Fire Rebuild

Top Ten Guiding Principles:

Fire-resistant
Follow home hardening and defensible space best practices, and exceeding these measures, for example, with a state-of-the-art fire suppression system with back up power generation, extra water storage, and a lamination layer in our windows that makes them essentially ember-proof.

Earthquake resistant
Meet, and where possible, exceed code to minimize structural damage in the event of a large earthquake.

Climate protective
Minimize embodied lifecycle greenhouse emissions in building materials and operations.

Healthy
Eliminate toxic materials and emissions wherever possible, and maximize the use of natural, healthy, breathable materials.

Resource efficient
Select building materials and practices that make efficient use of natural resources wherever possible. This includes using materials from onsite where possible, including wood we milled onsite from our dead trees and stones that were salvaged from our destroyed home, that tumbled down from mountain during storms and that were recovered during activities on the land.

Durable
Build to last, including materials and craftsmanship that will stand the test of time.

Efficiently used renewable energy
Achieve high energy efficiency and net zero energy with onsite renewable power generation and energy storage in building operations.

Water saving
Reduce and safely reuse water wherever possible, as well as capture rainwater for landscape use.

Timeless aesthetics
Strive to build a home that is not only beautiful but looks as if always belonged there and should remain there.

Cost effective
Select methods and materials that fit our budget, do not waste time and money and add and endure in value

Top Challenges:

Permitting

It took us nearly 6 years to obtain our full building permit from Los Angeles County. You can learn more about our permitting process here. Restrictions on including rooftop solar and batteries in rebuilds, if they were not there before the fire, will delay our adding onsite renewable generation. Our small rooftop space and coastal restrictions on ground mounted solar may limit our ability to achieve net zero energy. We will at least be able to opt for a 100% renewable grid electricity plan to make up the shortfall.

Cost

Building is expensive. Building during the inflationary pandemic and post-pandemic economy is costlier still. Add to that the costs of rebuilding up to current codes and hardening to prevent future destruction. We were fortunate that we had good insurance. Many were not so fortunate. Securing a policy anywhere close to as good as what we had before the fire is currently elusive, increasing the risk of rebuilding. We hope that insurance companies advance in reflecting hardening in their premiums and coverage.

Securing the right team
Finding people with the skills, willingness and capacity to work with us on our modestly sized, rural project in a challenging building jurisdictions has been another major challenge.

Why?

A common and reasonable question. Why rebuild here when the risk of wildfire coming again some day is a near certainty? Most in our community respond to each other with the same question: Where else would we go?

This is home. Like most within a couple miles of us, our family has been in this vicinity for many decades, and one of us was born here. Being in a place with deep personal history is irreplaceable.

Also, fire and other disaster is spreading to most rural regions, while urban neighborhoods have their own daily environmental health and safety risks.

Living in the wild so near a city is a rare privilege. While much of the coast gets increasingly built up, astronomically expensive and owned by those who do not live here, our canyon is ruggedly natural, the small community is tight-knit, and the serenity here on most days is magical.

We feel responsible for being stewards of this sacred place. Like all in this canyon, we clear the fire prone weeds, rescue injured animals and people, partner with authorities on safety, invest in beauty and resilience far above requirements or possible “market” remuneration, pass on the lore of many generations – hard and costly but a labor of love we feel dedicated to and fear will be lost if those with history and commitment leave.

We have watched time and again as disaster, economics, and other forces lead to fewer residents, bigger homes, and loss of local soul and wisdom. Commercialization over community saddens us.

There are days when we want to give up. For today, to borrow from an old Malibu adage, we will take the heaven, fully aware that it comes with hell.