I Spent two weeks watching the fire storms unfold. Finally last week we had the final big fire, the Border 2 fire on Otay Mountain, a few miles from my home (1999) in Otay Ranch (Chula Vista). My house is two story, stucco, with a cement tile roof. In most wildfires it would relatively fire resistant. But the LA fires rewrote the script. The following are the reasons my house is not as impervious to wild fires as I had thought.
#1 Roof Vents - Many of the houses that survived did not have roof vents, Intentionally.
This has been a hot topic on YouTube videos. There is a special mesh that prevents embers from entering the attic, is cheap and easily retrofitted. The major cost is labor getting to them on top of the roofs. This one of the low cost, easily performed retrofits that should be done in all wildfire vulnerable areas, Insurance companies might reduce insurance rates on homes with this retrofit.
#2 Vinyl windows - Many Videos stucco/tile roofed homes showed them resisting the fire until the vinyl window frames melted opening the interiors to the flames. I have 27 vinyl windows. This may be the greatest upgrade expense for many home owners. Vinyl windows should be banned on new construction projects as a start. In my case this may be at least a $50K project.
#3 Wood fences - On two sides of my home, I have masonry and iron post fences along the HOA border, providing reasonable protection against a wildfire entering the community. Between the homes (5 feet apart) is an untreated wood fence, about two feet from the roof eaves and four to16 below. A burning fence would send the fire straight into the eaves and then the attic. Fortunately the screen mentioned in #1 is available in large sheets and protected wood (including fences) structures in Pacific Palisades. Vinyl fences may be cheap but a poor choice.
#4 Home setbacks - Five feet is not enough, especially if the roof overhang if 2-3 feet from the side walls of the home. Increasing the setback to ten feet for new construction could increase the structure separation for homes like mine.
#5 Wood mulch - I admit every year I have bought 10-20 bags of wood mulch to spread under my landscaping plants next to my house, using weed block fabric to reduce weeds. Two years ago I found a rock gravel that looked like bark. I only bought a yard (ton) but it will be enough to remove the mulch against the house. I probably need another yard to remove the mulch along the fences.
There are additional precautions local governments can take to make their land neighboring my home more defensible. But first I have to make some upgrades.
#1 Roof Vents - Many of the houses that survived did not have roof vents, Intentionally.
This has been a hot topic on YouTube videos. There is a special mesh that prevents embers from entering the attic, is cheap and easily retrofitted. The major cost is labor getting to them on top of the roofs. This one of the low cost, easily performed retrofits that should be done in all wildfire vulnerable areas, Insurance companies might reduce insurance rates on homes with this retrofit.
#2 Vinyl windows - Many Videos stucco/tile roofed homes showed them resisting the fire until the vinyl window frames melted opening the interiors to the flames. I have 27 vinyl windows. This may be the greatest upgrade expense for many home owners. Vinyl windows should be banned on new construction projects as a start. In my case this may be at least a $50K project.
#3 Wood fences - On two sides of my home, I have masonry and iron post fences along the HOA border, providing reasonable protection against a wildfire entering the community. Between the homes (5 feet apart) is an untreated wood fence, about two feet from the roof eaves and four to16 below. A burning fence would send the fire straight into the eaves and then the attic. Fortunately the screen mentioned in #1 is available in large sheets and protected wood (including fences) structures in Pacific Palisades. Vinyl fences may be cheap but a poor choice.
#4 Home setbacks - Five feet is not enough, especially if the roof overhang if 2-3 feet from the side walls of the home. Increasing the setback to ten feet for new construction could increase the structure separation for homes like mine.
#5 Wood mulch - I admit every year I have bought 10-20 bags of wood mulch to spread under my landscaping plants next to my house, using weed block fabric to reduce weeds. Two years ago I found a rock gravel that looked like bark. I only bought a yard (ton) but it will be enough to remove the mulch against the house. I probably need another yard to remove the mulch along the fences.
There are additional precautions local governments can take to make their land neighboring my home more defensible. But first I have to make some upgrades.
