LA Fire Rebuilding Recommendations for Homeowners
These general recommendations are compiled by a research team at 91¸£ÀûÉç, which has been studying post-wildfire rebuilding for several years in the context of the Marshall Fire disaster, which occurred in December 2021 and destroyed over 1,000 homes in 91¸£ÀûÉç County, Colorado. The recommendations here are primarily informed by insights gained from in-depth interviews with dozens of homeowners and builders rebuilding after the Marshall Fire, and permit information from the Marshall Fire rebuilds. While every fire and homeowner situation is unique, we believe many of the following lessons learned from the Marshall Fire can aid you in rebuilding.
General Process
ÌýÌýMove quickly but carefully.ÌýThis is a multi-year marathon, not a sprint. Many Marshall Fire homeowners found rebuilding overwhelming. They felt pressure to quickly make big decisions like whether or not to rebuild and which builder to hire. Moving forward quickly is often desirable or necessary, but making rebuilding decisions too fast can have pitfalls.ÌýSome homeowners found that occasionally taking a step back, considering options carefully, and learning from others’ mistakes was beneficial and even saved them time and money in the long run.
ÌýÌýBe organized. Keep detailed notes and records. Rebuilding is complex, and keeping detailed notes and records helped many Marshall Fire homeowners stay on track, make informed decisions, meet insurance, mortgage, or rebate requirements, and cover their tracks for potential disputes or legal battles. For example, if you receive a verbal commitment from your insurance company or are questioning their process, send (and save) a follow-up email for verification or clarification. These steps will create a valuable written record. Take notes at meetings and after in-person conversations with builders, public officials, financial institutions, or other important parties.
Builder
Consider these items before selecting a builder:
ÌýÌýEnsure your builder is well-vetted, reputable, trustworthy, and communicates well. After the Marshall Fire, some contractors overextended themselves or misrepresented their capabilities to take advantage of the rebuilding market without much building experience. Even builders with the best intentions can make mistakes or fail to meet expectations. Many Marshall Fire homeowners who were happy with their rebuild had formed good relationships with their builder. After the Marshall Fire, homeowners found that attending meetings with builders before choosing a builder and working with a builder who was familiar through their community networks helped build these strong relationships.Ìý
ÌýÌýBe aware of the strengths of different types of builders.
- Based on the preliminary outcomes of the Marshall Fire rebuilds, production builders, on average, had shorter building durations, lower costs, and less variability in duration and costs across different homes. This lower variability was due to production builders typically offering more cost certainty through set prices and home designs, affording the homeowners with whom they contracted more financial certainty. These builders offered a more hands-off approach for homeowners compared to other builders. However, these builders also typically offer fewer opportunities for customization in terms of priorities for fire resistance, energy efficiency, or aesthetic and design preferences. Production builders were responsible for 38% of the Marshall Fire rebuilds.
- Custom (and semi-custom) builders allow homeowners to build homes more closely aligned with varied needs, values, and priorities because they incorporate more homeowner input in decision making. On average, preliminary data show that the custom Marshall Fire rebuilds were more expensive and had slightly longer timelines. However, the preliminary data also showed that custom builders implemented more features like solar panels, efficient envelope systems, and higher efficiency energy systems than production builders. Some custom builders may have an inhouse architecture and design, while in other cases you may need to hire an architect separately. Some Marshall Fire homeowners ran into difficulties by hiring an architect first without considering their eventual builder. Ideally, the builder and architect will have experience working well together and can show you examples of successful projects.Ìý
For reference, figures 1 and 2 show build durations and completion outcomes for production versus custom builders in the Marshall Fire. Figure 1 shows that production builders often had shorter build durations than custom builders. Figure 2 shows that more homes have been completed by production builders than by custom builders within both 2 years and 3 years after the fire.
Figure 1 - Average Build Duration for Builder Selection
ÌýFigure 2 - Rebuild Completion Outcomes for Builder Selection
*The values reported in Figure 1 are based on data gathered as of December 2024, three years after the Marshall Fire. Rebuild durations are calculated from the time the permit was approved until the time the certificate of occupancy was issued. It does not include permitting times. As more homes are completed, the values related to the build duration will increase.
ÌýÌýConsider hiring a builder who specializes in or has experience rebuilding after a disaster.ÌýRebuilding after a wildfire is different from other types of home building, with its own set of challenges, including navigating insurance claims. Marshall Fire homeowners who contracted with builders with experience rebuilding after a wildfire or disaster could sometimes navigate these challenges more effectively due to special services offered by these builders. Examples of these builder services included handling insurance claims or helping with available incentives or financial aid offerings. Some Marshall Fire homeowners found the insurance services offered by their builders to be of immense value by reducing stress, freeing up time to do other things, and maximizing the value of their policies.Ìý
Rebuilding Priorities of Fire Resistance or Sustainability
ÌýÌýRebuilding may be an opportunity to consider what features you really want in a home and what you value.ÌýAfter the Marshall Fire, many homeowners highly prioritized rebuilding homes with fire-resistant and sustainable or energy-efficient features. Many saw rebuilding as an opportunity to build a home they were excited about that met both their needs and their values, which they could accomplish to various degrees, depending on their budget, priorities, and builder capabilities. Although cost could be a barrier in some cases, there may be certain decisions you can make that improve your home’s fire resistance or sustainability without a huge financial burden. For fire resistance, some relatively affordable options include designs that: reduce penetrations and limit eaves and overhangs, add screens on vents, avoid gutters or use gutter-guards, are constructed with non-combustible exterior cladding materials like fiber-cement siding and Class-A roofing materials, implement non-combustible options for patios, decks, and fences, and include vegetation-free landscaping within five feet of the home. For sustainability, some relatively affordable options might include adding extra insulation, selecting energy efficient heating and cooling systems, adopting electric systems and appliances - including technologies such as heat pumps, wiring for solar panels and electric vehicle chargers, and designing for energy-conscious window placement and home orientation that takes advantage of heat and light from the sun. Many more options exist for fire resistance and energy efficiency/sustainability. For some of these options, financial aid, such as incentives, loans, rebates, and grants may be available from local, state or federal entities. These financial aid programs helped many Marshall Fire homeowners achieve their rebuilding priorities. Builders may also be able to help identify systems that are targets for rebates or other financial aids.
ÌýÌýYour builder’s experience can make a difference in helping you pursue your priorities. After the Marshall Fire, many builders successfully incorporated homeowner priorities such as affordability, quality, speed, fire safety, and various technologies—including cold-climate heat pumps, passive home construction, and geothermal energy. However, some homeowners faced challenges due to their builder’s lack of experience with specific priorities or construction methods. This inexperience sometimes led to poor recommendations, increased costs, extended timelines, or the need for rework. To avoid these issues, we recommend thoroughly researching and vetting potential builders to ensure their abilities align with your goals. A knowledgeable, experienced builder will help you navigate options and make informed decisions, no matter your priorities.
ÌýÌýDo your research. Do your best to understand the technologies and designs you are considering, including their reliability and capabilities. While your neighbors and your builder can be valuable resources, you may want to do additional research. Among Marshall Fire homeowners, beliefs varied widely about the usefulness of technologies like cold climate heat pumps, solar panels, indoor sprinkler systems, and noncombustible building materials. Consider consulting the , , the , and your local or state fire departments for fire resistance questions. Regarding sustainability questions, the local government and the power utility provided information (and also offered rebates in some situations). You might also consult the websites of various state energy and building departments like the or non-profit organizations such as the , which also has resources for fire-resistant rebuilding.
Community Considerations
ÌýÌýLean into the collective expertise of your neighbors/community, and other communities that have gone through similar experiences. Marshall Fire homeowners found working collectively with their neighbors especially helpful in the first year as they sought to figure out debris removal, deal with insurance and other financial institutions, navigate building regulations, hire contractors, and understand rebates. Those affected by the Marshall Fire joined both large online groups (e.g. Slack Forums) as well as neighborhood-based community groups, and found value in both. Some of the homeowners we talked to found that the smaller groups offered greater emotional support and helped bolster feelings of connectedness with neighbors, even to extents far exceeding whatever was present before the disaster. A neighborhood-based group may be able to address unique neighborhood issues and address collective concerns, such as those addressing community fire resistance.
ÌýÌýConsider hiring a neutral facilitator for regular group meetings. At least one Marshall Fire homeowner group found that having a facilitator helped meet their collective goals. Facilitators can aid groups by setting agendas, taking notes, clarifying action items, and resolving conflicts when they arise.
ÌýÌýBe aware of potential tradeoffs between achieving community goals and maintaining individual priorities. After the Marshall Fire, some communities grappled with questions about achieving community goals. For example, some communities debated whether to mandate stricter fire risk reduction in new and rebuilt homes. On one side was the recognition that every individual home affects these community outcomes, and on the other was the desire to allow homeowners to rebuild according to their individual budgets and priorities. These conversations benefited from homeowner participation, leading to policy changes that reflected community consensus. The Sagamore neighborhood, which was completely destroyed in the Marshall Fire, adopted new building regulations for fire resistance due to conversations between homeowners and the local jurisdiction. These regulations included requirements for non-combustible fencing and a wildfire building code but also allowed homeowners who were rebuilding the ability to opt out of the wildfire code.
ÌýÌýConsider participating in public meetings with local officials.ÌýVarious local departments such as Planning, Public Works, and Building/Permitting, along with elected officials will make decisions that impact you and your community’s rebuilding efforts significantly. Participating in public meetings, surveys, and consensus-building exercises can help shape the policies these public officials make. Marshall Fire homeowners helped shape several influential policies through their efforts. Trusted builders can be valuable in these discussions because they have the potential to foresee risks and opportunities in implementing building policy on a wide scale.
Authors: Noah Gershon, Isabella Lee, Abbie Liel, Amy Javernick-Will, Matthew Morris
Web design: Hanna Nordwall