DIY Network

Weather Management: The Best Offense is a Good Defense From "Blueprint for Home Building" episode DBHB-212

In this third segment of "Water Management," host Jeff Wilson takes a look at how the land around your home can protect your from the elements, from the defensible space, landscape and hardscape choices to the proper drainage.

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	For protection from fire it's vital that the space around your house "defend" against such a hazard.
	Figure A
	Figure B

The Best Offense is a Good Defense

You've learned about reinforcing the framing and roofing of your new house in the first two segments, and now it's time to consider the area surrounding your home -- what is called the defensible space.

Conscious planning of the area around your home will help protect against damage from fire, wind and storms. First, let's consider the safety --

• Defensible space is an area around the structure that will prevent the fire from traveling to the building. Your defensible space moves the heat further away from the house so the greater the defensible space, the less involvement the house has with the fire in that area. The first 30' adjacent to your house are the most important. In terms of landscaping, you need to see lean, clean and green.

• It's vital to have at least 18" to 2' of non-burnable material around the house -- such as gravel, concrete and rocks.

  Note: There are some plants that are better than others when it comes to being fireproof, but NO plants are completely fireproof. The better fire-resistant plants usually have basic characteristics that include thick bark (figure A) so they can retain water better. Hollies and jade plants are just two that work fairly well.

• Mulch and hardscape (concrete, rocks, etc.) choices also affect the surrounding environment of your home. It's important to use non-flammable mulch (decomposed), granite or pea gravel, for example.

• Another idea is to have fuel breaks, which are paths and walkways (figure B) that divide and split up the lawns, plants and trees.

• You also need to keep the defensible area clear of fuel for the fire -- such as dry leaves, branches or any kind of debris that can burn easily. Make sure to clean the gutters and roof regularly. Keeping the yard clean of debris also helps protect your home from damage in the winter and from high winds during storms.

• The purpose of a landscape is to be a barrier between your house and the burnable areas outside.

• Be sure to look at any trees with long limbs. If they're anywhere near the roof of your home, trim them back.

Following these simple suggestions will help to protect your home from fire and other elemental damage.

	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

Water Damage

Whether it's from rain or run-off from snow, water damage is the number one cause for home repair, which is why proper drainage is an absolute necessity.

Basically you need to have the parts you live in be higher up than where all the water ends up going. Water is always trying to go "down" so it needs to come off the roof, be channeled into a downspout and then forced in a direction "away" from the house and it's foundation.

If you were to build on the lowest elevation of the property, some of the drainage issues you would come up with would be the possibility of needing a sump pump to get the water out or where to direct the water?

A common way of diverting water away from your foundation is with the use of a French drain, also known as a burrito drain (figure C). This is a filter fabric with gravel and a perforated pipe in it. A French drain will catch any water that is running down a wall or through the dirt into a perforated pipe and then out to a drainage system (figure D).

The foundation of your house is a particularly important place because this is where water from the exterior grade can seep into your house. You need to make sure that your foundation is sealed with an appropriate material. Usually a black paint tar-like material is covering everything below grade level all the way around the house (figure E) -- and this prevents water from seeping into the concrete and leaching up into the house.

Technology Tip: Protect your electronic equipment with a potassium-based aerosol fire suppression system. It works like a sprinkler system, extinguishing fire in seconds in an environmentally friendly way; however, unlike a sprinkler system, your computer equipment will NOT be harmed.

In the final segment of the "Weather Management" episode, Jeff introduces a few interior additions for your home that protect against fire and tornadoes.

GUESTS :

John Holton
Senior Architect
Ibacos
Website: www.ibacos.com

Dana Bres
Research Engineer
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th St., SW
Washington, DC 20910
Phone: 202-402-5919
E-mail: dana.b.bres@hud.gov

Robert Osborn Jr.
2517 w 237th St., Suite D
Torrance, CA 90505
Phone: 310-326-5678
E-mail: ozzyrobert@netscape.net

Elizabeth Shanahan
President
FC Construction, Inc.
PO Box TT
Newport Beach, CA 92662
Phone: 714-412-6180
E-mail: FCConstruction@earthlink.net

Rod Hans
General Contractor
2052 Newport Blvd.
Suite 6 PMB 135
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Phone: 949-701-1942
E-mail: hansco@surfside.net

Skip Weahunt
Homeowner
E-mail: skip@ownerbuildercenter.com

Andy Beasly
PO Box 214
Hillside, CO 81232

Mills Pierre
Urban Planner
E-mail: mills@millspierre.com

Kenneth R. Quick
Fire Prevention Specialist
E-mail: Kenneth.quick@culvercity.org

Thomas Black
Executive Director
Metal Roofing Alliance
3309 56th St. NW
Suite 105
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
E-mail: tlblack@ix.netcom.com

Lou Volpe
Building Contractor
1735 Fisk Ct.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Phone: 805-449-1627