This bargain house in one of America's most expensive trailer parks was built in a factory and trucked to a cliff overlooking the Pacific — see inside

Kelsey NeubauerMay 3, 2023, 16:46 IST

Erin Mills' Malibu home — located in one of the most expensive mobile-home parks in the US — cost a relatively cheap $495,000 to build.Dvele

Erin Mills, 46, and her partner Barclay, 48, live in Point Dume Club, a ritzy Malibu trailer park.
After a fire destroyed their first house there, they rebuilt using a prefab, or factory-built, home.

Erin Mills, 46, and her partner Barclay, 48, live in a Malibu trailer park called Point Dume Club. It's one of the most expensive mobile-home communities in the country.

An aerial view of the community from the Pacific Ocean.Dvele

Erin Mills, 46, and her partner Barclay, 48, live in a Malibu trailer park called Point Dume Club. It's one of the most expensive mobile-home communities in the country.

In 2019, the couple paid $495,000 to build a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house in the posh mobile-home park, according to Dvele, the company that built it.

The exterior of Mills' home in Malibu.Dvele

That's a steal for the area. Homes in the 20-square-mile town of Malibu have a median price tag of $5 million, making it one of the most priciest ZIP codes in the US.

Malibu, a picturesque, Pacific Ocean-fronting enclave 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is home to stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Aniston, and Cher.Altitude Images/Shutterstock

Other homes in the community are currently listed for $775,000 to $1.78 million — which doesn't include the monthly rent for the ground underneath them, which can be an additional few thousand dollars a month.

Point Dume Club is located off the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as Route 1, a road that runs through cliffs that tower above the ocean.Dvele

Other homes in the community are currently listed for $775,000 to $1.78 million — which doesn't include the monthly rent for the ground underneath them, which can be an additional few thousand dollars a month.

Mills turned to Dvele, a San Diego-based startup that sells prefab and modular homes that are largely constructed in a factory and trucked to the homeowners' lot in giant pieces for installation.

An aerial view of Mills' home, which was divided into three pieces, trucked to her lot, and installed atop the chassis, or framing, of a mobile home.Dvele

Mills turned to Dvele, a San Diego-based startup that sells prefab and modular homes that are largely constructed in a factory and trucked to the homeowners' lot in giant pieces for installation.

The construction of the 1,840-square-foot house took four months, according to Dvele, about half the time it typically takes to build a home. Installation was longer than usual due to pandemic supply shortages and shutdowns, Mills said.

Dvele used stained cedar siding and corrugated metal siding on the exterior of the home.Dvele

The construction of the 1,840-square-foot house took four months, according to Dvele, about half the time it typically takes to build a home. Installation was longer than usual due to pandemic supply shortages and shutdowns, Mills said.

The great room has a living area, a dining area, and a kitchen, with massive windows that frame cliff and ocean views and let in California sunshine.

The living area.Courtesy of Dvele

Mills' dining area seats six, with a sleek white kitchen behind it.

The great room at sunset.Courtesy of Dvele

The dining room has an electric fireplace and a mix of chairs and bench seating.

The dining room and kitchen.Courtesy of Dvele

The kitchen has quartz countertops and Bosch appliances.

A shot of the kitchen, with the Pacific Ocean on the horizon through the window.Courtesy of Dvele

The kitchen has an island with additional seating, and the house features a whirlpool washing machine and dryer.

A look from the kitchen into the great room.Courtesy of Dvele

An event planner with her own firm, Strat House, Mills uses the built-in office. It has room for two people to work at the same time.

To the left of the office is a half-bathroom to the left; to the right is the primary bedroom.Courtesy of Dvele

The primary bedroom feels like its own suite, so Mills and her partner can have their own space if they have company staying over.

Floors throughout the home are engineered hardwood flooring.Courtesy of Dvele

Off the primary bedroom is a bathroom with wood details and a standalone bathtub.

The bathroom.Courtesy of Dvele

The tub is separated from the toilet and sink for privacy.

The bathtub room.Courtesy of Dvele

The double-sink vanity also has quartz countertops.

Part of the bathroom.Courtesy of Dvele

There's also an outdoor shower on the side of the house to rinse off from the beach before heading inside.

The outdoor shower.Courtesy of Dvele

On the other side of the house, a Jack-and-Jill bathroom connects the two other bedrooms.

Another shot of the primary bedroom.Courtesy of Dvele

Mills said the big windows are her favorite part of the house. They are designed to bring the outside beauty in.

A sunset out the kitchen window.Courtesy of Dvele

Her prefab house is her "dream home," Mills said. But its construction was born out of tragedy.

The exterior of the house.Dvele

In November 2018, the Woolsey fire burned nearly 100,000 acres across Malibu and Southern California. It destroyed Mills' previous Point Dume Club home, which was newly built.

The remnants of homes in the Point Dume Club area after wildfires tore through it in 2018.Frederic J. Brown / Getty Images

In November 2018, the Woolsey fire burned nearly 100,000 acres across Malibu and Southern California. It destroyed Mills' previous Point Dume Club home, which was newly built.

"We went from this really high high of having this brand-new house that burned down," Mills said. "We were going to move into it, and then it was just ashes."

Remnants of a Point Dume Club-area home after the Woolsey wildfires in 2008.Education Images/Contributor/Getty Images

With money from her homeowners' insurance, however, Mills was able to finance the Dvele build. "In the end, we really did get our dream house," she said. "How many opportunities do you get in your life to do that? So we're very appreciative."

A shot from inside Mills' dream home.Courtesy of Dvele

With money from her homeowners' insurance, however, Mills was able to finance the Dvele build. "In the end, we really did get our dream house," she said. "How many opportunities do you get in your life to do that? So we're very appreciative."

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This bargain house in one of America's most expensive trailer parks was built in a factory and trucked to a cliff overlooking the Pacific &mdash; see inside

Erin Mills, 46, and her partner Barclay, 48, live in a Malibu trailer park called Point Dume Club. It's one of the most expensive mobile-home communities in the country.

In 2019, the couple paid $495,000 to build a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house in the posh mobile-home park, according to Dvele, the company that built it.

That's a steal for the area. Homes in the 20-square-mile town of Malibu have a median price tag of $5 million, making it one of the most priciest ZIP codes in the US.

Other homes in the community are currently listed for $775,000 to $1.78 million — which doesn't include the monthly rent for the ground underneath them, which can be an additional few thousand dollars a month.

Mills turned to Dvele, a San Diego-based startup that sells prefab and modular homes that are largely constructed in a factory and trucked to the homeowners' lot in giant pieces for installation.

The construction of the 1,840-square-foot house took four months, according to Dvele, about half the time it typically takes to build a home. Installation was longer than usual due to pandemic supply shortages and shutdowns, Mills said.

The great room has a living area, a dining area, and a kitchen, with massive windows that frame cliff and ocean views and let in California sunshine.

Mills' dining area seats six, with a sleek white kitchen behind it.

The dining room has an electric fireplace and a mix of chairs and bench seating.

The kitchen has quartz countertops and Bosch appliances.

The kitchen has an island with additional seating, and the house features a whirlpool washing machine and dryer.

An event planner with her own firm, Strat House, Mills uses the built-in office. It has room for two people to work at the same time.

The primary bedroom feels like its own suite, so Mills and her partner can have their own space if they have company staying over.

Off the primary bedroom is a bathroom with wood details and a standalone bathtub.

The tub is separated from the toilet and sink for privacy.

The double-sink vanity also has quartz countertops.

There's also an outdoor shower on the side of the house to rinse off from the beach before heading inside.

On the other side of the house, a Jack-and-Jill bathroom connects the two other bedrooms.

Mills said the big windows are her favorite part of the house. They are designed to bring the outside beauty in.

Her prefab house is her "dream home," Mills said. But its construction was born out of tragedy.

In November 2018, the Woolsey fire burned nearly 100,000 acres across Malibu and Southern California. It destroyed Mills' previous Point Dume Club home, which was newly built.

"We went from this really high high of having this brand-new house that burned down," Mills said. "We were going to move into it, and then it was just ashes."

With money from her homeowners' insurance, however, Mills was able to finance the Dvele build. "In the end, we really did get our dream house," she said. "How many opportunities do you get in your life to do that? So we're very appreciative."

This bargain house in one of America's most expensive trailer parks was built in a factory and trucked to a cliff overlooking the Pacific — see inside