About 80 outstanding photos of what happens when mankind tries to ignore the forces of nature.
Colorado gets all the attention on the news. Utah has about 10 fires going now, over 300,000 acres so far. I watched helicopters dip water out of our irrigation reservoirs for 5 days last week. They evacuated our town for 1 day as the fire got within a mile and the wind was blowing directly towards the town. One guy was burnt to death in his house about 10 miles north. 52 homes were burnt in my county.
If the weather pattern doesn't change this is probably just the warm up show.
Why do we build homes out of materials that burn?
> Why do we build homes out of materials that burn?
Because it's cheap...
What would you use that doesn't burn....:-S
"What would you use that doesn't burn.."
Concrete!! I've plans to build a house out of concrete. The walls will be stone veneer over insulation over 6 inch thick concrete inner wall. Even the roof will be concrete roof tile with steel trusses. The window frames will be fiberglass. Sub floors will be concrete. The complete structural framework will be materials that don't burn. The entire outside will be built from some material that doesn't burn. Just need to come up with some shutters that can be placed over the windows and doors when the fire gets going (keep the fire out from the stuff that will burn inside).
The other strategy that the fire folks recommend is a 75 foot space between the house and anything that can burn (trees, brush and dry grass).
We live in an environment that naturally burns ever couple of decades. You got to adapt to it to survive!
> We live in an environment that naturally burns ever couple of decades. You got to adapt to it to survive!
:good:
Have you done a cost analysis, to see the difference in conventional building materials and concrete and fiberglass? I guess cheaper wouldn't matter if it burnt down....
Is your insurance company going to give you a break?
As to your link to the pictures, Hole; all I can say is: horrific.....
I've never been a believer in cheapest is best. I won't even put things out for bid that I build. I negotiate with contractors to get it built how I want with the materials I specify. Obviously I'm not a tract builder.
I'm sure you could build it cheaper out of wood. The US is a build it and throw away society. So when it burns I suppose you just watch it burn. For the 52 families that watched that happen this week in my county maybe it wasn't the best choice. They not only lost the house but a lifetimes accumulation of their life. Even insurance can't replace it all.
"I've plans to build a house out of concrete. "
You'll never build it...
There has been a lot of testing showing the benefits of using concrete in tornado prone areas as well.
With the insulating foam form materials that are readily available, I am surprised that more people are not building from concrete in a variety of areas.
I expect it is a hefty up front price tag and there needs to be some serious footer and foundation considerations.
I wonder how final price considering materials costs and labor costs would change from traditional stick built to concrete construction.
I think I will build it. I'm setting up a precast concrete plant. I've bought the batch plant, a rubber tired gantry crane and some tilt tables. We are in the process of purchasing a plant site. It's taking longer than I planned but it is going to happen. I've also spent a bunch with an architect and structural engineer. I been working this out for about ten years now. I think I've got a few more years to get it done before a modest housing recovery which I plan on taking full advantage of.
They finally have our fire (Wood Hollow) under controls. Lots of other fires going though.
I'm considering flood insurance (not in a flood zone but along a drainage wash). After the fire you get mud floods from the burnt area. That will be the next problem.
