a cartoon bear with construction hat laying bricks. Ted’s been busy helping families rebuild after the fire, one home at a time.

Ted is currently on the ground, actively helping with fire recovery and rebuilding efforts.

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siyuan liu 5/15/25 siyuan liu 5/15/25

Pasadena: Resource Collection - Rebuilding After the Eaton Fire

Essential links and guidance for Pasadena residents rebuilding after the Eaton Fire. This guide covers disaster recovery contacts, planning and zoning resources, virtual consultations, GIS tools, and how to connect with your assigned recovery staff.

siyuan liu 5/13/25 siyuan liu 5/13/25

Pacific Palisades: A Simple Guide to Finding Key Zoning Info for Fire Rebuilds (Using ZIMAS)

If you’re rebuilding in Pacific Palisades, understanding your property’s zoning can feel overwhelming. Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide to finding key info in ZIMAS — from hillside status to coastal zones.

siyuan liu 5/9/25 siyuan liu 5/9/25

Fire Rebuild: What You Can Prepare While Waiting for Insurance Settlement

If you’re rebuilding after a fire in Altadena or Pacific Palisades, there are important documents you can start collecting now—even before your insurance settlement is finalized. Preparing these materials early can reduce delays once design work begins, helping you move through the process more smoothly and get back home sooner.

siyuan liu 4/25/25 siyuan liu 4/25/25

Altadena: What Like-for-Like Rebuilding Means

For many in Altadena, rebuilding after the fire means navigating unfamiliar processes for the first time. Like-for-Like rebuilding offers a practical way to restore your home with fewer zoning hurdles and faster approvals—while still making space for updates that reflect how you live today.

PDF brief handout available for download at the end.

siyuan liu 4/18/25 siyuan liu 4/18/25

Pacific Palisades: What Like-for-Like Rebuilding Means

In Pacific Palisades, Like-for-Like rebuilding offers a practical path forward—preserving your home’s footprint while avoiding lengthy coastal, hillside, or zoning reviews. For those ready to rebuild with clarity and care, it may be the smoothest first step.

siyuan liu 4/11/25 siyuan liu 4/11/25

Helping Our Neighbors Rebuild: What We Do

After the fires, many in our community are facing the challenge of rebuilding—often for the first time. We're here to help: volunteering through AIA Pasadena & Foothill, answering questions, and offering resources to guide the way.
Our hope is to help restore not only homes, but also to support a community that grows back vivid, resilient, and rooted in care.

Cartoon bear in suit at the greyhound station holding a briefcase with less money. He travels from far way to LA thinking about one day buing a dream house. An actual Greyhound is peeing on the fire hydrant next to him

Ted at the Greyhound Station

Meet Ted

He came to LA years ago—on a Greyhound, or maybe a cheap flight—with a suitcase full of hope and a dream for a beautiful life but little money. Like many of us, he worked hard, saved what he could, tried to play the game right.

But the rules kept changing. Every time you earn a little more, housing prices jump higher. It feels like a curse—a race you can’t win.

I know, because I’ve felt it too.

At some point, I realized I couldn’t chase my way into a life that felt right. So I turned to what I know—design, building, making—and looked for another path.

I built my own dream come true, with my own hands. And through that, I learned how to use the power of design to break the curse. So…..

Dear Ted:

You don’t have to settle.

You don’t have to shrink your dream.

We’ve been told that value is about price, square footage, or resale—but it’s not. Real value is about meaning. A home that reflects who you are and how you want to live.

You deserve to dream boldly.