It is one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the world, with the average home costing between $3.5 and $5.5 million.
But as veteran actor Nicolas Cage discovered this week, the spectacular sea views and famous neighbors come at a high price that isn’t just counted in dollars.
Celebrity enclave Malibu is in the news again this week after Cage’s stunning $10.5 million beach spot languished in a massive sinkhole following heavy storm surges caused by Tropical Storm Marie in the Pacific Ocean.
According to Kyle Tourjé, vice president of leading Los Angeles structural repair company Alpha Structural, there are several possible culprits for the disaster — all exacerbated by the high waves that pounded the California coastline last weekend.
“We get a lot of calls like this,” he told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview. ‘Many of these houses are built on a very old sea wall.
“The house above may be newer, but the house below may be seventy years old. When you get these waves, they can pull the debris out from under the seawall, causing sinkholes.
Stunning aerial photos reveal the size of the sinkhole that opened next to Nicolas Cage’s $10.5 million beachfront Malibu mansion
A huge hold is seen swallowing part of the ground – containing a portable toilet – next to Cage’s multimillion-dollar property on Tuesday
Nicolas Cage has become the latest A-lister to discover that owning a piece of Malibu paradise can have a costly downside
‘Sometimes the sea wall is not high enough, which has the same effect. These are common seawall problems.
“In Malibu, most sewage then goes into seepage pits, and it can also damage soil and livelihoods as seawater seeps in.”
Exclusive aerial photos taken by the Daily Mail show the extensive damage to Cage’s property, which is boarded up at the front while the hole is clearly visible at the back.
Part of the road leading to the property is also in the hole – something Tourjé says will cause additional complications for 62-year-old Cage – while a porta-potty is also stuck in it.
Tourjé says Cage could have simply been unlucky, as his properties bore the brunt of the flooding, while his neighbors’ properties were spared.
But he says most prime coastal properties in Malibu are vulnerable to storm surges — and that means Cage isn’t the only big name that could be in trouble.
An expert told the Daily Mail that these waves can “pull the debris out from under the sea wall” and cause sinkholes.
The dramatic footage shows just how close the damage came to the actor’s beach house, while neighboring homes in Malibu were located along the same coveted coastline.
Cage’s home is in a prime location right on the Pacific Ocean, where experts say aging seawalls and powerful storm surges can leave adjacent properties vulnerable
Further up the coast from Cage’s mansion is Carbon Beach – also known as Billionaire’s Beach – whose past and present big names read like a veritable who’s who of leading lights in technology and film.
At the top of the list is Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, who owns several homes on the tony beach, where neighbors include record executive Lou Adler and Friends star Courteney Cox, and until March, rapper Dr. Dre, who sold his beach house for $16.5 million.
Former residents include Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, former CBS executive Les Moonves and entertainment mogul David Geffen.
Another prominent celebrity enclave is Malibu Colony – again right on the beach – home to the likes of Tom Hanks, Bill Murray, Miley Cyrus and Jonah Hill – which put its property on the market for $13.3 million earlier this year.
Previous owners include Halle Berry and Golden Age stars such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Bing Crosby.
“There are many reasons why you would want to live in Malibu,” Tourjé said. “You’ve got world-class properties, world-class views, world-class privacy.
The spectacular ocean views that make Malibu real estate so attractive can pose serious risks when powerful waves hit the coastline
Hollywood legend Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson and Miley Cyrus have long owned homes in Malibu Colony, another exclusive beachfront enclave
Friends star Courteney Cox and Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison also own properties on Malibu’s ultra-exclusive Carbon Beach, better known as Billionaires’ Beach
‘But if you buy a property there, you have to have it appraised and make sure you know the age of the sea wall.
‘If you already live there, you should regularly have the foundation inspected, the sea wall inspected and the pipes checked. You need to be proactive with its maintenance to ensure your property is not at risk of subsidence.”
Malibu is also vulnerable to wildfire damage, with large parts of the California city — especially on the Pacific Palisades side — still pockmarked with burnt-out holes and empty foundations, nearly two years after the devastating Palisades Fire swept through the area.
Along with Spencer Pratt, who famously lost his Pacific Palisades home in the fire, Paris Hilton, Milo Ventimiglia and Mel Gibson all lost beachfront properties in Malibu – with seawalls in areas affected by the fire also heavily damaged.
While damage from the fire is still being repaired, Tourjé says homes – like Caitlyn Jenner’s – on the rocky hills on the other side of the Pacific Coast Highway are also at increased risk from storm surge, especially in the fire areas.
“Malibu has a challenging history of landslides,” he noted.
‘If you’re on a hill the risk is still there, so managing the foundations and things like drainage is critical.’
