Home Hardening With Concrete 101

Wildfires are not new to Northern California, but protecting against them is now on our collective radar. One thing we can all work towards is home hardening and being prepared with confidence when wildfire comes through. So what is home hardening, and how can we do it? 

Hardening Your Home Against Wildfire: How To Get Started

Learning to live with wildfire means being proactive about the way you choose building materials, employ installation techniques, and maintain the environment around your home. There are myriad steps you can take towards reducing a wildfire’s access to your property. 

Here are some concrete (ha!) steps you can take to help harden your home: 

Image courtesy of LogixICF

  • Clear a 5-foot radius free from trees, bushes, plants, or flammable materials 

  • Keep rain gutters cleared of debris and install covers to disallow debris entry

  • Install ember-resistant vents (WUI vents) and cover with 1/16”-1/8” metal mesh

  • Upgrade the last 5 feet of fencing that touches your house to be metal or something else that won’t burn

  • Maintain a driveway that allows emergency vehicles through

  • Choose fire-proof materials for your exterior walls 

How to Incorporate Concrete for an Ignition Resistant Home

As a non-flammable, fire-retardant material, concrete is an excellent material for home hardening projects. The ingredients of concrete include: cement (limestone, clay, and gypsum) and aggregate materials. All of these ingredients are chemically inert, meaning concrete is effectively non-combustible.

Not only can you create a barrier against wildfire in the form of a patio, fence partition, or driveway, but concrete-enforced walls for new construction and rebuilds might just be the cure-all. For example, Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF) have been used to help rebuild Paradise after the wildfire destruction of 2018.

Concrete is sustainable, durable, affordable, and wildfire resistant. It can help your home combat the threat of flying embers, and radiant heat from surrounding vegetation or neighboring structures. If you’re inclined to start the home hardening process, reach out to Mathews ReadyMix to discuss possibilities. Contact us to learn more. 

Aaron Bacon