careful blue, you're confusing everyone with the facts!

 

close enough for gov't work, bela.

 

taks

My car has ash on it, eww

It's comforting to live somewhere with no earthquakes, no wildfires, and no insects that can kill you. And maybe a little boring as well.

no earthquakes here, wildfires are constrained to the mountains since there isn't anything to burn where i actually reside, the occasional tornado out on the plains, no hurricanes, but there are some deadly critters in colorado.

 

we were far enough away from the actual fires in florida that ash wasn't a problem, though i'd imagine those living up in volusia county had it every morning. oh, i should mention, volusia county is where daytona beach is.

 

taks

It's comforting to live somewhere with no earthquakes, no wildfires, and no insects that can kill you. And maybe a little boring as well.

Such incidents are comparatively rare; the disaster of Danish cuisine is a constant.

 

You lose.

We have a cuisine now, thats certainly new.

Edited October 26, 200718 yr by Gorgon

no earthquakes here, wildfires are constrained to the mountains since there isn't anything to burn where i actually reside, the occasional tornado out on the plains, no hurricanes, but there are some deadly critters in colorado.

 

we were far enough away from the actual fires in florida that ash wasn't a problem, though i'd imagine those living up in volusia county had it every morning. oh, i should mention, volusia county is where daytona beach is.

 

taks

We get crazy ass snowstorms sometimes, though.

in CO? yes. already had one in the springs, and another is apparently on the way tomorrow/sunday from what i hear. i'll be in florida, however, from sunday through wednesday for a conference. no snow for me.

taks

Snow is evil.

We have a cuisine now, thats certainly new.

Yep. Cheese Danish, Apple Danish, Cherry Danish...

 

Hmm... Cherry Danishes...

Snow is awesome.

...And now it's raining.

 

Wish us luck with the upcoming landslides!

Well, if it is raining and there is landslides that might douse and smother the fires.

So if you didn't lose your home to the fires, the landslides will give you a second opportunity.

 

I mean, when your kids go to school and all the other kids are bragging about how badly their houses got pwned, would you want your little kid to feel left out?

Perhaps it's time for California to start thinking about building houses with more fire-resistant materials.

We've taken some measures ... but perhaps not enough.

 

Maybe some textured metal siding will come into fashion. Or maybe a skyscraper mentality should come into play soon, rather than spreading out in ranch-style further and further into riskier fire zones ...

 

It's hard to picture California giving up their 'log cabins' and sprawled out homes any time soon, tho.

Perhaps it's time for California to start thinking about building houses with more fire-resistant materials.

We've taken some measures ... but perhaps not enough.

 

Maybe some textured metal siding will come into fashion. Or maybe a skyscraper mentality should come into play soon, rather than spreading out in ranch-style further and further into riskier fire zones ...

 

It's hard to picture California giving up their 'log cabins' and sprawled out homes any time soon, tho.

I agree with what you're saying. Brush clearance and construction can mitigate damage. But fire resistant is not the same as fireproof, and true fireproofing is impractical.

 

Many homes destroyed in the past weeks used fire-wise construction: tile roofs, sealed vents, ember-resistant eaves and so on. Unfortunately, even the best modern structures can't withstand 50-foot high walls of fire hot enough to melt steel.

 

A bigger factor is location and ecology. Laguna & Malibu McMansions are built in secluded canyons surrounded by dry chaparral. Homes sit in the middle of fuel traps, and moistureless Santa Ana winds sweep down canyons creating (to quote historian Mike Davis) a "blast furnace effect at the other end."

 

Build fire-resistant homes in these areas and some will inevitably burn.

That does sound sensible. Preproofing is just blody impossible, given certain temps.

true fireproofing is impractical.

Agreed. There are still many many old houses, however, that probably don't meet current fire-resistant standards, because of the 'grandfather' concept - homes pre-built before certain years being exempt from having to alter stuff until/unless they rebuild/apply for permits to re-do/addon etc.

 

I'd also read an article somewhere that because of the housing 'boom' of the past several years, they were allowing people to build in actual 'fire zones'. I don't know exactly how risky these 'fire zones' were/are, but that practice seems rather dangerous; hence, my build skyward instead of outward opinion.

 

I like the ideal of every house having a big yard and white picket fence as much as anyone else, but there comes a time for every area when it's not practical anymore.

yeah, it is very area dependent, and places that are land-locked for whatever reason are the first to require up instead of out. fortunately, i've got all of west kansas in my back yard so i can probably be guaranteed a large yard any time in the next 100 years or so.

 

taks

Man, I bet that is a real pain to mow.