Building a Fireproof House: A Story About Rebuilding A Home That Was Burned Down By Woolsey Wildfire

[@laurenharper1510]

Thank you so much for sharing this information !!!

[@johngonzalez6555]

Regarding the Woolsey Fire revisited in the future. I understand Cameron’s points very well, however, I have a neighbor right across from my driveway that did not burn. Several more in the vicinity that didn’t either. They were very fortunate. These homes were stucco covered, stick built homes. One had a railroad tie wall burn for three weeks, but his home was somehow spared. That same neighborhood lost about 70% of those stucco homes. Indeed there was tremendous heat generated from this fire and these fires when massive literally remove the moisture from the air making a lot more things have a lower ignition point. My belief from my experience is that if you have 200+ feet of clearance from brush and no flammable vegetation next to your home, if you build your home out of absolutely non flammable materials, as long as the fire does not breach your home, a home can survive. Embers rain down like hail. The goal is for them not to embed into anything flammable, whether it be a horizontal surface or a vertical surface. In the case of our old log home, we had wood decks made of 4” x 6” lumber with spaces between the boards. Back when we built the home the fire department still allowed wooden decks, but they had to be build to support the weight of a fire man standing on the burning deck for an hour…..really silly rule. We also had rough cut tongue and groove cedar siding on our upper levels of our home. I think Kevin understands what I am doing. Metal or Equitone, Reveal Shield weather barrier(“0” fire propagation rating), Densglass, metal studs, open and closed cell foam insulation. Drywall and or interior wood flooring on walls for aesthetics. Triple payne windows with each payne being 1/4” thick. Metal window frames. Everyone needs to understand, there were many homes not built anywhere near the fire resistant way that this one is being built and they did not burn. There are a lot of factors and the goal is to reduce as many of the risky factors as possible. All of my exterior materials I can hold a torch to and they will not burn. Anything can burn, melt or warp with enough heat. But if the fuel source is far enough away, the heat travels up. If it is wind driven, it will dissipate with distance. The goal, nothing flammable for the fire or heat to bite into. Someone will get to see how I did in the future….because one thing is for sure, a fire will come again.

[@felixyusupov7299]

I would have used rockwool insulation instead of foam insulation. That foam insulation gives off fumes when it is heated up.

[@charlesviner1565]

👍

[@Swampfox42]

Unfortunately, I believe if the Woolsey fire came through again it would still destroy the house. Steel can melt, just not as easily. But the heat would certainly warp everything and render the structure unusable.

[@jerryjankowski8173]

That's true. After the Great Chicago Fire, the city only allowed new buildings in downtown to be built of brick and stone. And no cast iron facades. They melted in the Great Fire and as such pulled down the building they fronted.

[@kevinmazzocco]

I'm not so sure this house would burn. If you look at the fuels in the area, the shrubs are small in diameter and are somewhat flashy in that they burn down quickly. The owner states that he had good clearance before the fire. I'm sure he has doubled down and has even better clearance now. If you listen to firefighters and people who study WUI sites, embers are usually the source of ignition, not blow torching from actual fire. Windows also tend to be the weak link, but three panes have got to help. In a perfect world this owner could install roll down window covers like the ones on the house on the beach that survived a hurricane a few years ago. Put them on motors and have them close every time you leave the house. This guy is on the right track. I mean look at the steel grating on his decks - I've been eyeing that stuff for the same purpose. There's a risk with everything, but reducing that risk is all one can do. This man's insurance co should reward him by giving him a huge discount rather than charging the same rate as the guy who does nothing.

[@stuartkorte1642]

I like it, gorgeous. I assume the State of California paid for your loss. Prescribed burns, who needs them.