Thankfully, there are countless efforts and causes to contribute that are aimed at aiding those affected by the fires. Foothill Catalog Foundation is launching an initiative to rebuild the town of Altadena using floorplans created by an army of architects that will essentially be pre-approved to save time in permitting; helping more residents actually build back and designed to reflect the original DNA of the community.

Photo by William Wentley

Using the model first seen about 100 years ago when the Sears, Roebuck & Co catalog featured complete home kits for less than $1,000—those were the days—Foothill Catalog Foundation will offer fully designed home plans.

This incredible initiative was created by Alex Athenson, an architect who, along with his wife, lives in Altadena. After visiting his home in this historic community and seeing it still standing while others perished, he immediately knew there was going to be a dire need for rebuilding. 

“Altadena is different from a lot of areas in LA in that it’s incredibly diverse, not only in its people but in their backgrounds, where they come from, what they do and how they got to Altadena,” Athenson says. “There are so many multi-generational households, people who are not independently wealthy but have just built up an equity in their property by the sheer amount of years, time and the depth of their roots in this area, and that’s what made it such a great place.”

Courtesy of Foothill Catalog Foundation

As an architect, Athenson knows the hefty price tag attached to building a home. That’s why the Foothill Catalog Foundation is working to become a resource to help this community rebuild by providing them with architectural options at an affordable price point. 

“We knew that there would inherently be a gap between what the means people would have themselves, or what they get from insurance, and what it would actually cost to rebuild your house back what you lost in today’s industry,” Athenson explains. “So as architects, we need to figure out a way to bridge that gap, not only to be able to provide, you know, a resource or use our skills and knowledge of the building industry to make things efficient, but really to keep as many community members in their homes and in their hometown as possible, giving them the ability, through affordable resources, of having options to rebuild.”

Courtesy of Foothill Catalog Foundation

The Foothill Catalog Foundation will provide residents with affordable, pre-designed home plans that are reflective of the regional character of Altadena and aggregate them from the collaboration of architects, engineers, builders, fabricators, manufacturers and everyone involved in the building process who is willing to either donate their time or provide their efforts to creating these plans. 

“We’re in a position where we can cut costs at a lot of different areas, and each kind of success we have in ticking down that floor of affordability from what it would cost to just go out on your own: hire an architect, hire consultants, go through the design process, get that design permit, bid out to contractors, go through that whole–many times years-long–process of designing a home, we’re trying to condense that all into a control process under the umbrella of the Foundation,” Athenson says. 

Athenson says that his goal is for the homeowner to experience a practically seamless rebuilding process, “Hopefully, these plans can be pre-approved to the point where the permitting process is made incredibly efficient and kind of shortcuts you to the point where once the home plan is in the catalog, we can have not only the design of it ready to go, approved by the county, but also a set of builders and manufacturers ready and prepared to build it with the predictable cost and time estimate associated with it.”

Athenson’s cause has seen an overwhelming amount of support from local architects, builders, designers and community members alike. Together, the Foothill Catalog Foundation aims to rebuild hope, one building at a time. 

If you would like to learn more about the Foothill Catalog Foundation and get involved in the efforts to rebuild the communities impacted by the California wildfires, please visit: https://www.foothillcatalog.org/

Thankfully, there are countless efforts and causes to contribute that are aimed at aiding those affected by the fires. Foothill Catalog Foundation is launching an initiative to rebuild the town of Altadena using floorplans created by an army of architects that will essentially be pre-approved to save time in permitting; helping more residents actually build back and designed to reflect the original DNA of the community.

Photograph courtesy of William Wentley

Using the model first seen about 100 years ago when the Sears, Roebuck & Co catalog featured complete home kits for less than $1,000—those were the days—Foothill Catalog Foundation will offer fully designed home plans.

This incredible initiative was created by Alex Athensen, an architect who, along with his wife, lives in Altadena. After visiting his home in this historic community and seeing it still standing while others perished, he immediately knew there was going to be a dire need for rebuilding. 

“Altadena is different from a lot of areas in LA in that it’s incredibly diverse, not only in its people but in their backgrounds, where they come from, what they do and how they got to Altadena,” Athensen says. “There are so many multi-generational households, people who are not independently wealthy but have just built up an equity in their property by the sheer amount of years, time and the depth of their roots in this area, and that’s what made it such a great place.”

Courtesy of Foothill Catalog Foundation

As an architect, Athensen knows the hefty price tag attached to building a home. That’s why the Foothill Catalog Foundation is working to become a resource to help this community rebuild by providing them with architectural options at an affordable price point. 

“We knew that there would inherently be a gap between what the means people would have themselves, or what they get from insurance, and what it would actually cost to rebuild your house back what you lost in today’s industry,” Athensen explains. “So as architects, we need to figure out a way to bridge that gap, not only to be able to provide, you know, a resource or use our skills and knowledge of the building industry to make things efficient, but really to keep as many community members in their homes and in their hometown as possible, giving them the ability, through affordable resources, of having options to rebuild.”

Courtesy of Foothill Catalog Foundation

The Foothill Catalog Foundation will provide residents with affordable, pre-designed home plans that are reflective of the regional character of Altadena and aggregate them from the collaboration of architects, engineers, builders, fabricators, manufacturers and everyone involved in the building process who is willing to either donate their time or provide their efforts to creating these plans. 

“We’re in a position where we can cut costs at a lot of different areas, and each kind of success we have in ticking down that floor of affordability from what it would cost to just go out on your own: hire an architect, hire consultants, go through the design process, get that design permit, bid out to contractors, go through that whole–many times years-long–process of designing a home, we’re trying to condense that all into a control process under the umbrella of the Foundation,” Athensen says. 

Athensen says that his goal is for the homeowner to experience a practically seamless rebuilding process, “Hopefully, these plans can be pre-approved to the point where the permitting process is made incredibly efficient and kind of shortcuts you to the point where once the home plan is in the catalog, we can have not only the design of it ready to go, approved by the county, but also a set of builders and manufacturers ready and prepared to build it with the predictable cost and time estimate associated with it,” he says. 

Athensen’s cause has seen an overwhelming amount of support from local architects, builders, designers and community members alike. Together, the Foothill Catalog Foundation aims to rebuild hope, one building at a time. 

If you would like to learn more about the Foothill Catalog Foundation and get involved in the efforts to rebuild the communities impacted by the California wildfires, please visit: https://www.foothillcatalog.org/