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How to Build a Fire-Resistant House


Fire resistant home construction is now at the forefront of discussion for architects and builders alike. Photo by Jeff Whyte.
Fire resistant home construction is now at the forefront of discussion for architects and builders alike. Photo by Jeff Whyte.

In 1977, our office burned to the ground in the Sycamore Fire in Santa Barbara. At the time, it was my father's firm, but I remember the devastation well. With an office in Santa Barbara since 1976, sadly, we have had to rebuild so many homes destroyed by fires for clients. Many of those clients have asked us to design their new home in a fire-resistant manner.

There are many precautions you can take to make your home as fire-resistant as possible. Here are some of the ways to design your house to protect it against wildfire. In general, concrete is an excellent material to work with when constructing a fire-resistant home. It’s noncombustible, it takes a long time for heat from a fire to damage its structure and load-bearing ability, and it stops fire from spreading. A concrete and steel structure with no wood is ideal along with roofing, siding, and windows that are fire-resistant as well.


• House Location on Property

Wildfires typically blaze through faster on an uphill incline compared to ground level, so consider this in selecting your house location on your property. Maximize the distance between your home and trees and bushes using a driveway, patio, low-growing fire-retardant plants, and fire-resistant materials as multiple layers of defense to buy you time as a wildfire approaches. Your driveway should be wide enough for firefighters to park, move, and reverse their fire truck, while still being able to haul their equipment up to your home. Strategically place exterior lights on your roof so your home is clearly visible and easy to find for firefighters.


• Foundation

Use insulated concrete forms (ICFs). ICFs are polystyrene blocks that connect together like pieces of Lego to create your home’s shell, locking out sound and weather. They’re made up of concrete, making them one of the most fire- and heat-resistant construction materials. ICFs can withstand fire for a maximum of four hours. They’ve conventionally been used in the construction of commercial and institutional buildings but homebuilders can use ICFs too. ICFs cost about one to four percent more than typical wood frame houses without built-in fire protection. However, this extra cost is worth the investment, as ICFs lock in heat and cooled air, which can escape through the walls, thus saving energy. ICFs also create shear walls that extend throughout the structure, making them more resistant to earthquakes.


• Roof

While Southern California architecture leans towards stylish Spanish tile roofs, the style is notorious for cracks and openings that allow embers to sneak into and start burning the wood underneath. You can construct a fire-resistant roof using Class A, fire-rated materials that interlock tightly with metal, concrete, slate, and tiling, and built over top a fire-resistant cap sheet for extra protection. A steeper roof pitch is better than a flat one because embers roll off your home before they can burn through. Small flying embers carried by wind are usually the culprit behind 90 percent of fires spreading. Embers can fly for miles, ending up in gutters and smoldering for hours before starting a secondary fire. For increased safety, choose metal gutters over vinyl, which could melt and drop fire onto the sides of your home. Always keep your gutters clean. Dead leaves are tinder waiting to ignite.


By Elisa Garcia, Garcia Architects

Elisa has been an architect for several years. Her firm, Garcia Architects, has offices in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. In coming months, Elisa will highlight siding, windows, doors, decks, fencing, landscaping, and house styles to consider when rebuilding a fire-resistant home.

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