INTRODUCTION
Recoveryafterlosingahomeina wildfireorresidentialfireisadevastating andstressfulexperience.Afamilymust notonlynavigatetheintensefeelingsof griefandlossfromthedestructionof theirhomeandpersonalbelongings,but theoftentimescomplexandlengthy processofrebuilding.It’saprocesswith manymovingpartsandplayersandcan bedaunting,overwhelming,and emotionallyintensive Knowingwhere andhowtobeginisthefirststeptoward regainingasenseofnormalcy,control, andpeaceofmind
That’swhy,withyearsofexperience workingwithfamiliestorebuildhomes afterfiredamageordevastation,our StillwaterDwellingsleadershipteamhas puttogetheranewblogserieswalking homeownersthroughtheentireprocess.
“Weknowthecomplexitiesofeachstep andcanhelpthemthroughthisprocess toalleviatethestressandanguishduring thisincrediblychallengingtime,”said StillwaterDwellingsCo-CEOand FounderJohnMorgan “We’renotonly helpingthemrebuildtheirhomes,but moreimportantly,theirlives.”
Havinghelpedfamiliesrebuildhomesafterexperiencinghomeloss, ourteamhasadeepunderstandingofwhatittakestonavigatethe variousstagesofrecoveryandconstruction,fromworkingwith insurancecarriersandlocalmunicipalities,todebrisclean-upand incorporatingauniversalfire-resistantapproachtothenew construction.
“Becausewe’vebeendoingthisforsolong,ourknowledge, expertise,andpositiverelationshipswithcities,agencies,and serviceprovidersallowustobetterstreamlinetheprocessand delivertransparencyandpredictabilitytofirevictims,”said StillwaterDwellingsCo-CEOandFounderKavehKhatibloo.
Thisguidefeaturesstep-by-steprecommendationsandbest practices,includingwhattodofirst,whotocall,andanoutlineof thesequenceofactionitemstomaketheprojectmovealongand belessoverwhelming.
CONTACT YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER
Assoonaspossible,theveryfirstthingyoumustdoiscontactyour insurancecarrierandfileaclaim.Nothingelsecanmoveforward untilyouhavecompletedthisveryimportantstep.Hopefullyyou haveretainedyourpolicyinformationpriortohomeevacuation, howeverit’snotcritical.Abestpracticeistokeepinsurancepolicy informationsafelysecuredinacloudstorageaccountlikeGoogle CloudorDropboxforeasyandanytimeaccess.
Yourinsurancecarrierwillassignaclaimnumberandadjuster,who willusuallyserveasyourprimarypointofcontactwiththecompany. Theywillreviewwithyouthescopeofyourcoverageandbenefit amountsincludedinyourpolicy.
Atthistime,itisagoodideatostartresearchinghomebuilding companiestodeterminethebestfitforyourdesignrequirements andpreferences.StillwaterDwellingscanassisthomeownerswith understandingtheirpolicybenefitsandhowtooptimizethemin theirbudgetsfortheirnewhomebuild.We’llbediscussinghowto findthebestbuilderforyourhomeinmoredetailinalaterstep.
Continuemakingpaymentsforyour insurancepremiumtoprevent lapsesincoverage.
SITE CLEAN-UP
Thefirstbigdecisionistodeterminewhowillperformsiterecovery andclean-up.Pleasedonot,underanycircumstances,travelto yourhomesiteuntilyouareadviseditissafetodoso.Thereare potentialrisksreturningtothehomeandsiftingthroughdebris. Homesdamagedanddestroyedbyflames,heat,water,andsmoke leavebehindmaterialsandfumesthatcanbehazardoustohealth andsafety.Iftherearepersonalitemsyouwouldliketoattemptto retrieve,youmaybeabletoworkwithyourinsuranceadjusterto coordinatethebestandsafestwaytodoso.
Therearetwowaystogoaboutdebrisremovalandsiteclean-up. Thefirstoptionistoutilizestateagenciesandprogramsto managetheprojectatnocosttoyou.Thespecificagenciesand programsinvolvedvaryfromstatetostate;forexample,in California,siterecoveryandclean-upishandledbyits
ConsolidatedDebrisRemovalProgramunderthegovernor’sOffice ofEmergencyServicesthatcoordinateswithlocalgovernments.
Benefitsofutilizingpublic agenciesandprograms
Theprimarybenefitofusingpublicagenciesisthattherearenooutof-pocketcostsforthisphaseofyourhomerebuild.Ifyouare workingwithalimitedbudgetorchoosetoallocatemoreofyour
budgettowardfire-resistantsitework,design,andconstruction, workingwithstateandlocalgovernmentscanbeagoodchoice.
Adownsidetothisoptionisthetimeittakestoperformand completedebrisremovalandsiteclean-up.Thisphasecanincrease overallprojecttimeandfinalhomedeliverysignificantlywhenusing apublicagencyorprogrambecauseofthevastamountofacreage requiringclean-up.Fiveofthe20largestfiresinCalifornia occurredin2020andburnedapproximately4.2millionacres accordingtotheInsuranceInformationInstitute.Thedemandand strainonstateandlocalresourcestranslatestolengthierwaittimes toservicethemanycommunitiesrequiringassistanceandrelief.
Benefitsofprivate removalandcleanupservices
Forfamiliesthathave experiencedtotalhomeloss,time iscritical.Anyopportunityto reducetheamountoftimespent inupheavalandhomelessness movespeoplefurtheralongon thejourneytorecovery That’s whysomepursueprivateremoval andclean-upservicesaftera wildfire Privatecompaniescan workmuchfasterandhavemore flexibility,whichcansignificantly reducetheoverallconstruction timeline.
Alsoaplus,mostinsurance carriersprovideadebrisremoval andsiteclean-upbenefit, howeverthereisanadditional out-of-pocketcost Depending onyourinsurancecarrier,the clean-upcostscouldcomefrom apolicy’sdwellingbenefit,inthe formofaflatfee,ora percentageofthetotaldwelling limit Theaveragecosttothe homeowneris$10,000to$15,000, however,contactyouradjusteror agentfordetailsonyourspecific policy. Decidingwhichsiteclean-up solutionisbestforyouandyour familywilldependonmany factors,includingyourpolicy, budget,anddesiredproject timeline.Wehaveworkedwith familiesearlyonintheirhome rebuildstohelpthemwiththis importantstepinpreparationfor construction
SCHEDULE A LAND SURVEYOR
Immediatelyafterfilinganinsuranceclaimandselectingasite clean-upprovider,thenextstepintheprocessistogetyour propertyscheduledforsurveying.Youmayhavealreadyhada professionalsurveyconductedonyourlandpriortopurchasing yourhome,howeverasurveyisimportantafterhomelossandfire damageforanumberofreasons.
Landsurveysmeasureandidentifyseveralthings,including propertyboundaries,acreage,andtopographicalfeatures.They’re alsoapermitrequirement,soit’shelpfultohavethemdoneas quicklyaspossibletokeeptheprojectmovingforward. Conductingasurveyafterafireiscriticaltounderstandingif
SCHEDULE A LAND SURVEYOR
Ifyouneedhelpfindingaprofessionalsurveyor,conductasearch withyourstate’ssurveyorsassociationorbyvisitingtheNational SocietyofProfessionalSurveyors.StillwaterDwellingshas relationshipswithanumberoftrustedandvettedlandsurveyorfirms thatcanhelpexpediteschedulingandcompletion.Yourinsurance carriermayalsoprovidealistofrecommendedsurveyorfirms.
REVIEW BUILDING AND FIRE CODES
Nowthatyou’vedeterminedyourlandcancontinuetosupporta newstructure,it’stimetobeginthinkingaboutdesign.Knowing yourlocaljurisdiction’sbuildingandfirecodeswillinfluencemajor decisionsyoumakeaboutyournewhome,includingprotectionsfor infrastructure,utilities,locationtominimizeignitionhazards,and constructionmaterials.
Oneofthedesignconsiderationsthat’stopofmindamongour clientsishomesize.Mostlocaljurisdictionshavesomethingcalled arebuildingfreezoneorsimilar,whichisasetofguidelinesthat outlineparametersaroundwhatcanberebuiltandhowmuchthe structuresizemayincreasewithoutrequiringadditionalpermit approvals.Designingwithintheseparameterscanspeedupthe buildtimelineconsiderablyandhelpreducecosts.Stillwater Dwellingsprojectmanagersarewellversedinvariouslocalzoning, building,andfirecodes,andcanassistclientsinnavigatingthis oftentimescomplexprocess.
SELECT AN ARCHITECT AND BUILDER
Ifyouhaven’talreadydoneso,researchandselectthefirm(s)you wouldliketodesignandbuildyournewhome.AtStillwater Dwellings,ourexperiencebuildingonat-riskterrainandinwildfireproneareasthroughoutthewesternU.S.hasgivenusawellroundedperspectivethatbalancesourclients’designpreferences withlocalfireandbuildingcodesandthesafetyandprevention requirementsintheseregions.
Wecan’tstressenoughtheimportanceofselectingafirmwitha backgroundinbuildingintheseareas;knowledgeoflocal jurisdictionsandzoning,alongwithestablishedrelationshipswith vendorsanddevelopmentagencies,canpositivelyaffectbudgets andhomedeliverydates.Thatbeingsaid,therearetwoprimary avenuesforrebuilding:hiringanarchitecturalfirmandbuilder separately,orcontractingwithadesignbuildfirm.
Anyopportunitytosimplifytherebuild processwithincreasedtransparency andfasterhomedeliverytimeswill furtherfamiliesalongthepathto recovery.
HiringSeparate Architecturaland ContractorFirms
Forthemostflexibilityinyournew homedesign,goingwithan architecturalfirmmaybeagood choice Ifyoudonothavebudget constraints,preferworkingwitha celebratedarchitect,andhavea moreopen-endedmove-in timeframe,youhavethe opportunitytotakeyourdream homeconceptandbringittolife Anexperiencedarchitectcan alsoserveasyouradvocatewhen hiringandworkingwithalicensed generalcontractor,howeveryou
HiringaDesign BuildFirm
Hiringadesign-buildfirmmeans contractingwithasinglecompany forboththedesignand constructionofanewhome insteadofsigningmultiple contractswithanarchitectand generalcontractor.Workingwitha singlecompanyduringarebuild hasitsadvantages,asasingle pointofcontacthasthepotential tohelpstreamlinecommunications andconstructiontimes mustaddtheirassociatedfeesto theoverallprojectcost.Goingthis routedoesrequiremorehands-on timeandcanbecomecostly,sobe suretodoyourhomeworkand readthroughcontractsand agreementscarefullytoavoid unpleasantsurprises.
arehighlycustomizedwhichcanleadtospiralingcostsduringthe pre-constructionphases.
HiringaPrefabDesignFirm
Prefabhomedesigncanofferagreathybridchoice,withclients abletoselectfromacollectionofhomeplanswiththeopportunity tomakesomestructuralandarchitecturalchangesto accommodatetheirpreferences.Panelizedconstruction,atypeof prefabhome,involveswallpanelsconstructedinaclosed temperature-controlledmanufacturingfacilityanddeliveredfor onsiteassemblybytheclients’preferredgeneralcontractor.
Itisourpreferredmethodat StillwaterDwellings,andwe providearosteroftrusted andvettedgeneral contractorsandofferfull supportthroughoutthebuild untilit’scomplete.
Prefabadvantagesarenumerous,andincludefastertimeframes andpredictablecosts.AtStillwater,weofferasetofpreengineeredhomeplansforfirerebuildsand,withoutmodifications, canreduceconstructiontimesbythreetosixmonths.
ESTABLISHING A BUDGET
Atthispoint,determiningyouroverallbudgetforhomedesignand constructionisimportantasyoubeginworkingwithyourselected architectorbuilder.Havingaclearunderstandingofyour insurancepolicyandthevariouscoverageamountswillassistyou inmaximizingyourbenefitineachcategorysoyouhavethe necessaryfundsforsiteprep,design,andconstruction.
Inatypicalinsurancepolicy,youmaydrawfromthedwelling, contents,replacement,andcodeupgradecategories.These categoriesarenon-transferable,sounfortunatelyit’simpossibleto movefundsfromonecategorytoanotherandit’scriticalthatyou maximizeeachinordertoobtainyourfullbenefitamount.An experiencedbuildermayalsoassistinaligningthebudget requirementsforthenewconstructionwiththeinsurancepolicy benefits.AtStillwaterDwellings,wehavehelpedourclients throughthisprocesssotheyarealsotoaccessallfundsavailable tothemfortheirbrandnewhome.
Understandingcurrentcode requirements
Fireandbuildingcodecompliancewasaddressedinparttwo, howeveritbearsmentioningherewhenitcomestobudget considerations.Ifthehomethatwasdestroyedwasanolderhome andrequiresanumberofcodeupgrades,thismayaddasignificant
amountofmoneytotheoverallrebuildbudget.Policycoveragefor replacementwillusuallyonlycoverthecoststoreplaceahome withanewconstructionofsimilarquality,whichresultsinagap betweenwhattheinsurancecarrierwillpayforandthecostof codeupgradestoachievecompliance.Buildingcodeupgrades aren’ttypicallycoveredunlessabuildingordinancecoverageis partofyourpolicy.Thisiswhereitcanbecomeincrediblycostly, andunfortunatelypoliciesdon’tallowfundstransfersbetween categories.
Thereareafewthingsthatcanbedonetooffsetcodeupgrade costs.Thechoiceofarchitectandbuilderwilldeterminethe rebuild’soverallcost,soifyou’reexpectingsignificantcode upgraderequirements,selectingafirmwithcompletedhomeplans isamusttokeepdesignfeesdown.AtStillwaterDwellings,we offeracollectionoffast-trackhomeplansthatcomedesignedand pre-engineeredwithcompletedinteriorfinishpackagestoreduce customizationcosts.Thisaddsgreaterefficienciestothedesign andconstructionphasesthatshavesanywherefromthreetosix monthsfromtherebuildprocess,whichalsocutsdowncostsand acceleratesthemove-indate.
Evenafterworkingwithyourinsurancecarrier’sadjusterand hiringanestimatorandbuilder,youmayhavedifficultyin settlingyourclaiminawaythat’smostbeneficialforyou.Itmay beinyourbestinteresttohireapublicadjuster,an independentandlicensedprofessionalwhocanreviewand evaluateyourpolicycoverageandnegotiatewithyourcarrier onyourbehalf.
Publicadjusterfeescanbeupto15%ofanymoneyrecovered fromthecarrier,butifthey’resuccessfulinsignificantly increasingtheoverallsettlementitismoneywellspent.Fora listofpublicadjustersinyourarea,reachouttotheNational AssociationofPublicInsuranceAdjustersatwww.napia.com.
HOME DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
Whilethereisnosuchthingasafire-proofhome,thereare manyactionshomeownerscantakewhenrebuildingtoimprove fireresistance,health,andsafety.CalFireidentifiestwozones onaresidentialpropertywhenitcomestowildfire-resistant design.Defensiblespaceisthelandscapeornaturalarea immediatelysurroundingthehome,andhomehardeningrefers tothecollectionofconstructionmaterialsandmethodsthatwill helpwithstandheatandignitionfromflyingembersanddebris.
CreatingaBufferZone
Startingfromthepropertyandthehome’sexterior,carefulsite planningwilldeterminethebestlocationforthenewhometo increasethebufferzonearoundthestructuretohelpprevent flamesfromincreasinginteriortemperaturesasrapidly.Removalof deadordrytrees,leaves,plants,andshrubsatleast30feet aroundtheperimeterofthehome,payingcloseattentionto potentialup-sloperunningfireareas,andplanningdrivewaysand pathwaysforfiretrucksandemergencyvehiclesarepartofthe StillwaterDwellingsteamstrategyduringdesignandpreconstruction.
Fire-Resistant HomeDesign fromtheInside Out
Flyingembershavebeenknowntodamageanddestroyhomesup toamileawayfromtheoriginatingfire,soareputablearchitect andbuildershouldtakegreatcaretodesignthehomeandspecify materialsthathelppreventingressbyflamesandhigh-heatdebris.
Ahome’sroofisthemostvulnerabletofire,sowoodorshingle productsareathighriskofignition.Composition,metal,ortile arethebestchoicesforroofconstruction.Eavesandsoffits shouldbeconstructedwithnon-combustiblematerials,and ember-resistantsidinglikecementboardorstuccocanalsobe preventative.Dual-panedwindowscanresistshatteringfrom thermalstresswhilehelpingtokeepahome’sinterior temperaturefromrisingrapidly.
StillwaterDwellingsdesignsarerootedinavertingfirefrom movingintoahome’sinteriorfromtoptobottom,fromthe standingseammetalroofswithaClassAfireratingandsolid roofcavitywithnon-ventedeaves,totheinstallationofactive motorizedventilationsystemsthatforceairoutofthecrawlspace tomaintainconstantpressureandpreventflamesfromaccessto thefoundation.
Wealsoexceedtherequirementofmanylocaljurisdictionsfor firesuppressionsystemsandincorporatethemandoptional sprinklersystemsintointeriorstominimizetheirvisibilitytocreate safespacesthatblendintothehome’sarchitectureanddesign. Wetakeaholisticapproachtositeplanningandresidential architecturethatbalancessafety,prevention,andaesthetics; andwhilethisoutlineaddressesbuildinginCalifornia,these
OBTAINING NEW INSURANCE & FUTURE FIRE PREVENTION
Aslongasyouhavebeenpayingyourinsurancepremium,arenot whatcarriersdesignatea‘habitualclaimant,’andthereisno evidenceofafraudulentclaim,thereshouldbenoriskoflosing coverage.Itmayseemcounterintuitivetocontinuemaking premiumpayments,butmaintainingliabilityinsuranceisimportant incasesomeonegetsinjuredonyourdamagedhomesite.Itis possibletocutbackonthepartofthepolicythatcoversthe dwellingtosomepremiumsavingswhileyourhomeisbeingbuilt.
It’snevertooearlytoplanforfuturefirepreventionandsafety. Onceyournewhomeiscompleteandreadytomovein,preparea firesafetyplanthatincludeshowtoevacuate,meetingplaces, placementofimportantphonenumbersandcontacts,andproper storageandsecurityofimportantdocuments.TheNationalFire ProtectionAssociationpublishesahelpfulchecklistandplanning toolsontheirwebsite.
We'reheretohelpfromdayone
OurteamatStillwaterDwellingshashelpedfamilieswho havelosttheirhomestofiresnavigatetheoverwhelming andemotionaljourneyofrebuilding.Ourexperienceinatriskregionsandcompleteselectionofpopularpreengineeredprefabhomedesignscanfasttrackthe constructiontimelinesoyoucanrecoverandmoveinto yourhomefaster.
Tolearnmoreabouttheadvantagesof buildingwithStillwaterDwellings,please contactusat800.691.7302or info@stillwaterdwellings.com.
