Rebuilding our hometown & yours.
How to rebuild after wildfire. It is a mind-boggling question with layers and layers of uncertainties. Unfortunately, the wildfire phenomenon continues. Fortunately, as we have witnessed first-hand, human fortitude and resiliency can be awe-inspiring, and there are many great organizations and resources committed to helping you recover.
It started from a grass-roots movement to heal our community, and since 2017 we have been able to bring hundreds of families back home. We are here to help you recover.
Keith Christopherson speaking at one of many rebuild Q&A’s following the Tubbs Wildfire in 2017
First steps toward recovery.
Seeking guidance from those have have been through it before, we have put together a short list of things to consider after losing your home.
- Get a post office box.
- Find temporary housing, and ask if there are any rent incentives for fire.
- Start working on your insurance claim. If you need help, we highly recommend United Policyholders. They offer a wealth of information and hold private forums regularly.
- Allow yourself time to make big decisions.
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Building a foundation 2022
FEMA & Insurance
- Register with FEMA. Whether or not they end up clearing your lot, or you go with a private debris removal company, there will be a wait to it’s good to register early.
- Find out what portion of your insurance policy will cover building code upgrades. This is huge for an older home that hasn’t been updated.
- Think about every little detail inherent in your home’s architecture & finishes – they have value and can be factored into your claim.
Taking Steps toward rebuilding
- In can be of considerable help down the road to get some initial reports on your property prior to clearance, in order to preserve grade & retain knowledge for the rebuild.
- Start architecture early. Civil engineering is going to get backed up, but you can start preliminary architecture and get in the queue.
- Did you have a pool? Did you want it back? Pool contractors had a crazy long backlog post fires, so start thinking about this early.
- Silver linings. When you rebuild, you get to consider doing all those things that you wanted to change about the home you lost. Finding some hope in the evolution doesn’t replace the loss, but it helps.
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Christopherson Builders Rebuild Progress 2021
A Homeowner’s Rebuilding Testimonial
We understand that rebuilding a home is a deeply personal experience, and we respect our homeowners’ desire and need for privacy. Most of the homes that we have rebuilt have been quietly returned to their owners with little fanfare on social media et cetera. That said, there have been a few generous individuals who kindly allowed us to share a bit of their story, as a testimonial of their new homes and their experiences rebuilding with Christopherson Builders. Here is one such story, thanks to the Woodruffs, in Vacaville, Solano County.
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Rebuilding in Solano County
Rebuilding Resources
- Here is a collection of links to key pages dedicated to post-wildfire recovery in California.
- Altadena and Pacific Palisades city-specific recovery pages are still under construction as of January 2025:
How You Can Help
Monetary donations. Immediate material donations are great – water, diapers, necessary human essentials. BUT Drop-off donation locations, unless they put up a call for certain items, are going to get overrun with physical donations. Processing & distribution can become challenging. We have been told many times, in many counties, that monetary donations are what are needed most. If you would like to contribute to the recovery effort in California, consider donating to trusted organizations such as:
- California Community Foundation
- United Way – Los Angeles
- LA Fire Department Emergency Fund
- American Red Cross
- The Humane Society
A new home, a safer home.
A question we receive a lot is, will it happen again? Honestly, we can’t answer that question, but we can tell you this:
- Our new homes all have ember-resistant vents. Post-fire in Santa Rosa, we learned that one of the reasons that the fire moved from home to home so swiftly was that embers were getting into attic vents and igniting the contents within. These new vents are made with a mesh that melts into a barrier when exposed to heat extremes, mitigating that danger.
- Our new homes all have fire sprinkler systems. They are required in new home construction in California. The homes built 20+ years ago largely did not have this safety feature.
- We use fire-resistant roofing materials as standard.
- Our doors from home into the garage are fire-rated, and all of our glass in windows or doors is tempered.
- If the home is sided, we use cement fiber planks, and if the home is stucco we use a triple lath.
- We install garage doors with backup batteries and remote operation capability.
We can also tell you that our community is a lot wiser, and preventative measures such as defensible space ordinances and planned power shut-offs in the event of higher fire risk weather have been proactively established both here in Santa Rosa and in neighboring towns and counties.
In the Media
Here are some links to articles that feature Christopherson Builders’ rebuild efforts:
- Press Democrat Article 2017 – Sonoma County Facing Long Road to Recovery
- North Bay Business Journal Article March 2018 – Construction Icons Return for the Rebuild
- Press Democrat Article 2018 – Rebuild: Coffey Park Recovery
- Petaluma Argus-Courier – A Decade of New Housing
- North Bay Business Journal Article 2019 – Christopherson’s Work Wins Award
- Press Democrat Article 2019 – Pace of the Rebuild
- Sonoma Index-Tribune 2020 – Wildfire Rebuild Construction Accelerates
- Technology Designer Article 2022 – Building Back a Community
