A year ago, the deadly Eaton wildfire spread through Southern California, destroying more than 9,000 buildings in its path. Among them was the family home of Grammy-nominated artist Aloe Blacc and about 6,000 others just in Altadena.
When it came time to rebuild, Blacc worked with LiveLarge Home, a California-based company that makes factory-built, single-family homes designed to survive wildfires. Prefab homes can shorten construction timelines and prioritize structural resilience. Blacc was able to wake up just five months after beginning the project to a new home in Altadena.
Traditional reconstruction can be a burdensome, lengthy process. Blacc, who has worked to help fire survivors, said, "Our community can't survive if rebuilding takes years. Families need permanent, safe homes they can move into quickly."
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LiveLarge Home installed the first modules of Blacc's new residence last November. The factory-built approach allowed construction to advance in weeks rather than months, with two residential units already in place on the property.
LiveLarge relies on light steel frame construction, a non-combustible structural approach that addresses wildfire risk at the foundational level rather than through surface treatments or retrofits. The company has conducted real-world fire-resistance testing on its exterior wall systems, demonstrating the ability to withstand one hour of direct flame exposure without structural ignition—and it even resists termites and erosion.
The homes have triple-pane windows, fire-resistant exterior materials, such as aluminum-framed windows and doors, and sealed building envelopes designed to prevent ember penetration, a primary cause of structural loss during wildfires. By building these homes in the factory, LiveLarge can install components under controlled conditions, eliminating variables that compromise field-built homes, such as weather delays and material waste.
LiveLarge has a couple of off-the-shelf prefab homes, including a 795-square-foot structure that starts around $265,000, plus installation, and a three-bedroom option that offers about 1,200 square feet starting at $380,000.
Blacc, who has worked with nonprofit The Change Reaction to funnel $8 million in help to 2,300 fire survivors, said, "Rebuilding is about not necessarily replacing what you had, but thinking about what the future could be."
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