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Zooey Deschanel says her fiancé Jonathan Scott "came to the rescue" by helping her parents rebuild their L.A.-area home, which burned in the January wildfires
The Merv actress shares they are using non-combustible materials and gives an update on where they are in the process
Deschanel grew up in the Spanish revival home with her sister, former Bones actress Emily Deschanel
Having a licensed contractor as a fiancé comes with a few perks — just askZooey Deschanel.
The actress, 45, who has been engaged toProperty BrothersstarJonathan Scottsince 2023, tells PEOPLE the home reno pro, 47, "came to the rescue" by helping her parents after they lost their L.A.-area home inJanuary's wildfires.
"We're rebuilding my parents' house. We're rebuilding their house in non-combustible materials — it's really cool to learn about all that," she says.
Deschanel — now starring in thenew Prime Video rom-comMervwithCharlie Cox— says that project will be a big undertaking for them in the new year.
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"We just started. It takes a while to get everything designed," says Deschanel, who shares kids Elsie, 10, and son Charlie, 8, with her ex-husband Jacob Pechenik, a film producer. "It takes a while to just get everything squared away."
Deschanel's parents, actress Mary Jo, 80, and cinematographer Caleb, 81,faced a devastating loss nearly a year agowhen the Pacific Palisades wildfire spread to their home, burning it to the ground.
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Deschanel grew up in the 1920s Spanish revival house with her sister, formerBonesactressEmily Deschanel, 49.
The formerNew Girlstar wrote about her memories of the "sanctuary" in an emotionalInstagrampost last January.
"It was not a mansion but it was cozy and lovely and unique and perfect to me. One of my friends growing up called it 'The Church' because the 14 foot ceilings with stained glass windows in the living room cast colorful shadows at the end of the day. And to me, it was holy, a sanctuary where we felt most safe," she wrote.
"The family photos that lined the hallways, the artwork, the piano I learned to play on, the wedding china, the furniture my great great grandfather built… the reminders of generations past: All have vanished into thin air," she continued.
"I know we are not alone," she wrote. "Along with another beautiful LA neighborhood, Alta Dena, the streets of my childhood in Pacific Palisades have been all but erased as we knew them. So many people have lost so much."
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In March,Scott filmed a videoat the site of Deschanel's parents' home, offering information to homeowners who may have felt overwhelmed by the process of starting from scratch.
"You're in charge of what happens to your property, so hopefully this will help you manage those next steps," he said. "Know that the city and state have thousands of people working on everything — from cleanup, to housing, to even mitigating the labor and material shortages that are inevitable — to try and get you home."
The L.A. wildfires displaced tens of thousands of people and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage, according to estimates reported by theLos Angeles Times.
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