Genesis Builders breaks ground on first of more than 30 Eaton Fire rebuilds

By Moira Ritter
March 2, 20266:58 PM ET

Key takeaways

• Genesis Builders broke ground on the first of more than 30 fire rebuild homes in Altadena, California.
• The developer is offering homeowners pre-approved home plans, fixed pricing and guaranteed rebuild timelines.
• Rebuilding efforts in Altadena are gaining momentum, with multiple developers and nonprofits advancing new homes and reconstruction projects more than a year after the Eaton Fire.

About 14 months after Rebecca Zandovskis lost her home to the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, she broke ground on her new, two-story Mediterranean-style home.

In the last year, while she grappled with rebuilding what she thought would be her forever home, Zandovskis joined Genesis Builders — a collaboration between Southern California builders Cityview and Montage Development that began in response to the fire — as senior director of business.

“When Genesis was formed, the opportunity kind of arose to be somebody who can help build my community back and help other neighbors go through the same things that I’m going through,” she told Homes.com news in an earlier interview.

Now, Zandovskis’ home is one of more than 30 fire rebuilds that Genesis is overseeing — and, as of Feb. 24, it’s the first to break ground. Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.

“It is especially fitting that Rebecca’s home is the first to break ground,” Sean Burton, chief executive officer of Cityview, said in a statement Monday. “She has helped shape Genesis from the beginning, and now she is walking homeowners through every step of their rebuilds while going through the same experience herself.”

Genesis offers pre-approved home plans and guaranteed timelines

Genesis calls itself “a turnkey rebuilding solution” — offering homeowners pre-approved home plans and a guaranteed rebuild timeline.

“Our goal is to help them return home faster and with fewer hurdles,” Devang Shah, principal at Genesis Builders, said in a statement Monday.

In all, clients have 24 plans to choose from, with six home plans in four architectural styles: Mediterranean, traditional, craftsman and bungalow.

Though those plans still need final approval and plan check, opting for a pre-approved plan can reduce permitting timelines and save costs.

Genesis also offers fixed pricing, with rebuilds starting at $629,900. Each home comes with a 10-year warranty and is designed with fire-resistant features. Clients also have the option of adding pre-approved accessory dwelling units.

Rebuild efforts gain steam in Altadena

Zandovskis’ home joins a growing number of rebuilds underway in Altadena — where 5,600 single-family houses, 261 multifamily units, 161,000 square feet of retail space and 38,000 square feet of offices were destroyed by the Eaton Fire, according to officials and data from CoStar, Homes.com’s commercial real estate affiliate.

In January, local nonprofit Steadfast LA and modular homebuilder Samara delivered their first of nine donated factory-built homes to Altadena. Rebuild Altadena, another post-fire recovery and rebuilding firm, has several projects underway.

There have also been sales of new homes. Developer PLC Communities has sold six of its planned 18 new homes in Altadena’s gated La Viña community and is working on 24 rebuild projects.

While commercial real estate has been slower to recover, locals and other stakeholders have expressed optimism that the wave of residential development will bring homeowners back to the community.

“The biggest thing that’s helped us, that started really driving sales, is the time factor,” Jaime Todd, PLC Communities’ vice president of marketing and sales, told Homes.com News in an interview. “The community is rebuilding and revitalizing. And now that we’ve had some people that have finally kind of decided to move forward and seeing the opportunity, it’s kind of like, oh, it’s safe. Sales breed sales.”