Custom home rebuild.
Rebuilding is a rare chance to correct everything you wished the old house did differently.
Rebuilding is a rare chance to correct everything you wished the old house did differently.
A custom home rebuild after the Eaton Fire is not a remodel. It is a clean site, a known budget driven by your insurance payout and savings, a lot whose character and orientation you already understand from having lived there, and a design process that can incorporate everything the original house got wrong. Families who approach the rebuild as a singular opportunity tend to end up with homes that are better than what they lost.
We have designed over sixty post fire rebuilds since the 2017 Thomas Fire. The common thread across the families who are happiest with the outcome: they let themselves reimagine the house rather than recreating it exactly.
The design process runs in phases. Each phase ends with a client decision that unlocks the next phase. This structure prevents the back and forth that can add months to a project.
The first meeting of a rebuild project is usually not about the house. It is about the family, the loss, the insurance situation, and what the next two years of your life will look like. The design conversation starts from there. Common early questions:
"Can we add square footage?" Usually yes, up to the FAR (floor area ratio) and setback limits for your zone. Many Altadena lots can accept an additional five hundred to twelve hundred square feet without variance, especially if you lost a single story and the lot can support a two story rebuild.
"Can we change the style?" Yes, subject to any HOA covenants or design review board requirements. Some Altadena neighborhoods have active design review. We handle that coordination.
"Can we keep the old foundation?" Sometimes, after an engineering assessment. Foundation reuse can save $60k to $120k if the foundation survived without compromise. If it did not survive, reusing it becomes a false economy.
Yes. You are not obligated to rebuild the same floor plan. Insurance settles based on the value of what you lost, not the specific configuration. Most rebuild clients take the opportunity to correct what never worked in the original home.
Our rebuild design fees typically run 6 to 9 percent of construction cost for full service work. On a $1.8M construction budget (common for Altadena rebuilds), that translates to roughly $110k to $160k for design through construction administration. Insurance coverage often reimburses part of the design fee as a covered claim expense.
From kickoff to permit issuance, plan on six to nine months for a standard custom home rebuild. Expedited tracks for Eaton Fire rebuilds can shave three to four weeks off the plan check portion.
Yes. We coordinate with your general contractor during the design development phase so the drawings reflect what your builder can actually build at your budget. During construction, we respond to RFIs, review submittals, and walk the site at key milestones.
Ninety minute consultation, no fee. We meet at our Camarillo office, your temporary housing, or your Altadena lot. From there, we decide together whether we are the right match for your rebuild.
David C. Foote, Principal Designer, Associate AIA. 40 years practicing residential design. 1,532 completed homes since 1986.