Bush Fire Design

Areas that are affected by bush or forest fires require design that specifically addresses this threat. Typically bush or forest fires are spread in three main ways, The fire itself, embers and radiant heat from the fire. In designing a custom home against this threat we look at the area, determine the best way to minimze future threats through the use of careful site planning and the use of materials on the home.

The key to survival is to understand the unique way in which a wildfire will attack your home. Originally building codes were designed to protect your house from a fire that started indoors from something like a cigarette or short circuit, grew slowly, and might eventually reach the building’s structure. The safety of a building’s design is rated in terms of hours, roughly how long the building will stay up so that people can get out and firefighters can get in. A wildfire on the other hand, will attack your home from the exterior, driven by strong winds, it will reach peak temperatures in seconds, and may pass over your site and be gone within minutes, as soon as all the standing fuel is consumed. The problem then is secondary spot fires started on and within your home by wind-driven flames and embers. We help you in designing a home to withstand this massive but brief exterior attack.