtain new soils reports. The city initially accepted soils reports up to three years old. However, since demolition and debris removal can affect compaction, homeowners should plan to include a current soils report with their permit submission to prevent delays.
• While California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Coastal Commission requirements have been suspended for fire-rebuilds, all projects in, or sometimes even near, environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) still require the Low Impact Development (LID) approval.
• The city has deferred permit fees for fire rebuilds. However, these fees could be charged retroactively if the LA City Council doesn’t approve a permanent waiver for fire survivors. The council’s vote is still pending.
• To begin the process, owners are encouraged to speak with an experienced architecture firm, one with a portfolio of completed projects in the area. Architects collaborate with the various built-environment specialists and can make recommendations on the best team for a specific project: contractor, interior designer, engineers, and landscape architect are some of the many consultants that will be required.
Encapsulating the permitting process, Rodriguez says, “Los Angeles City staff has been very accommodating so far. IR Architects has a firm understanding of the current interpretations of the code, based on the previous projects completed through this plan check process.”
IR Architects will continue to share updates as its fire-rebuild projects progress, along with lessons learned and solutions from its other projects undergoing the approval and rebuilding process. The firm recently launched a podcast to answer rebuilding questions in more detail.
About IR Architects
Founded in 2012 by Ignacio and Lauren Rodriguez, IR Architects specializes in designing luxury homes and custom estates. The firm excels in hillside design solutions and navigating associated building codes, especially in areas prone to wildfires. With a portfolio of more than a half-billion dollars of built projects to date—encompassing ground-up construction as well as interior design—IR Architects successfully collaborates with homeowners interested in designing their dream homes and developers desiring to maximize parcels’ values.
