Question 1

How long does it take to rebuild after the Eaton or Palisades fire?

Accepted Answer

On the construction itself, roughly 8 to 13 months modular against 16 to 25 stick-built. That is the part EGX can compress. The part it cannot is what comes first: debris clearance, insurance settlement, soil and utility verification, and plan approval, which together often take longer than the build and start before a contractor is chosen. The single most useful thing an owner can do early is get the lot cleared and the plans moving, because the factory slot is easy to schedule once those are settled and impossible to use before.

Question 2

Will my insurance settlement cover the rebuild?

Accepted Answer

Frequently not on its own, and the gap is the number worth knowing before you commit to a design. Dwelling limits were set against pre-fire construction costs, and a total-loss rebuild in a market where thousands of lots are competing for the same trades does not price like an ordinary build. Three parts of a policy usually matter more than owners expect: extended replacement cost, which adds a percentage above the dwelling limit; ordinance and law cover, which pays for code upgrades triggered by rebuilding to current standards; and additional living expense, which sets how long you can afford to wait. The rebuild calculator on this page compares stick and modular cost against your settlement figure so the gap is explicit rather than discovered late. EGX is not a public adjuster and does not negotiate claims.

Question 3

What does it cost per square foot to rebuild in Altadena or Pacific Palisades?

Accepted Answer

In Altadena, roughly $450 to $500 per square foot stick-built and $375 to $425 modular at a standard finish level. In Pacific Palisades, roughly $700 to $800 stick-built and $450 to $500 modular, where the spread is wider because site constraints and finish expectations both run higher. Premium and ultra-custom finish levels move these materially. These are planning figures for comparison, not quotes: the real number depends on the lot, access, foundation and utility conditions, and how much of the prior structure can be reused.

Question 4

Do I have to rebuild the same house I had?

Accepted Answer

No, and the choice has insurance consequences worth understanding first. Most policies pay replacement cost for a comparable structure, so a materially larger or more elaborate house is generally funded by you rather than the carrier, while rebuilding smaller can leave settlement money unspent. Rebuilding to the prior footprint is usually the fastest route through plan check because it raises fewer questions; a redesign is often the better long-term decision and a slower one. Current codes apply either way, which is where ordinance and law cover matters. This is a decision to make with your carrier and your architect before it is made with a builder.

Question 5

Should I rebuild or sell the lot?

Accepted Answer

It depends on a comparison most owners have not been given: what the finished house would be worth against total delivered cost including the months of carry and rent, set beside what the cleared lot would sell for today. Rebuilding usually wins on value where the settlement is strong and the owner intends to live there. Selling often wins where the gap between settlement and cost is large, where the owner has already relocated, or where the lot is difficult enough that construction cost runs well above the area norm. EGX brokers lots and rebuilds them, so the answer is not predetermined, and the analysis is the same work either way.

Question 6

Can I defer the tax on an insurance payout if I do not rebuild?

Accepted Answer

Often yes, through Section 1033, which covers property lost to an involuntary conversion including fire. It works differently from a 1031 exchange in ways that favor you here: no qualified intermediary is required, you can receive the proceeds directly, and the replacement window is considerably longer, generally two years from the end of the tax year in which the gain is realized and extended to four years for a principal residence in a federally declared disaster area. The replacement standard is similar or related in service or use rather than like-kind. The EGX 1031 exchange guide covers 1033 alongside the exchange structures, and the specifics belong with your CPA.

Question 7

Will modular work on my lot?

Accepted Answer

Usually in Altadena, less often on the steeper Palisades lots, and the deciding factor is almost always crane access rather than the design. Modules arrive by truck and are set by crane, so road width, overhead lines, slope, and the distance from a place the crane can stand to where the house goes determine feasibility before anything else does. Where volumetric will not reach, panelized delivery often still works and keeps part of the schedule advantage. EGX checks this at the preliminary read rather than after a factory slot is reserved, and where modular does not pencil it builds conventionally or says so.

Question 8

What happens with permits and debris removal?

Accepted Answer

They are separate tracks and both sit ahead of construction. Debris clearance ran through a county-coordinated program with an opt-in deadline, and whether an owner opted in or cleared privately changes both the timeline and what documentation plan check will ask for. Permitting depends on jurisdiction: Altadena is unincorporated Los Angeles County and goes through County Public Works and Building and Safety, while Pacific Palisades is City of Los Angeles and goes through LADBS. Both stood up expedited rebuild processes for fire-affected properties, with requirements that have changed more than once, so the current position is worth confirming rather than assuming. Modular does not shorten this stage.

Rebuilding Cities
Bringing Homes Back Stronger

Helping Displaced Homeowners
Come Home, Sooner

Built To Last
Engineered Beyond Code

Speed Is Everything
When Families Are Waiting

Vertically Integrated Execution
Off-Market Flow

Two Paths In

Estimate Your
Modular Rebuild

Rebuild Questions
Answered Directly

Rebuilding CitiesBringing Homes Back Stronger

Helping Displaced HomeownersCome Home, Sooner

Built To LastEngineered Beyond Code

Speed Is EverythingWhen Families Are Waiting

Vertically Integrated ExecutionOff-Market Flow