Coastal LA homes need technology chosen for salt air, strong sun and a lot of glass: marine-grade outdoor gear, equipment kept inside conditioned space, automated shades that manage heat and glare, and a network built for long, open floor plans. At LA Techs we've spent close to two decades working on homes along the coast, and the ones that age well were planned for the ocean from day one. The ones that don't usually had indoor gear pushed outside.
Salt air is the real enemy
Anyone who's owned a car in Malibu knows what the marine layer does to metal. It does the same thing to speaker terminals, exposed connectors and cheap mounting hardware (just more quietly, behind a wall). Within a mile or so of the water, we plan like corrosion is a given.
That means outdoor-rated speakers with sealed housings and stainless or coated hardware, and connections made inside weatherproof boxes. It also means the equipment rack lives in a conditioned room, never a garage that breathes ocean air all day. A little dehumidification in that room goes a long way.
Sun, glass and why shades come first
Beach houses are built around the view, so you get floor-to-ceiling glass facing west. That's beautiful at 10am and brutal at 4pm. Furniture fades, rooms overheat and the TV becomes a mirror.
Motorized shades are the fix that people end up loving most. With Lutron, shades can follow the sun on their own: lowering on the west side in the afternoon, lifting again at sunset so you still get the show. We'd rather plan the shade pockets and power during framing than chase them after the drywall is up (it's cleaner and it costs less).
A few coastal details worth asking about:
- Fabric choice matters. Solar screens keep the view; blackout belongs in bedrooms and the media room.
- Tall glass walls can mean big, heavy shades, so motor sizing and mounting need a real plan.
- Lighting and shades should talk to each other, so one scene handles both at dusk.
Outdoor audio that survives (and sounds good)
Decks, pools and patios are where coastal families actually live. Good outdoor audio is less about volume and more about coverage: several smaller speakers spread out, so it sounds full at the lounge chairs without carrying to the neighbors.
Landscape speakers with a buried subwoofer can disappear into the planting entirely. Everything outside should be rated for the environment and wired back to the main system, so the same app or keypad runs the music inside and out. More on that on our outdoor audio page.
A network for long, open houses
Coastal homes tend to be long and narrow, or stacked on a hillside, with concrete and steel in the mix. Wi-Fi from one router in a closet won't cut it. We wire access points throughout, including covered outdoor spots, so the deck and the far bedroom get the same signal as the kitchen.
Keep the control simple
Second homes and weekend places need to run with nobody there. Control4 and Savant both let you check cameras, set the temperature or close the shades from anywhere, so you can open the house up on the drive in. Simple scenes ("Arrive", "Away", "Goodnight") are what get used, so we build around those.
Quick answers
Q: Can I use regular indoor equipment in a beach house? A: Inside conditioned rooms, yes. Anything outside, or in a garage or exterior closet near the water, should be rated for salt air and moisture, or it'll corrode early.
Q: Are motorized shades worth it on the coast? A: For west-facing glass, almost always. They protect floors and furniture from sun damage, cut afternoon heat and glare, and can run on a schedule when you're not home.
Q: When should we plan the technology for a coastal new build? A: During design, before framing. That's when shade pockets, speaker locations, outdoor conduit and the equipment room are easy (and inexpensive) to get right.
Q: Does LA Techs work in Malibu and the Palisades? A: Yes. The coast from Malibu through the Palisades and down to the beach cities is a big part of our work. See our Malibu page.
Building or remodeling on the coast? Send us the plans or call 213.354.8324.
