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In this blog:
While fire hazard mitigation isn’t exactly new territory for home builders, the worsening threat of wildfires has underlined the urgency in building homes specifically designed to resist wildfires.
Since 2020, wildfires have burned more than 20 million acres of land in the U.S.; the Joint Economic Committee estimates that wildfire destruction has cost the country between $394 to $893 billion annually in economic losses and damage.
Still, that hasn’t stopped new housing developments from popping up in wildfire risk zones. Experts estimate there are currently 45 million homes in Wildland Urban Interface zones, the areas highest at risk of wildfires, an increase of 47% since 1990 and growing.
In fact, more than 2.6 million new homes were built in WUI zones over the past decade, alone.
While much of this growth charting in wildfire-prone states such as California, Colorado, and Texas, the prevalence of climate-induced wildfires is extending the wildfire season and making its way East, where even smaller fires can wreak havoc due to higher population densities.
With wildfires topping the headlines during the summer and fall months, homeowners are more aware of the risks of fire than ever before. In wildfire-prone areas, more than 82% of residents said have had at least one prior experience with a wildfire, according to the NFPA.
As homeowners choose where to build their homes, real estate marketplaces, such as Realtor.com and riskfactor.com, are giving them new tools to evaluate wildfire risk before they consider making a home purchase. And in states like California, many private insurance companies have stopped offering policies to cover wildfire damage altogether, causing them to take pause.
This new reality has fueled an enormous business opportunity for home builders. As housing inventory shrinks and roughly 40% of homeowners are considering buying new “to avoid renovations or problems,” they are increasingly choosing home builders with wildfire mitigation baked into their design-construction plans.
Read on to learn how home builders are seizing on the demand.
It’s no secret that rebuilding following a wildfire is far more costly than building a home that can withstand the threat of a wildfire right from the beginning. Unfortunately, all it takes is a single home igniting in flames to cause home-to-home ignition and pose a threat to an entire community.
While more states and counties are discussing updating their building codes and standards, the approach has been somewhat piecemeal. Many wildfire mitigation measures are taken up by fire mitigation associations and homeowners who take action voluntarily.
Home builders are joining the fight by constructing new housing developments with home ignition zones in mind — using home hardening strategies to prevent the first home in a neighborhood from ever catching fire.
Adding home hardening strategies to design-build plans can include planning construction with non-combustible building materials, upgrading landscape design to ensure an area roughly 0-5 ft. around the structure is free of debris or fuel beds, and installing performance mesh screening in vents, non-combustible fencing, and eliminating other areas vulnerable to ember attacks.
Many homeowners aren’t aware that floating embers, rather than giant, leaping flames, pose the greatest danger to a home. According to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, at least nine out of 10 homes and businesses ignite from embers.
New builds that proactively address these risks with non-combustible building materials and with simple, low-cost solutions, like placing mesh in vents, roof gulleys or bird stops, decks, or other areas, can increase a home’s wildfire resistance and lower its risk score among insurers.
For home builders, home hardening provides an opportunity to market properties as “Wildfire Prepared” — an increasingly appealing offer for homeowners entrusting home builders to protect their biggest investment.
As home builders continue to expand housing developments into wildfire zones, homeowners will appreciate the shared responsibility demonstrated by their home-hardening design-build services.
It’s equally important to choose the highest-performing wildfire mesh to build out defenses. Wildfire Defense Mesh™ is the industry’s only U.S. Patent-Pending mesh screening proven to be 98% effective at blocking dangerous embers from entering a home. Its independently tested design is also effective at reducing radiant heat and diffusing direct flames.
Wildfire Defense Mesh™ is crafted from stainless steel, which makes it rust-resistant and easy to clean, meaning homeowners won’t have to worry about hurting their curb appeal.
Curious about mesh installation for your business? We’ve created an installation guide and tutorials on YouTube to demonstrate how easy it is for home builders to expand their business by adding Wildfire Defense Mesh™ to their home hardening services.
