Devang Shah: Fixed-price homes offer a practical path to rebuilding Altadena

Written By Jan Brzeski

Devang Shah is a Principal at Genesis Builders and a Managing Director at Cityview, where he previously served as Co-Head of Development and Acquisitions for the Western United States. With more than 27 years of experience across real estate investment, development, design, construction, and asset management, Devang has led large-scale housing and multifamily projects throughout California and beyond. Earlier in his career, he was Principal of Marketcents Inc., providing owner’s representation and project management services to investment firms and developers, and previously served as Vice President at RCLCo, LLC, a national real estate consulting firm. Today, Devang is applying his deep industry expertise through Genesis Builders to help homeowners rebuild faster, safer, and more affordably in wildfire-affected communities like Altadena.

In this episode, Jan and Devang discuss:

  • The origin story behind Genesis Builders after the January 7 wildfires

  • Pre-approved home designs and streamlined permitting in Altadena

  • Fire-resistant building standards and insurance-driven construction requirements

  • ADUs as a cost-effective add-on during the rebuilding process

Key Takeaways: 

  • By leveraging long-standing subcontractor relationships and economies of scale, Genesis Builders can lower per-square-foot costs compared to traditional custom homes. This makes rebuilding achievable even for homeowners with limited insurance proceeds.

  • Pre-approved plans significantly shorten the approval process, allowing homeowners to move from decision to completed home in roughly 16 months. This speed is critical given insurance “loss of use” time limits.

  • Fire resistance is a central design priority, with homes exceeding California Chapter 7A requirements and aligning closely with insurance-backed wildfire safety standards.

  • ADUs become far more affordable when built alongside the primary residence, since many soft costs are already absorbed. This has led to strong adoption of ADUs among rebuilding homeowners.

“You could be nine months in with a permit in hand and realize you can’t even afford the home. With ours, architectural and structural is already included.” – Devang Shah

Connect with Devang Shah:

Website: http://www.genesisbuildersla.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devang-shah-re/ 

Connect with Jan Brzeski:

Website: https://scipfinance.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbrzeski/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RebuildingLAafterthefires

Email: pr@scipfinance.com 

Show notes by Podcastologist: Francine Poblete

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

Jan Brzeski
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Sue Kohl: Leading Pacific Palisades through fire recovery and rebuilding