Blog
We created a free planning tool for Palisades rebuilds.
This went out to our newsletter list in August 2026. The figures below were current the day it was sent; the tracker it points to is updated daily.
To our Palisades homeowners, architects and rebuilding community: in our recent conversations, we continue to hear the same two questions. Is the insurance settlement enough to rebuild? And how long will permitting and construction actually take?
The answers existed across thousands of public records, but the information had never been organized into something people could use. We commissioned a comprehensive analysis of the available data and developed a free resource at palisadesfirerebuilding.com. The site brings together current permit activity, realistic timelines, rebuilding cost ranges, and practical guidance for evaluating a contractor. It is free to use, requires no registration, and is updated daily.
What the data shows
- 1,770 applications submitted
- 1,220 permits issued
- 1,034 homes under construction
- 33 homes completed
The timeline is longer than most people expect
Based on 1,215 actual applications, the median time from submission to permit issuance is 97 days, not six weeks. Only about one in ten applications met the City's 30-business-day target. There are currently 550 applications still awaiting approval, and nearly a third have been in review for more than six months.
For anyone establishing expectations around a Palisades rebuild, these are important numbers to understand.
A realistic starting point for cost and timing
The Reality Check tool provides an initial planning range in about 30 seconds. Enter four pieces of information, namely neighborhood, home square footage, finish level, and current project stage, and it provides an estimated construction cost range, the potential gap between that range and the insurance settlement, and a projected move-in timeline.
The timeline is based on actual Palisades permit activity rather than general industry averages. Plan review, mobilization, and construction durations are measured from local records and updated daily. The tool also distinguishes between figures supported by published data and allowances based on our construction experience. Site and foundation work, for example, is clearly identified as an allowance because conditions such as caissons, grading, and retaining walls cannot be estimated honestly using a universal cost per square foot.
This is a preliminary planning range, not a construction proposal, but it can help identify unrealistic assumptions before significant time and money are invested.
Questions to ask any builder
We also created a contractor-vetting checklist with ten questions every owner should ask before signing a contract, along with guidance on what a direct and credible answer should include.
- How many ground-up custom homes have you completed?
- How many active projects do you currently have right now?
- Who is my day-to-day contact, and will they change?
- Do you have in-house preconstruction, estimating and scheduling?
- What project management software will I have access to, and how often is it updated?
- Can I visit one of your active job sites?
- Can you show me projects genuinely similar to mine?
- What is your current backlog, and when could you realistically start?
- How do you handle change orders and allowances?
- Can I speak to a client whose project went over budget or ran late?
Some of these questions may not favor us in every situation. They are included because the checklist should help owners make an informed decision, not simply promote the company that created it.
Where we're currently building
Our crews are working in five Palisades neighborhoods: Marquez Knolls, Upper Marquez Knolls, El Medio Heights, Friends Streets and Sunset Mesa.
If your project is near one of our active sites, let us know. Nearby projects can create efficiencies in supervision, staging, labor, and deliveries, and we account for those efficiencies when developing our pricing.
Send us your plans
Whether you are an architect pricing a project, a designer defining the scope, or an owner trying to determine whether the budget is realistic, we are happy to review what you have. Send us schematic drawings, design-development plans, construction documents, or a complete bid set. We will provide a straightforward assessment and tell you candidly if the scope and budget do not align. Even when a project is not the right fit for us, our goal is to provide useful and honest feedback.
Send a Dropbox, Google Drive, or WeTransfer link to [email protected]. There is no portal, form, or account to create. You can also contact us here.