California fires

Our hearts go out to the victims of the recent California fires. While it is impossible to replace what was lost, Connect Homes can help you rebuild in a way that will save you time, money and result in a modern, green, efficient homes.

‍As a way to offer some sort of relief, Connect Homes will provide the following to property owners who lost their homes in the fires:

1. A complementary site visit and feasibility assessment to discuss rebuilding options with you. Contact us today for a quick online assessment and to schedule a site visit.

‍2. A reduced drawing preparation fee that will cut our design fee in half, when you select one of our standard model home designs.

Rebuild Quickly Using Our Model Home Designs

With our homes, you don’t have to start from scratch and go through a lengthy design process with countless decisions to make. We will work with you to select one of our models that meets your needs and works well on your site. We’ve researched and selected modern, green finishes and fixtures that are economical and sustainable with good design in mind. This allows for an expedited design process, so you can have plans ready to submit for plan check in a fraction of the time when hiring an architect. While the floor plan may be set, you can still make the home uniquely yours by selecting from a wide variety of interior and exterior finish colors and upgrade to kitchen appliances that meet your needs.

You can move into your new home in as little as 9-14 months from the time we start the design process:

‍Step 1: 2-4 months of drawing preparation. Before we can get too far into drawing preparation, we will need a survey of your property and in many jurisdictions, like Sonoma County, a soils report will be required to test the soils after your site has been cleared. Getting these items can add another 1-2 months to your project schedule.

‍Step 2: 1-2 months of local approvals. We anticipate there will be a push to increase staffing in local building departments to help expedite this process, however, this timeline may vary by jurisdiction.

‍Step 3: 6-8 months to build your new home depending on the size.

We have built homes in many California jurisdictions, including Ventura, Los Angeles, Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties, so we are familiar with the local approvals process.

Fire Resistance of Our Homes

While no home can be fireproof, there are steps to take that can create a more fire resistant home. Our homes don’t have eaves, which prevents flying embers from blowing up into the attic and starting a fire. The roofs of our homes are a class A rating and are effective against severe fire exposure. Just like all new homes in California, our homes are equipped with a fire sprinkler system. In high fire hazard areas, our exterior sheathing and finishes can be made of non-combustible materials. All of our exterior doors and windows are dual pane glass to reduce the chance of breakage from the extreme heat in a wildfire.

For more information on steps to take to “harden” your home to resist flying embers, see this webpage by CAL FIRE.