Dodd Harris isn’t a stranger to trying new things. He’s worked in set and prop design. He’s owned a restaurant. He even opened a cigar shop.
“I’ve been doing a lot of things over the years,” the 60-something-year-old Californian said. “But one thing that was always in the back of my mind, doing all these businesses, I always wanted to build a house from the dirt up.”
It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic hit that Harris got the chance to fulfill that dream. Thanks to a coincidental set of circumstances — a friend who lives in Hong Kong was stuck in California because of the lockdown and three abandoned lots were being sold as one in Woodland Hills — Harris got his chance.
After 18 months of navigating the permitting process, Harris and the aforementioned friend, Dan Rosenberg, broke ground on their project. That was two years ago.
Now, the duo is looking to sell their finished product: a 3,800-square-foot, four-bedroom, six-bathroom residence called “Skyhaven.”
The property isn’t publicly listed yet, but Harris said it should go live around May 27 for just shy of $4 million. The median price for a single-family home in Woodland Hills is $1,530,000, according to Homes.com data.
A house that’s built for partying
When Harris and Rosenberg first purchased the land, they had “very interesting plans, not for a midcentury, but an interesting shape,” according to Harris. But as the house started taking shape, with the help of designer Amit Apel, it became clear that it had a midcentury “vibe.”
“The big deal in the house was the vibe,” Harris said, explaining that though “Skyhaven” has a midcentury look, “it has all the advantages of a newly constructed, super-insulated house without having to look like one of those pocket developments.”
“It was just a never-ending inspection cycle. ... We didn’t accept anything janky,” Harris said.
Another important ingredient in crafting “the vibe:” the expansive Brazilian mahogany deck complete with a pool and sweeping views of the valley.
“The house itself lends itself really to partying,” according to Harris.
Already, Harris said, the house has gotten significant attention from neighbors and the real estate community. In its first open house, the property drew roughly 150 visitors.
It’s the kind of attention Harris hoped his property would get — and will keep up.
“The real marquee houses, they don’t come up for sale very often,” he explained. “That’s what I’m hoping for … having a legacy house. ... That’s my dream, that I built a house that somebody’s going to buy and say, ‘I’m never leaving here.’”