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After hurricane Andrew Florida changed their building codes to account for hurricanes. But can California do the same for wildfires? Is it even possible to cons

by vFunct 2y ago

After hurricane Andrew Florida changed their building codes to account for hurricanes. But can California do the same for wildfires? Is it even possible to construct fireproof homes? (With stone construction or whatever?)

LeoPanthera 2y ago
It’s absolutely possible, at least in theory, but it’s a lot more expensive. Concrete, stucco, brick, and (some types of) cement are fire resistant. Roofs can be made of metal, clay, or (some types of) asphalt. Not all fire-resistant materials are also earthquake-resistant. We had roof-mounted sprinklers installed on our house in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We haven’t had to test them in anger so far, but apparently they really work.
- jeroenhd 2y ago
  Even without changing construction materials, you can protect houses from many forest fires by making sure there's no flammable material anywhere close to your house. That requires space, which also comes at a premium, but it may still be cheaper than having to build earthquake-resistant concrete everywhere. A lot of lives and properties (though certainly not all) can be saved if people and cities followed recommendations like https://www.nfpa.org/en/education-and-research/wildfire/preparing-homes-for-wildfire https://www.nfpa.org/en/education-and-research/wildfire/prep... but measures like that can be unpopular (because people like to have pretty homes with plants near them) or expensive (because people, cities and property developers would need to set apart "unused" land to separate houses from vegetation).
curiousgal 2y ago
> Is it even possible to construct fireproof homes? Of course you can. This is a solved problem. The US chooses to use lumber because it's cheap and fast. You get what you paid for. Many poor countries use hollow red clay bricks for construction, which are fire proof. You don't need to break the bank to build a fire resistant house. It's just like with most think in the U.S., the "system" is built in a certain way to benefit certain establishments.
- jeroenhd 2y ago
  Lumber construction is hardly the only factor. Greece commonly uses brick/stones/cement but was hit heavily by forest fires. The things in/on/surrounding those unflammable materials can still light on fire and destroy homes. On the other hand, well-prepared lumber houses often survive forest fires in America and Australia. Unlike brick or concrete, wood is easy to make earthquake resistant, which is very relevant in a state like California. No point in building a flame resistant building that crumbles to dust within a year when it's hit by a minor earthquake.
baq 2y ago
You can use bricks but you still need to tear everything down if the fire comes close to the building because pipes and wires can’t be made from bricks - nowadays, it’s all plastic except the copper. But… if you build a brick wall and keep your yard fire proof, you have a shot.

by vFunct 2y ago

LeoPanthera 2y ago

It’s absolutely possible, at least in theory, but it’s a lot more expensive. Concrete, stucco, brick, and (some types of) cement are fire resistant. Roofs can be made of metal, clay, or (some types of) asphalt. Not all fire-resistant materials are also earthquake-resistant. We had roof-mounted sprinklers installed on our house in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We haven’t had to test them in anger so far, but apparently they really work.

jeroenhd 2y ago
Even without changing construction materials, you can protect houses from many forest fires by making sure there's no flammable material anywhere close to your house. That requires space, which also comes at a premium, but it may still be cheaper than having to build earthquake-resistant concrete everywhere. A lot of lives and properties (though certainly not all) can be saved if people and cities followed recommendations like https://www.nfpa.org/en/education-and-research/wildfire/preparing-homes-for-wildfire https://www.nfpa.org/en/education-and-research/wildfire/prep... but measures like that can be unpopular (because people like to have pretty homes with plants near them) or expensive (because people, cities and property developers would need to set apart "unused" land to separate houses from vegetation).

curiousgal 2y ago

> Is it even possible to construct fireproof homes? Of course you can. This is a solved problem. The US chooses to use lumber because it's cheap and fast. You get what you paid for. Many poor countries use hollow red clay bricks for construction, which are fire proof. You don't need to break the bank to build a fire resistant house. It's just like with most think in the U.S., the "system" is built in a certain way to benefit certain establishments.

jeroenhd 2y ago
Lumber construction is hardly the only factor. Greece commonly uses brick/stones/cement but was hit heavily by forest fires. The things in/on/surrounding those unflammable materials can still light on fire and destroy homes. On the other hand, well-prepared lumber houses often survive forest fires in America and Australia. Unlike brick or concrete, wood is easy to make earthquake resistant, which is very relevant in a state like California. No point in building a flame resistant building that crumbles to dust within a year when it's hit by a minor earthquake.

baq 2y ago

You can use bricks but you still need to tear everything down if the fire comes close to the building because pipes and wires can’t be made from bricks - nowadays, it’s all plastic except the copper. But… if you build a brick wall and keep your yard fire proof, you have a shot.