The Damage Undone : Friendship: Neighbors who lost homes together break ground to reclaim their former lives.

Ron Douglas and his neighbors, the Scarpidis family, tumbled down the hillside together, swept away in an avalanche of plaster, plywood and furniture as their houses were uprooted in the Northridge earthquake.

Bruised and bleeding, they crawled back up the hill together. And again together, they surveyed the wreckage in the days following the earthquake only to discover that none of their personal possessions were retrievable.

So it was fitting that on Monday, they together celebrated the groundbreaking for the reconstruction of their homes.

“We had a common tragedy,” said Douglas, a 42-year-old stuntman who has lived next door to the Scarpidises since 1972. “We were good friends before, but we’ve become closer in the past year and a half than we have in the past 23 years.”

The two households shared information on how to deal with the city’s building codes and hired the same building contractor.

Although a third neighbor whose home was also a casualty of the quake has taken no action toward rebuilding on the steep hillside, the Scarpidises and Douglas were determined to start anew. “We’ve been through some devastating things,” said Ilona Scarpidis, who admitted being nervous about returning to the hillside. “But when I come back and see the great view. . . .”

That breathtaking vista was provided by hillside construction that proved almost fatal to the residents of 3831, 3833 and 3835 Buena Park Drive on the morning of Jan. 17, 1994. All three ‘60s-vintage homes were rocked from their support columns and crashed down the hill.

Miraculously, all those inside survived, although Ilona Scarpidis’ father was hospitalized for several months with a broken back. One of the family poodles was killed.

“It’s almost as rare as winning the lottery--having three houses fall down at once,” said Douglas.

The Scarpidises had become fully insured against earthquakes six months before the temblor, but Douglas was not so lucky. His policy with State Farm would only cover $100,000 of quake repairs, he said.

For a few months, Douglas was in limbo as insurers dealt with the onslaught of claims after the quake, he said. Finally, he pleaded his case: He would need to rebuild from scratch, which could cost $400,000, not $100,000.

“Just send us a bill,” Douglas said his insurers told him.

The Scarpidises also praised their insurer Monday, unfurling a banner that read: “Thanks to Farmers Insurance & Emergency Claims Team.”

The next obstacle was neighbors, who wanted to be assured that the houses wouldn’t block their new view of the Valley, acquired after the three houses tumbled down the hill. Omer Scarpidis said all disagreements with his neighbors have been settled and he didn’t want to dwell on the animosity.

Finally, the two households had to adapt their plans to city regulations. Douglas said building department officials shot down five different plans for his abode and insisted that the houses be built directly into the hillside rather than supported by pillars. The delays kept the Scarpidises and Douglas from breaking ground on the intended date--the year anniversary of the quake.

The homes are expected to be up by Christmas.

Douglas said that some of his friends can’t understand why he would want to rebuild on the site where he almost died.

“It’s looking the Grim Reaper in the face,” Douglas said. “Once you’ve seen him, you have a new outlook on the rest of your life.”