Home Building Rethink

One thing the urban wild fire outbreaks caused mostly by climate change have shown there needs to be a reality check on how new homes should be constructed because stick built/wood frame homes are nothing more than large boxes of kindling wood used as habitation. People are going to have to get over the love of the Norman Rockwell aesthetic of what a home and housing developments should look like and build more for fire survivability for the home and possibly for them if they don't have enough time or the ability to evacuate quicky. What's left after a neighborhood gets burned to the ground is the concrete foundations. That should be the construction material of the entire home. Over 10 years ago, a guy in Washington state survived a wildfire with 20 foot high flames sheltering in his concrete dome home after the fire blocked escape of the property. His 20 acres was scorched, but his home sustained no damage. Even if someone wanted to rebuild a home similar to this guy's home after a fire in a neighborhood, they would be prevented by town building codes or HOAs that want that "traditional look". So they'll have no choice but to go forward with the insanity of continuing to build "kindling homes" the insurance companies do not want to cover because they are likely to burn down again and again. Homes made from concrete also do better in high winds & hurricanes than stick built ones. Even though this fact has been know for scores of years, the preferred choice to get "the look" for new developments and rebuilds after devastating hurricanes as been stick built even though climate change cyclones and tornadoes are getting stronger. Fairy tales often have a kernel of valuable wisdom wrapped up in them: The Big Bad Wolf could not blow down the Little Pig's home made of bricks. Build smarter, stronger, cheaper with concrete.

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anonymous Political January 10, 2025 at 10:52 am 3 0