As California blazes rage, some seek fireproof homes
Climate change prompts new building strategies
LOS ANGELES – If it’s possible to build a fireproof house, Robert Balzebre is convinced that his stunning threestory personal sanctuary perched in the Hollywood Hills would qualify.
The “warm contemporary” design is devoid of vents or roof overhangs where embers can penetrate or become trapped. The roof carries a high rating for fire resistance. Outside staircases are made of steel, and the wood used for decking and trim is mostly a dense hardwood called ipe, which is naturally resistant to fire.
Inside, glass in the floor-to-ceiling windows, which afford sweeping views from the Sunset Strip to the ocean in the
“If you look back historically at how we have been building for many years, we have not been building homes in a fire-safe way.” Clay Aurell Santa Barbara, California, architect
distance, is tempered to withstand temperatures up to 450 degrees.
Homeowners in areas susceptible to wildfire must now consider that climate change is reshaping the West in a way that makes blazes not only likely, but inevitable, even in areas that seemed low risk in the past. As a result, homes must be hardened against fire in ways that never seemed necessary in the past.
“If you look back historically at how we have been building for many years, we have not been building homes in a fire-safe way,” said Clay Aurell, an architect in Santa Barbara, California.
His point is underscored by housing lost in the wildfires still burning in Northern California. An estimated 1,077 homes have been lost in the Carr fire alone in the countryside around Redding and 147 in the Mendocino fire, the state’s fire authority said Thursday.
Balzebre hasn’t lost a home, but some were lost when fire swept the hillsides nearby last year.
“I do think it’s the responsibility for homeowners who live in this neighborhood” when it comes to fire safety, said Balzebre, a developer who splits his time between Los Angeles and Miami. “We have to be mindful of it.”
Balzebre bought the house in 2014 and looked to transform it into a showplace not only eye-catching and modern, taking advantage of its hilltop location, but one that is more fire safe. That led him to designer and builder Abeer Sweis, who accepted the challenge.
Safety comes at a cost. Tempered glass costs 20 percent more, and firerated wood can cost twice as much as conventional, Sweis said. But at a time of record real-estate valuations and an estimate of $4.5 million that Balzebre said he received on his 2,489-squarefoot property, it becomes affordable.
Besides protecting the house with highly fire-resistant materials, Sweis said, she went to lengths to make sure the house was fully sealed with no gaps. It doesn’t help that the house is close between two older houses with lots of exposed wood. But Sweis remains confident about how it would hold up in a fire.
Despite the destruction of the summer’s fires, there has been no general outcry for fireproof homes. One reason: Not all are sure such a thing is possible.
The wildfire that swept through Santa Rosa, California, last year was so intense that it caused houses to explode, said architect Julia Donoho. The blowtorch-like heat “made houses into a big pressure cooker.”
“If you look at the severity of those fires and temperatures, I am not sure we can build a house that can withstand that kind of heat,” said Jerry Howard, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders. The approach, he said, is to try to reduce the flammability of wildlands.