Celebrity in the house! err... Celebrity is a house! (Updated)

Unlike San Marino, Pasadena, Beverly Hills or Malbu, it is very rare to see Palos Verdes featured on the silver screen.  In fact, I can think of only a few movies or TV shows that are set or filmed on the Peninsula (The O.C. used a number of PVE homes to double as Newport Beach; Kevin Kline's 2001 film Life as a House was filmed at the former Marineland site in RPV, which is now the Terranea Resort, but in the film it was a body double for Laguna Beach).  Part of the reason is that the cities on the Peninsula have very strict filming restrictions (mainly PVE and RH).  So when a home or part of the Peninsula is caught on film, its a rare treat!

This home was filmed in the the critically acclaimed (hah!) 2006 comedy Big Momma's House 2, starring Martin Lawrence.

(Source: NJC)

(Source: Ashai)

Designed by Ashai in 2004, the home measures a comfortable 6,046 square feet and sits on a flat, hilltop 0.4 acre lot.  In the movie, it was the home of the CEO of an IT company that was under FBI investigation by Martin Lawrence's undercover character.  I believe the movie was also set in Orange County.

There is a lot to love about the home.  Where to begin.  Let's start with the curb appeal and presence.  This lot is an irregularly shaped corner lot, which has one side curved and the other boxed, so it presented the architects with a unique challenge: which way shall the house face?

(Source: Bing Maps)


As you can see from above, the right hand (eastern) side of the lot is used simply as a driveway to a three-door garage.  I suppose that paved space could double as an impromptu basketball court if needed.  The facade has a semicircular driveway, and while most homes have backyards, this home instead opts for an expansive side yard.  So I think the home sits very well on the lot.

Next, massing.  This home is large.  Not obscenely large, but certainly not your average new home 3-4,000 square footer.  I like all the visual interest in the facade.  The alternating rooflines.  The very Spanish courtyard.  The various setbacks of the rooms - a hodgepodge of rooms cobbled together in a very capable way.

 (Source: NJC)

(Source: Google Maps)

(Source: Ashai)


The home feels classic, almost timeless.  While it is large, it feels cozy.  No McMansion feel here.  Ashai did a fine job making sure the features of the facade were as authentic as possible.  As most of you know by now, I'm a stickler for things like window recesses, shutters actually large enough to, you know, cover the window, white space, etc.  And this home's got all that and more.

(Source: NJC)


OK, OK, I know what you're saying - what about those second floor windows?  Shouldn't they too be recessed? You're right.  Perhaps six inches would have done the job.  How about that courtyard gate?  Very nice.

Lets switch to the back...err side yard.   This is the ocean-facing side of the home.

(Source: Bing Maps)

(Source: MLS)

(Source: MLS)

I love the side yard.  Sure there's no pool, just a big grassy area.  But look at the home. Two second floor balconies.  An arched first floor walkway.  Only thing I question is whether or not I would have preferred the second floor balcony on the left to be set back rather than overhanging the first level.  But a minor point.

This home was built as a spec house and the developer bought the lot in 2002 for $875K, went though the painful PVE approval process, and ultimately sold the home in 2005 for $3.5M.  It sold once more a year later for $3.8M.  (Quick aside: Funny enough - the owner that bought this home in 2006 is the CEO of an IT company that provides software solutions for law firms!  Similar to the movie!  In fact, he and his wife traded up from a smaller home in Lunada Bay which they had just sold for $1.9M).  The owners decided to sell at the worst possible time (October 2008) when they listed it for sale at $4.3M and chased the market all the way down over two years until it finally traded September 2010 for $3.2M.

Overall, a very lovely home I wouldn't mind calling my own

UPDATE: So I was perusing through my cable box and saw Big Momma's House 1 & 2 was playing this weekend (I'm guessing to promote the third installment of the series which is now out in theaters).  So I was able to grab a couple of screen caps (see below).  They also show shots of the Peninsula and of neighboring Redondo Beach as well.  Note that the interior of the home was not used in the film.

(Source: 20th Century Fox)

(Source: 20th Century Fox)

KEY STATS

Location: Monte Malaga, PVE
Style: Spanish
Year built: 2004
Architect: Ashai
Square footage: 6,046
Lot size: 18,740  (241 curve x 154 deep x 177 rear width)