Rebuilding is going to suck.
For the last month we’ve started to talk to architects and builders, and things are not looking good. Architects want $80k to design a 1400 sq ft home that builders say will cost up to $1,000/sq ft. All this to replace a house which, until a month before the fire, could have sold on its best day for maybe $1.2m to a westside expat looking for a quieter life who just heard a Homestate opened nearby. (I do love Homestate, also). How does rebuilding make sense with this math?
Like many of our neighbors, we’re underinsured. Depending on which estimate proves accurate, we’re between $200 - $500k underinsured. Which leaves me considering alternative models for rebuilding that is financially doable. We’ve considered alternate building materials, prefabs, and buying a home and moving it to Altadena.
In between swearing at my insurance, cursing California, and dreading the multi-year rebuilding process, I remembered a chapter in Civilized to Death (pretty sure this is where it’s from), where the author recounts the anecdote of an indigenous Australian telling an urban Australian that when someone in their tribe needs a house, the tribe simply builds the house. There’s no bank, no mortgage, no payment - someone needs a house, and the community comes together to build the house.
Understanding of course that Los Angeles plays by a different set of rules, I still wondered:
Can we rebuild our neighbor’s houses? Can we volunteer to save on labor costs, preferably with a benevolent general contractor who is willing to oversee our work?
The goal: save money, stay legal, and get back home faster.
It turns out, in Los Angeles County, the answer to the above is maybe—with the right structure in place.
What we're proposing
A licensed general contractor (GC) pulls permits, ensures code compliance, and supervises the site.
Licensed trades (electricians, plumbers, HVAC techs) do their jobs—no shortcuts here. I’ve already electrocuted myself three times; I’m not eager to do it again.
Volunteers—friends, neighbors, community members—help with legally allowed work like:
Framing
Flooring
Painting
Insulation
Landscaping
General labor
Finishing touches
We wouldn’t try to avoid the system. We'd work with it—just in a more community-powered way. Conversations I’ve had with general contractors estimated ~40% savings (“just under half”, “about half”). That’s a decent chunk considering the shortfall most of us will have to fill.
What we still need to solve
While this model is possible (according to me, the non-lawyer who should not be trusted for any legal advice), there are some caveats:
1. Volunteer liability
If someone gets hurt on-site—even if they’re volunteering—there could be legal consequences.
Possible solutions:
Draft strong liability waivers (but these don’t protect against everything)
Get volunteer accident insurance as a policy add-on (I don’t even know if we’ll have insurance by the time we rebuild)
Confirm the GC’s insurance covers unpaid labor on-site (Who knows?)
2. Safety & OSHA compliance
Even unpaid volunteers must be protected under Cal/OSHA rules.
So homeowners will need to:
Provide PPE (hard hats, gloves, etc.)
Use only safe, code-compliant tools
Offer site orientation and daily supervision
3. Permit & role clarity
The GC or the owner (as an "owner-builder") must pull permits, supervise work, and ensure trades are licensed. Volunteers can’t be used for anything requiring a license.
Possible solutions:
Maintain clear task lists of what volunteers can and cannot do
Keep tight coordination between volunteers and licensed trades
Designate a safety or volunteer coordinator
A better model for community recovery?
This isn’t just about rebuilding a single home. With enough volunteers, we could rebuild each other’s homes. The first few will take some practice, as people learn the skills necessary to frame, floor, etc. But we’re a motivated town, and the last few months have shown me that we stick together when things get tough.
But we need help pressure-testing this idea.
We’re looking for insight
If you’re a:
General contractor familiar with LA County
Owner-builder who’s gone this route
Construction attorney or permit specialist
I would love to hear your thoughts.
What are we missing? What are the traps to avoid? How can we make this safer and more replicable?
If you have experience, warnings, suggestions, or stories, please share. Leave a comment or reply to this post directly.
This is a conversation we want to have out in the open, because we’re going to need to get creative.