September 2026

Material selections for our Woolsey Fire rebuild based on priority criteria

Our choices prioritized the following criteria:

• feasibility (getting the rebuild actually done)
• disaster resilience (reducing the risk that anyone would ever suffer the kind of loss we did)
• health (no second disaster of getting sick from unhealthy building materials)
• long-term cost effectiveness (total cost-benefit over time)
• sustainability (environmental footprint)
• aesthetics (beauty)
• up-front affordability (immediate cost)

Often we had to make trade-offs, such as choosing more durable materials to save money and increase value in thelong run even though it meant spending more at the time of purchase, or sacrificing some of our sustainability to move forward on best feasible options.