The Foothill Catalog Foundation is drawing on the Sears home kits of the 1900s to offer a modern, affordable way to rebuild, even with post Eaton Fire regulations and Trump tariff worries.

More than 400 people showed up to a design showcase and meet and greet held by the nonprofit Sunday, May 4, at the Sierra Madre Woman’s clubhouse. The displaced property owners peered at architectural drawings, submitted questions for designers and spoke with nonprofit founders Alex Athenson and Cynthia Sigler, and their team about which designs will be available when, and what homeowners can expect to save in construction, permitting and design fees and build time.

“Our goal is to have the first 10 designs preapproved by the end of July,” Sigler said. “This essentially means that over the next 3 months, we will be focused on production of the construction documents required for permit and eventually bidding.”

The Foothill Catalog Foundation (TFCF) helped launch Los Angeles County’s preapproval permitting process on May 3 designed to streamline rebuilds while preserving the historic character of neighborhoods and meeting modern codes.

“The plan is to make the process as predictable as possible, and help homeowners feel supported and encouraged,” Athenson said.

San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity is working with TFCF to develop three catalog home designs based on one floor plan that Habitat volunteers will build. Each home will have three bedrooms, two baths and will range from 1,160 to 1,1190 square feet, with an option for a detached garage.

On April 25, the foundation submitted its first construction set for that design, called “The Lewis,” to the county for pre-approval, bringing it one step closer to becoming the first of the Catalog homes ready for site verification and construction.

The premise of the Catalog is this: “imagine flipping through a catalog and choosing a home that is already pre-approved, ready for construction, and comes with a predictable cost. It is not a custom home, but the catalog’s range of designs reflect the rich history, diversity, and soul of the foothills.”

The catalog can be a professionally-curated short cut for owners of nearly 6,000 homes lost to the Eaton Fire, most of whom are getting a crash course on from-the-ground-up home builds. The wildfire, which exploded on Jan. 7 and took 24 days to contain, killed 18, destroyed more than 9,000 structures and caused an estimated $7 to $10 billion in damages.

Feedback from the showcase will help the foundation team determine which home styles resonate with most people, and which ones to prioritize.

Ana Veiga took photos of the Spanish Revival style bungalow featured on a giant design board at the event. She said she misses her own Spanish-style stucco home on Calaveras Street with its big windows and front porch and was happy to see a similar design.

“This is a great way to keep the feel of Altadena, they hit the nail on the head by saying, ‘Unity without uniformity,’” she said.

Veiga lives in a rental in Burbank, “but it feels so sterile compared to Altadena,” and she said she appreciates the foundation target of 8-12 months construction timeline, the sooner she can return to town. Veiga is also excited about cost savings estimates, which could save homeowners in permitting and design fees as well as construction costs.

Victoria Knapp, chair of the Altadena Town Council, lost her home in Altadena and worked with neighbors on her cul-de-sac to engage an architect, before the foundation launched.

“Had the catalog been available earlier, we certainly might have taken advantage of any of its prescriptive designs,” she said.

She was at the showcase to ensure those in Altadena have the most resources possible to rebuild.

“The work of the Foothill Catalog is important,” Knapp said. “That the Foothill Catalog has created 2-1/2 dozen home design plans and were interested in community feedback on those designs, shows that they are trying to work in partnership with property owners in Altadena to create plans that residents will be interested in utilizing.”

Knapp said to her knowledge, nothing like this has been attempted at this scale in Southern California, much less the state, perhaps even the country.

“I do believe it will provide approved home design plans to a number of property owners in Altadena who are looking to rebuild but may or may not have the financial means to hire an independent architect,” she added. “The catalog could be for everyone, but will not be of use to those whose square footage subcedes or exceeds that of any of the prescribed designs, those who want to fully customize their home, or those who want to get moving sooner than these plans will be approved.”

Sigler, 28, and Athenson, 30, married five years ago, falling in love with their 1947 ranch-style home on the border of Altadena and Pasadena. Evacuated for days during the wildfire, on their return they worried about Altadenans who are underinsured, uninsured and elderly. They established their nonprofit soon after.

They want to spread the word about the Catalog, especially to residents of West Altadena and Latino communities, that there is a resource to help them rebuild.

The foundation is also looking for more local funders, to emphasize that this is a community-driven effort.

“Charitable funding is what will allow us to produce a wider variety of designs with the least amount of cost to the homeowner,” Sigler said.

Their mission has attracted an advisory board made up of Altadenans and industry professionals from architecture and design, law, fire protection and land recycling, including Adrian Fine, president of the Los Angeles Conservancy; Bryan Wong, president of SGV Habitat for Humanity; Caitlin McHugh Stamos, co-founder of Civic Soul; and Charles E. Loveman Jr., executive director of the nonprofit Heritage Housing Partners.

“The ultimate goal is to build out a sophisticated portal that can house the Catalog,” Athenson said. “We envision there being a lot of technical intelligence built in – to the point where a homeowner can input their address, and the portal can pull data about lot size, zoning requirements, and automatically filter the applicable Catalog home designs based on the lot conditions, parameters, and desired style.”

TFCF plans to document these Catalog homes in a 3D software called Revit, allowing them to produce 3D models of each home. Also on the drawing board: designs for homes in the 800 to 1,000 square foot range.

Upcoming events include speaking at Altadena Future Fair on Saturday, May 10, at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St.; and a design showcase on Sunday, June 8 at St. Bede’s Catholic Church, 215 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada Flintridge.

The next “Altadena Revealed,” a lecture series the foundation produces with local heritage groups is set for Friday, May 30. For more information, visit Foothillcatalog.org.

“What the Foothill Catalog is aiming to do will be of great use to Altadena property owners who are looking for an alternative path to rebuilding that does not require hiring an independent architect, waiting on plan approval, etc. and outlay the costs associated with hiring an independent architect,” Knapp said. “It’s important for those across Altadena to know that this catalog of approved designs will be coming and can be of great use to them in their rebuilding efforts.”