How They Pulled It Off: Updating—and Fireproofing—an ’80s Home in a “Very High-Risk” Zone | SPF:architects
2026.08.13 12:00:00 PST Press

How They Pulled It Off: Updating—and Fireproofing—an ’80s Home in a “Very High-Risk” Zone

Dwell: Architects Zoltan E. Pali and Judit Fekete-Pali transformed an “eyesore” house in the Santa Monica Mountains into a live/work space built to withstand its surroundings.

"When Zoltan Pali saw his house for the first time, he had two words: no way. In 2016, Pali and his wife, Judit Fekete-Pali—cofounders of L.A.-based architecture firm SPF:architects— were looking to relocate from their convenient live/work space in Culver City to a house in the Santa Monica Mountains. They had spent around a decade looking for the perfect property, when Fekete-Pali stumbled upon a 17-acre plot on the ridgeline, with views of the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. The scenery was beautiful, but the house itself was an eyesore, and it was in a "very high" fire-risk zone, surrounded by dry, flammable brush. Tearing the house down wouldn’t be possible, because it was in a protected area. They would have to work with what was there...."


See the full article here:

How They Pulled It Off: Updating—and Fireproofing—an ’80s Home in a “Very High-Risk” Zone