Inside the Construction Committee with Frank Giambattista
Since this is my first column, I’d like to start by introducing the Malibu Community Long Term Recovery Group Construction Advisory Committee and its mission. Myself, Matthew Tuverson, and Kevin Cox head up this group of professionals with one mission; to get people who lost seemingly everything, back home. Our goal is simple, provide unbiased advice to those who need help navigating the process of rebuilding their home.
It sometimes isn’t that simple, though. My group consists of contractors and disaster relief professionals who have been working on fire rebuilds since the Palisades Fire. Some of us have lost our homes in prior fires or been impacted by them as we live locally. One of us has built hundreds of homes for families who have lost them and understands the nature of loss and the process of not only building the physical structure, but the emotional rebuilding that is necessary to move forward.
That leads us to the point of this first column. There are a lot of people out there that want to help, but people need to be ready to accept that help. They have to be willing to open themselves up and be vulnerable at a time when they may be fiercely closed off and in full protection mode. Or, maybe they are of the mind that they can do it all themselves and quickly become overwhelmed by the process, and don’t feel they can reach out for support because of their relative stage of their project. I’m here to tell you it's always ok to reach out for help, when you are ready, to start putting the pieces of your life back together.
It starts with one step, one call, or one piece of the puzzle laid down, the start an effective avalanche of progress. That first step can be the hardest one, but putting one foot in front of the other is the way home.
Its important not to get bogged down in the details of the project initially either. Make sure to take a high level view of the situation to add clarity. Partner with your advisors and just talk through things that are on your mind, which can sometimes be enough to break a log jam. It doesn’t matter the sequence of things, or the industry standard of process for designing and building a home, its important to talk about topics that are on your mind in that moment, and let the answers you get fall into place in your mind to create the big picture.
Everyone approaches big things differently, but we all inherently do one thing the same, focus on the prize. In this case the prize is going home, to a new house that’s yours surrounded by your family and loved ones, having put the loss behind you and once again seeing the lighted way of life’s path ahead.
In a lot of ways, we as your construction advisory group can support the above with candid unbiased advice, referrals to contractors and professional services, or just being a sounding board about how to begin.
We can help you take that first step, if you’ll let us. Please, if you haven’t completed an intake form for the care coordination program, click here to do so. Our care coordinators can work with you in all facets of your recovery goals, and our work in the construction committee is part of this process.
Frank Giambattista
Canyon Road Construction
Interim Executive Chair of the Malibu Community Long Term Recovery Group
Chair of the Construction Advisory Committee
Father, Husband, Malibu Resident, and community supporter
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