Reconstruction underway on Coffey Park home after North Bay fires

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- In Santa Rosa, there's a very big deal about a little house. If you've been to Coffey Park since the devastating wildfire, you know there isn't much there.

And if you've visited recently, you also know the exception.

Three months and counting after the firestorm, and Coffey Park is mostly a flat, scraped, mud-scape with one exception -- 1613 Kerry Lane.

The little yellow house will have three bedrooms, two baths, and 1235 square feet when finished. Until then, it's rising like a phoenix from the sodden soot.

"I'll show you around the laundry area," said Dan Bradford, the past, present and future owner. His reconstruction project has become a beacon of hope around here.

BEFORE AND AFTER: North Bay neighborhoods devastated by wildfires

"What's the secret?" we asked.

"Be assertive. Maybe aggressive if you need to be. And have the realization that you can do it one step at a time and get it done," Dan said.

Dan is a hospital respiratory therapist who has navigated the rebuilding red tape with guile and fortune. For starters, he had enough insurance. And, he found the original plans for his house in a local draftsman's shop. "I was lucky. I am lucky," he said.

RELATED: Cat survives 3 months in North Bay fire zone

Dan hired a contractor out of Lake County, one with more-than-a-little experience at rebuilding burned homes the in the past two years.

The move appears to have paid off. Early in the process, Rob Wiliiams of Lake County contractors advised Dan to dismiss FEMA's clean-up offer, hoping to save the foundation from heavy excavators.

VIDEO: North Bay fires by the numbers - timeline and statistics

It worked. "If he had gone with FEMA, they would have torn it out," said Williams. "He would have been like these other lots. Waiting."

Instead, construction began with the new year. By May, the house will be finished. "Ever get the feeling you're building a symbol?" we asked Williams.

"Yes, by the amount of traffic coming by every day. "

His company now has a waiting list and his employees, plenty of work ahead.

"Any advice for your neighbors?" we asked Dan.

RELATED: North Bay fire victims win tiny home after losing everything

"Yes. They should take the time to look around at their options," he said.

So says the owner of that little yellow house, pushing up.

Click here for more stories about the North Bay wildfires.