Commentary: Palisades dad wanted his teens to maintain hope after losing their house. Now they're heading home

"The same day Craig Forrest watched flames destroy his Pacific Palisades house in January, he was on the phone with his insurance company. Within about three weeks, he'd received almost all of the money he was owed by Progressive. On April 29, crews from Lush Construction broke ground on his new house in the El Medio neighborhood."

"And on Oct. 5, when Forrest read my column about an Altadena man who was about to become the first person to complete a new house after losing everything in the Eaton fire, he sent me an email to say he might be the first one to make it home to the Palisades."

"The job was completed on Wednesday, and Forrest told me the family planned to begin moving their belongings in on Friday and possibly be home for Christmas, capping a year of catastrophic loss with a celebration of rebirth. And how do Axel, 19; Gustav, 16, and Liv, 14, like their new two-story house, erected on the lot where their one-story house was incinerated? Unanimous approval. "I didn't have my own shower and I didn't have ... a walk-in closet" in the old house, Liv said, but now she'll have both. "The entrance is like, wow factor," said Axel. "You walk into this huge room and you see the kitchen. It's just amazing. And the ... natural light that comes in just makes the whole room." That main room is "grand and nice and modern ... while still being modest," said Gustav, and he'll have his own bedroom after sharing one with his brother."

Craig Forrest's Pacific Palisades house burned in January, and he contacted his insurance company the same day. Progressive paid almost all of the claim within about three weeks. Crews from Lush Construction broke ground on April 29 in the El Medio neighborhood, and construction moved quickly through the year. The house was completed in early December, and the family planned to begin moving belongings and possibly be home for Christmas. The new two-story house sits on the original lot and offers features the children lacked before, including a private shower, a walk-in closet, abundant natural light and separate bedrooms.

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