Every year fire destroys billions of dollars worth of real estate and tragically takes lives. Since so much retirement, recreational or carriage trade residential real estate is in areas prone to fires, here’s some tips on steps to prepare for keeping real property safe. If you are building, developing or expanding real property in these types of areas, the following 6 guidelines may make the difference between tragedy or triumph over the flames.
1. Always use fire resistant materials to build or remodel; like metal roofing or asphalt shingles, cement board or stucco siding. When using flammable building exteriors like logs or wood siding, make sure you treat it well with fire-retardant finish.
2. Don’t build or expand near gullies or slopes. These areas are where fire is the hardest to fight and the most likely to move fastest.
3. If possible your driveway should be 12 feet wide to accommodate fire engines and allow 15 feet of vertical clearance. Hopefully, your lot or area plan would also allow for easy turn around space for fire equipment.
4. One of the best forms of protection is an irrigated 30-foot zone around the primary structure. This area should be maintained to discourage overgrowth of any kind and planted with low-flammability species. This zone will allow room for fire suppression personnel and equipment to work and is wide enough that it may prevent fire from “jumping” to your home, cabin, or other real property.
5. If your land is large enough to allow it, a minimum of 100 to 150 feet from the structure should be selectively thinned of “ladder fuels” to reduce high-flame materials. You should remove dead, decayed and built up materials like dried leaves, pine needles, dead trees and grasses, etc. The idea here is not to add the proverbial fuel to the fire.
6. Store your fire wood away from your primary structure. Once a supply of dried firewood stored against a building ignites, the probability of devastating loss exponentially increases. So walk a little with the fire wood and you’ll sleep better at night knowing you’re just that much safer.
There they are; six simple steps to increase your security. You’ll note that none of these items in any way negatively affects your property value, but each in its own way dramatically increases your chance of surviving a fire. Have a great day. We’d be glad to help if we can.