Building in a challenging location – Ojai, CA

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Building a home in remote areas ups the ante for challenges and cost. This house located at 2700 feet above sea level on the south range of the mountains of the Ojai Valley has amazing views of the Topa Topa mountains to the North and the mighty Pacific on the South.

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Just getting people to the job is a challenge – Google, smart phones and even maps don’t accurately show the property.  With the 100’s of trade contractors, inspectors, delivery drivers, etc. getting people to the job is a chore itself.

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We had to install our own street sign – which was later mysteriously removed !

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Roadways, grading, drainage, utilities have to travel up a 1700 foot long driveway.  Rules and regulations also get more challenging from the building department, the fire department and all of the other agencies that get involved in the permitting.

 

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But you just can’t beat it!  Views of the Channel Islands of Santa Barbara.

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Bottom Line: Get er Done!

 

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Feel Free to copy, share, or re post this article. Kindly make sure to include this information: Written by Otis Bradley, a Custom Home Builder, in Southern California. Please see OtisBradley.com for more information on Custom Home Building!

Spanish Style – Wallace Neff – Ojai ICF New Construction

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  • Custom home on Ojai’s east end

  • Traditional “Wallace Neff” Spanish style home

  • Green Building – Built with Rastra Block

 

With the roof, stucco and driveway complete, only the finish landscape is missing!

Stucco Brown Coat

Roof tile detail

Window detail – custom tile sill with deep set  aluminum clad window

Plaster walls

Porch roof – exposed framing

Groin vault in entry – note Techsheild radiant plywood
and planter cut outs in wall.

Roof framing over Rastra block

Rastra Block topped out and framing commences!

Window rough

Rastra block installation

South side – front entry on the left

Garage slab ready

Raising level of courtyard

With the floor system in – we move up another 4 blocks and prepare to cut out windows and doors. After these blocks are
grouted – only one more lift to the roof.

Walls above the floor framing

Rastra Technician with the “Rastra Lift o Matic 5000”

Front entry

Floor joists and plumbing goes in.

Attaching the floor ledger and getting ready for wood.

Looking from garage towards living room – Rastra walls

 

Looking from bedrooms – Rastra walls

Looking from living room towards garage – Rastra walls

Rastra block arrives – a concrete/post consumer waste styrofoam block

that will provide 12″ thick highly insulated, fireproof, rot proof walls!

Setting the footings

Filling it back up!
Re compaction of the new soil for a solid base.

Importing fill

Excavators, 10 wheelers, water trucks, loaders, bob tails !

Digging out all the rocks!

Dueling excavators

Big rocks !

This is the property before grading!