Altadena contractor who lost home in Eaton Fire helping neighbors rebuild
Altadena native helping rebuild one house at a time
One year after the Eaton fire, Altadena contractor David Ly is helping neighbors rebuild their homes through Rebuild Altadena after losing his own home in the fire.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - It's been one year since the destructive Eaton Fire started.
A local contractor who lost his home in the Eaton Fire is helping his own neighbors rebuild and return to the community they love.
"We're moving forward, as you can see, working with the clients as we're rebuilding," Ly said.
David Ly is a longtime resident of Altadena, a licensed contractor well-versed in construction, contracts, and custom homes. But he never thought he'd lose his home in a matter of minutes.
"This was my trauma response to seeing and being in the fire. It was a complete shock to all of us."
His mission to help others rebuild was sparked by his over 20 years working as a professional contractor.
"How can I use my education, my skills, to help my neighborhood? That's how Rebuild Altadena was born," Ly said. "We hold your hand through the whole planning process all the way up to the construction. Since Jan. 7, we've probably had 1,000 people through our doors."
One of those people was Nicole Wirth.
"I was honestly in survival mode, so I really did not know what to do. I never had experience building a home," Wirth said.
A year later, she and her family would not have imagined they'd be this far along in the rebuild process.
"Frankly, the only reason why I'm at the stage I'm at is because Rebuild Altadena was so good at getting permits in and not having any changes made and communicating to me so I can advocate as well," Wirth said.
David says at the heart of Rebuild Altadena is transparency.
They offer a list of vetted professionals so displaced residents aren't taken advantage of.
"We vet them for their licenses, their insurance, and past work. I meet with them personally to try to figure out their intentions," Ly said.
The other component is making sure new homes stay true to the spirit of Altadena, which is where residential designer Steven Lamb, who also lost his home in the fire, comes in.
"David is very concerned that Altadena remains Altadena, and because of my background in historic preservation, I'm sort of along to make sure we do preserve as many architectural details as we can in a way that people can actually afford," Lamb said.
While Altadena residents still face many challenges, David says for him Rebuild Altadena has been therapy in itself.
"Being able to help in that sense and guide them through this, and then being a source that they can lean on, the community we have built among us has been amazing," Ly said.