Comprehensive Services for Fire-Damaged Homes
No two fires do the same damage, and no two families want the same thing back. The work we take on covers the full range:
- Damage assessment. A careful evaluation of fire, smoke, water, and structural damage: what has to come down, what can be saved, and what that means for scope and schedule.
- Full rebuilds. When the house is a total loss, we rebuild from the foundation up: design, engineering, permits, and construction, all under one contract with one person responsible.
- Partial repairs. Fire doesn't always take everything. We repair and rebuild the damaged portions of a home and match the existing structure closely enough that the repair doesn't announce itself.
- Rebuilding better. Many families use the rebuild to fix what the old house got wrong: a better layout, more space, upgraded finishes. We price the difference honestly so you can decide with clear numbers.
Expertise You Can Trust
Rebuilding after a fire is not ordinary construction. The site has to be cleared and certified before work can begin. The soil is often disturbed. And today's codes apply no matter what the original house had: ignition-resistant exterior materials, ember-resistant vents, fire sprinklers, current energy standards. We've built to Wildland-Urban Interface requirements in Ventura County's fire zones for years — including the hillsides around Ojai, where the Thomas Fire burned to the valley's edge — and we rebuilt homes in Ventura after the fire. Three decades of general contracting means the hard parts of your rebuild are problems we've already solved somewhere else.
Let Us Handle the Insurance Hassle
For many families, the claim is more exhausting than the construction. We prepare the documentation your adjuster needs, from the detailed scope of loss to line-item costs and code-upgrade justifications, and we communicate with your carrier throughout the project, in their language, so you don't have to learn it during the worst year of your life. You stay in control of every decision. We carry the paperwork.
Why Nicodemus Construction Is the Right Choice
- We've done this before. Thomas Fire rebuilds, fire-zone permitting, and WUI construction across Ventura County. Your rebuild will not be our first.
- One person, start to finish. David runs the project himself. No handoffs, no project-manager roulette, no wondering who to call when something changes.
- A schedule you can believe. We give you an honest timeline at the start and update it as the insurance process unfolds. After what you've been through, the last thing you need is a promise nobody intends to keep.
Rebuilding Homes, Restoring Lives
A rebuild done right gives a family more than a house back. Somewhere in the middle of construction, usually around framing when the rooms take shape again, the project stops feeling like recovery and starts feeling like a future. We build toward that day.
Questions Families Ask About Fire Rebuilds
How long does a full fire rebuild take?
For a total loss, most families are back home within 12 to 24 months of the insurance settlement. Debris removal, permits, and design come before construction can start. We give you an honest schedule at the beginning and update it as the insurance process unfolds, because uncertainty is the hardest part of this and we won't add to it.
Do you work directly with our insurance company?
Yes. We prepare the scope documentation, cost breakdowns, and code-upgrade justifications your adjuster needs, and we communicate with your carrier throughout the rebuild. You stay informed without having to translate between the insurance world and the construction world yourself.
Can we rebuild something different from the original house?
Yes, and many families do. The rebuild has to meet today's codes regardless, so it's often the right moment to change the layout, add space, or upgrade finishes. Insurance covers rebuilding what you lost; we'll walk you through what any improvements beyond that would cost, so you can decide with clear numbers.
Take the First Step Toward Recovery
If you've lost your home or part of it, start with a conversation. David will walk the property with you, explain what the process looks like from where you're standing, and give you straight answers about scope, insurance, and time. No pressure, no pitch. Just a builder who knows the road back.
Serving Ventura, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Santa Barbara, and surrounding areas.
Review
David Nicodemus and his professional crew completed 5 large projects for us in 2009. One job consisted of building a 3 bedroom- 2 1/2 bath home from the ground up, and another was a tear down and complete rebuild. During these extensive and involved projects, not once did Nicodemus Construction leave us hanging or fail to meet their anticipated schedules.