Update 11.18.25
🏡 Rebuilding After the LA Wildfires — Resources & Support for Survivors
As Los Angeles communities continue recovering from recent wildfires, homeowners face the complex journey of navigating insurance, planning a rebuild, and finding trusted partners. This month, we’re spotlighting key resources and events designed to support that process.
We’re also proud to share that Amy Christopherson Bolten, President of Christopherson Builders, has been invited as an expert panelist for an upcoming United Policyholders webinar. Amy will provide practical guidance drawn from years of wildfire rebuild experience — from estimating rebuild costs to designing safer, fire-resilient homes.
🔹 What Is United Policyholders?
United Policyholders (UP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping insurance consumers — especially disaster survivors — understand their rights, navigate claims, and make informed decisions. Their long-standing Roadmap to Recovery™ program has assisted thousands of families after wildfires and other catastrophes.
Webinar: “Mechanics of Rebuilding Your Home”
📅 Wednesday, November 19, 2025 — 5:00 PM PT (Zoom)
United Policyholders will host a free, expert-led webinar for LA wildfire survivors covering:
• Creating a realistic rebuild budget
• Designing resilient, insurable homes
• Working effectively with builders
• Coordinating with insurance and mortgage companies
• Avoiding delays, disputes, and scammers
This webinar is an invaluable resource for anyone rebuilding after the fires.
👉 Registration link:
https://uphelp.org/events/la-wildfire-survivors-mechanics-of-rebuilding-your-home/
🔹 Christopherson Builders: Supporting LA’s Rebuild
Rebuilding after a wildfire requires more than construction expertise — it demands a streamlined, supportive, start-to-finish approach. Christopherson Builders delivers exactly that through our all-inclusive homebuilding services, designed to simplify the process for wildfire survivors while ensuring high-quality, resilient homes.
Visit the Los Angeles Rebuild Center — Now Open in Pasadena
To better support LA-area families, Christopherson Builders has opened a Rebuild Center in Pasadena. Homeowners can schedule private consultations to review plans, ask questions, and get the information needed to decide which homebuilding path is the best fit:
✨ Custom Design-Build Services
For homeowners seeking a fully personalized home, our custom design-build service provides a complete, turnkey experience.
We handle every step in-house, including:
Architectural concept development
Structural engineering
Site planning and grading
Energy, fire-resilience, and code compliance
Interior design and finish selections
Permitting and coordination with local jurisdictions
With integrated design and construction teams, you enjoy a seamless process, accurate budgeting, and a home tailored to your lifestyle and lot characteristics.
✨ Custom Homebuilding
Already have architectural plans? Christopherson Builders can step in as your custom homebuilder, managing the entire construction phase with craftsmanship and precision.
Our custom homebuilding service includes:
Comprehensive plan review, cost estimating & analysis
Project scheduling & full site supervision
Quality materials and sustainable building practices
Vendor, subcontractor & inspection coordination
Post-construction support and warranty services
We ensure your architect’s vision becomes a durable, resilient home built to last.
✨ Semi-Custom House Plans
Faster, simplified, and ideal for many fire rebuilds
Many wildfire survivors choose our semi-custom home plans, offering the perfect balance of personalization, efficiency, and affordability.
Homeowners can:
Select from a curated portfolio of home designs
Customize finishes, fixtures, and layout options
Move quickly into permitting and construction
This approach significantly shortens rebuild timelines while still allowing room for personal preference.
✨ Truly Start-to-Finish Support
Whether you choose custom design-build, custom home construction, or a semi-custom plan, Christopherson Builders provides full guidance through every phase:
Insurance scope review & cost estimating
Lot evaluations & building feasibility
Site prep & debris removal coordination
Architecture & engineering
Permitting & approvals
Construction management
Quality control & inspections
Final walkthrough & move-in preparation
2-10 Home Buyers Warranty for long-term peace of mind
Our goal is simple: to take the overwhelming complexity out of rebuilding and deliver a home you’ll love — stronger, safer, and beautifully designed for the future.
💛 We’re Here to Help You Rebuild — Stronger and Safer
Recovering from wildfire loss can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. We encourage all survivors to take advantage of the upcoming United Policyholders webinar and reach out to our team for support at any stage of the rebuild process.
Founding Member: The Builders Alliance
Christopherson Builders is a founding member of the Builders Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of licensed homebuilders united to help wildfire survivors rebuild efficiently and affordably. By sharing resources and pre-approved home plans, the Alliance offers a transparent, homeowner-friendly path forward. https://www.buildersalliancela.org/
Originally posted in 2022:
Partnering with United Policyholders
We are happy to announce that Christopherson Builders has joined United Policyholders‘ professional resource team, in order to serve as a resource to homeowners who have found themselves facing the path of disaster recovery. United Policyholders (UP) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “be a trustworthy and useful information resource and a respected voice for consumers of all types of insurance in all 50 states”.
UP offers advice, guidance, and advocacy to those in need of assistance, and consistently holds forums for wildfire survivors.
Rebuilding after Wildfire since 2017
California and many other states continue to be plagued by wildfire events. Here in our backyard in Sonoma County, many homeowners are still in the process of rebuilding and recovery. Christopherson Builders has been rebuilding homes since the devastating 2017 wildfire event that shook our community and destroyed thousands of homes overnight. We realized right away that our services were needed, and as one of the fewer companies that is able to build single-family homes with the same efficiencies that we bring to new home communities, we believed that it was out responsibility to our community and our homeowners.
Where do we build?
In response to the increasing emergencies across our State and as we have learned how to navigate the complicated rebuilding process, Christopherson Builders is taking steps toward increasing our ability to help homeowners across many California areas that have been impacted by wildfire disaster. We are working on increasing our range to be able to bring our all-inclusive home building service to community that have experienced considerable losses.
What do we build?
To bring speed and efficiency to devastated communities, we have developed a large library of home designs – over 70 plans and counting. The plans are value-engineered to be mindful of unnecessary costs, however they are designed with the same standard of quality that has been the hallmark of the Christopherson brand for over 40 years. We have plans for all lot shapes and sizes, even challenging narrow lots or hillsides. Our plans streamline fire rebuilds with greater efficiency and lower costs.
In addition to our pre-engineered plans, we will continue to offer our clients the option to create a custom home, should the homeowner prefer a unique design, or should the lay of the land simply need a plan specifically tailored to suit the property.
How long does it take to rebuild a home?
It varies a little by plan and lot conditions. But generally speaking, it generally takes Christopherson Builders between 6 and 10 months to build a home after breaking ground, from foundation to keys to the front door. The greater unknown is how long your pre-construction time period will last, and that will depend on a number of factors. Pre-construction encompasses many things, including obtaining the necessary reports you will need from various engineers to rebuild, pls how long permitting takes and if there are any HOA or other architectural design reviews needed.
Where do I begin?
Following obtaining new lodgings, the first step is insurance. United Policyholders is there to help you navigate your claim. They offer reliable resources and have an incredible depth of understanding.
Explore the United Policyholders website: uphelp.org
