Issue 326, Designed for Wildfire Country.
gbrumage
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Editors, Paul DeGroot et al,
I’m building in a designated wildfire zone of north San Diego County, CA. We live in a state of constant alert, especially this time of year. So, we know of what we speak.
In researching and choosing the materials for our 2,300 sq’ single story, I found that the performance, fire resistence and end of project price/performance for ICF blew away anything I could have done in “hardening” a stick frame house.
So, why no mention whatsoever in your article?
What gives? Are you in the pockets of the lumber barons? Or is it just that your design paradigm is so old school that you aren’t seeing new technologies?
Help us out here? Broaden our perspectives.
Sincerely,
GB
Owner Builder
Replies
GB,
Thanks for the comment on the article. I was the editor, and we've let the author know this comment is here. As you know, the construction industry is a slow one to change. The last time I saw a statistic on this, I believe 95% of houses were stick-framed, which is why we lean towards helping people improve their stick-framed projects. You're right though, it would have only taken a few sentences to mention that an ICF or concrete block house is another alternative to fire-hardening a residential structure. If you would add a bit of information (ie. the fire-related benefits of ICF construction and some specifics on your cost analysis), we could run a letter to the editor in the next issue. You could email that to me at [email protected].
Thank you!
Brian
Where are you? Inland or coast? I’ve been a designer and builder here for many years. The last house I designed was ICF. It wasn’t built but I’ll give you whatever help I can.
You raise a valid point about ICFs and their benefits in wildfire zones. It’s surprising that they weren’t mentioned, especially given their fire resistance and performance. It would be great to see a broader discussion that includes modern materials and technologies. This could really help homeowners make informed choices in high-risk areas. Thanks for bringing this up!