Lemonade from the Lemons of the Woolsey Fire
Lemonade was served at a garden gala on the property in September 2017
As I touched on in my last update, so far our year has out of necessity been focused on rebuilding and restoring the things lost and damaged in the fire. I thought I’d take a moment to share with you some of the actions I took immediately before, during, and after the fire which have made this process easier!
Document it! This is one I’ve heard over and over, but I can’t emphasise enough how important it could be in the event that you lose everything. Preferably in a time of calm, when there is no impending danger, go through your house and thoroughly photograph the details of your home and grounds as well as the contents of every room, closet, and drawer. Take pictures of the signatures on your paintings, the markings on the bottom of your fine china, everything! Then make sure that all those photos are safely backed up to the cloud where you can retrieve them even if you have to run out without your phone or computer. Bonus points if you upload copies of your insurance policies to these folders so everything you need is in one place the moment you need it!
Hire a mitigation contractor! Even if you have the best insurance in the world (as I’m convinced I might, in the wake of this disaster), make sure you have on your team someone who knows the business of recovery like the back of his or her hand and is first and foremost your advocate.
Take a look around! If rebuild you must, stop and consider if this might be a good opportunity to improve upon what you had. Has your family grown, or has your nest emptied? Have you noticed that the patterns of use in your house are concentrated in a few small areas, and there are whole rooms which go unused for long stretches? Is the function of a vital area- a bathroom, or your kitchen, for example, not serving your established use of that space?
Damage from the Woolsey fire outside Interior Archaeology's design studio
I, for one, will be taking advantage of the tumult of my current mitigation to make some changes I have thought about for years, but which I never wanted to undertake because of the hassle of demolition and having to displace myself. Well, I’m displaced! Things are being torn up whether I want them to be or not! The lemons have been distributed- might as well roll my sleeves up and make some lemonade!
Yours in Creating Noble Spaces,
Tammy and the Interior Archaeology Team