More than a year after the January 2025 wildfires ripped through Altadena and Pacific Palisades, a construction company is offering two demonstration homes to aid the rebuilding effort.

A subsidiary of Williams & Watt Inc., Williams Rebuild was launched in April 2025 and has made progress on 30 homes, which are currently moving through design, permitting and construction. Earlier this month, it inked a collaboration with Pasadena-based nonprofit The Foothill Catalog Foundation to launch the Tonia Homes Initiative, building two demonstration homes on Tonia Avenue.

Dan Faina, president of Williams & Watt, said the conversation with Foothill Catalog already started last summer. The demonstration houses would help customers understand the fire resilient materials and features, and then they will be sold through a charity to a resident after they serve their purpose. The builder broke ground on the construction sites two weeks ago and expects to be done in August.

“We will use these as a public resource for demonstration purposes and host informational events,” Faina said. “The Foothill Catalog will use these to bring awareness and really proof of concept to their mission.”

In a statement, Foothill Catalog co-founder Cynthia Sigler said rebuilding also involves restoring a cultural character beyond the physical structures.

“The Tonia Homes are designed to show families that there is a clear, thoughtful pathway forward – one that respects Altadena’s architectural and cultural heritage while simplifying the mechanics of rebuilding,” Sigler said.

Rebuilding effort

Despite efforts on the state and city level to help bolster the recovery – including Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal of $105 million in direct mortgage relief – fire victims are still facing numerous challenges. Seven in 10 survivors have not returned home and four in 10 insurance policyholders have experienced issues with their insurance policies, according to a CalMatters report in January.

Urban Land Institute also reported that a lot of insurance claims have covered less than 30 percent of a home’s value. Other issues include delayed permits, rising costs of materials and infrastructure destruction.

Williams Rebuild is tackling the challenges with pre-approved construction packages, offering fire victims help in getting permits, connecting utilities and insurance consultation – a “turnkey” service, according to Faina. He also shared that the company plans to move some families back by the holiday season.

“From the very first step to the very last step, there’s nothing we leave the homeowner to figure out or do on their own,” said Faina. “And that is not the case with every builder, every contractor.”