Two Very Different Jobs
Under One Contract
After a fire there are two kinds of property, and they need two different contractors' worth of thinking. There is the lot where the house is gone and everything has to be built again from the ground. And there is the house still standing that took smoke, soot and heat — damage that hides in insulation, ductwork, attic voids and wall cavities, and that comes straight back through any cosmetic work laid over the top of it.
We do both. What does not change between them is how we run the job: we read your insurance scope of loss against what the city will actually require you to build, we put the difference in writing before you commit to anything, and then one company carries the project through permitting, construction and final inspection. Written line-item scope. Locked price. Weekly photo updates, so you are never driving out to see whether anyone showed up.
Get a Free Assessment →What's Included
- Insurance Scope Review: We read the carrier's scope of loss against current code requirements and show you the gap in writing — before it becomes a change order.
- Design, Engineering & Permits: Architect and engineer coordination, soils and utilities, and the full permit submittal, including expedited rebuild pathways where your property qualifies for one.
- Ground-Up Construction: Foundation, framing, systems, exterior assemblies and finishes — one contract and one company accountable for the schedule.
- Smoke, Soot & Heat Damage Renovation: Removing and replacing what is actually contaminated rather than sealing over it, so the odour and staining do not return.
- Wildfire Construction Standards: Ignition-resistant exteriors, ember-resistant vents and rated glazing where code requires them — priced in from day one, not discovered at inspection.
We Build Structure, Not Just Finishes
How a Rebuild Runs With Us
1. We Walk the Property
No quotes off a photo and a phone call. We see the lot or the house, and we look at what the fire actually did.
2. We Read Your Insurance Scope
We compare what your carrier agreed to pay for against what plan check will require you to build, and we show you the difference in writing.
3. You Get a Line-Item Price
Not a range. A written, itemized scope with a locked price, so you know what you are signing before anyone breaks ground.
4. Design, Engineering & Permits
Architect, engineer, soils, utilities and the permit submittal — handled by us, tracked by us, with honest updates on where it stands.
5. We Build It
Foundation through final inspection with our own crews and long-standing subs, and weekly photo updates the whole way.
6. We Stand Behind It
Every project carries a warranty and our commitment long after the last inspection is signed off.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you do full ground-up rebuilds after a fire?
Yes. New Cali Construction is a licensed design-build general contractor (California License #1008892) and we take total-loss rebuilds end to end — reviewing your insurance scope of loss, coordinating the architect and engineer, soils and utilities, permitting, and the build through final inspection. One contract, one company accountable for the schedule, instead of you coordinating five separate trades from wherever you are living now.
My house survived but smells of smoke. Can that be fixed?
Usually, but not with paint. Soot and odour settle into insulation, ductwork, attic spaces and wall cavities, and sealing or repainting over it fails within months. We assess what actually has to be removed and replaced, do that work, and scope it in writing so it lines up with what your insurer has agreed to cover.
Will my insurance payout cover the full rebuild?
Often not by itself, and that gap is the single most common reason a rebuild budget breaks. Insurance settles on what you lost; the city permits what current code requires. Fire-zone exterior materials, updated energy and electrical standards and sprinkler requirements can all be required now and were not covered then. We identify that difference in writing at estimate stage so you are negotiating a known number instead of discovering one in month four.
How much does a fire rebuild cost?
We do not publish a per-square-foot figure, because it moves too much to be useful — slope, street access, fire-zone assemblies and how much of the lot’s utilities survived all change it materially. We walk the lot, read your insurance scope, and give you a written line-item price rather than a wide range designed to win the job and get revised later.
How long does a rebuild take?
Permitting is usually the longest and least predictable phase, and it varies with which pathway your property qualifies for. Construction on a single-family rebuild typically runs several months once permits are issued. We give you a realistic schedule up front and tell you plainly which parts of it we control and which we do not.
Can I build an ADU on the lot while the main house is rebuilt?
Often yes, and it is one of the more practical moves available: a permitted ADU can be the first structure back on the lot and it stays valuable once the main house is finished. Rules for ADUs on fire-affected parcels have been handled differently from a standard build and have changed more than once, so we confirm what currently applies to your address before design.
Transparent Pricing
What a Rebuild Costs
We are not going to put a per-square-foot number on this page. On a fire rebuild it would be close to meaningless — slope, street access, fire-zone assemblies and how much of the lot's utilities survived move the figure more than the square footage does.
What we do instead
Walk the property, read your insurance scope of loss, and come back with a written line-item price you can actually check line by line.
What breaks most budgets
The gap between what insurance settled on and what current code requires. We put that number in front of you at estimate stage, not in month four.
What stays fixed
The price is locked in writing before work begins. Scope changes need your signed approval, and overages on locked items are ours, not yours.
Free assessments always. For remodel and ADU pricing ranges, see our standard project tiers.
The New Cali Promise
Our Guarantee to You
You have already been let down by something outside your control. Every promise below is in writing.
We Show Up Day 1
If we don't show up on the agreed start date, you owe us nothing. No deposit held, no questions asked.
Written Scope Before We Touch Anything
Every project starts with a detailed, line-item scope of work - signed by both parties before a single nail is driven.
Weekly Photo Updates
You'll never be left wondering what's happening. We send progress photos every week - so you're always in the loop.
On-Time, On-Budget - Or We Make It Right
No surprise invoices. No scope creep without your approval. If we go over on a locked item, that's on us - not you.
Get in Touch
Tell Us About Your Property
Free assessment on site. No pressure - just a straight read on what your property needs and what it will take.