In Malibu, a $40-million home rises from Suzanne Somers’ empty land

In 2007, a fire destroyed four homes in Malibu, including the oceanfront cottage of “Three’s Company” star Suzanne Somers. After the beach house burned down, Somers left the land empty and eventually sold the two side-by-side lots for a combined $12.03 million in 2016.

Developers spent the last few years building a sleek, custom home on the double-lot property, and it just surfaced for sale at $40 million.

It’ll be one of city’s priciest sales of the year if it gets anywhere close to $40 million, but in a year when Malibu redefined the ceiling of the Southern California real estate market, anything is possible. In October, billionaire venture capitalist Marc Andreessen paid a California-record $177 million for a coastal compound on 7 acres just a few miles west.

Somers’ former estate is a bit smaller, with the two lots combining for about a third of an acre but still features 100 feet of beach frontage. Supported by 27 caissons that run 60 feet deep, the two-story home hovers just above the water with multiple decks overlooking the ocean.

Wood accents the exterior and continues inside, lining floors and ceilings in the vast, open-concept living spaces. Walls of glass cover the backside of the home, and other highlights include heated floors, porcelain walls and a quartzite kitchen.

The 5,000-square-foot floor plan holds four bedrooms and four bathrooms. A swimming pool and spa are found off the main level, and the rooftop deck adds a hot tub and fire pit.

Somers, 75, appeared in “American Graffiti” in 1973 before starring in the sitcoms “Three’s Company” and “Step by Step.” In 2019, she and her husband, TV host Alan Hamel, paid $2.35 million for a designer-done home in Palm Springs.

Shen Schulz of Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing.