How to “Harden” Your Home: Fire-Resistant Upgrades
1. Fire-resistant roofing
If you do only one thing to harden your home, install a Class A fire-rated roof. The roof is the largest surface exposed to wind-blown embers.
Class A roofing materials include:
Composition asphalt shingles
Metal roofing
Clay or concrete tiles
Slate and fiber-cement shingles
In contrast, wood shake roofs are highly vulnerable. They catch fire easily and were a major factor in past home losses. If you have a wood roof, replacing it should be a priority.
Even some Class A materials require the correct underlayment to perform properly—so work with licensed contractors. A Class A roof is often mandatory in wildfire zones and is considered the “helmet of your home.”
Also, keep the roof clear of leaves and needles. No roofing material is safe if debris on top catches fire.
2. Ember-resistant vents and openings
Embers are notorious for sneaking into small openings like attic vents, soffits, and crawl space vents. These are entry points that can lead to interior ignition.
To protect your home:
Install fine mesh screens (1/8-inch or smaller) on all vents (nifc.gov).
Avoid standard 1/4-inch mesh—it’s not fine enough to stop embers.
Consider specialty ember-resistant vents with heat-activated baffles or intumescent coatings.
Keep materials like foil tape or covers on hand to seal pet doors, mail slots, and vent fans during a fire.
For chimneys and stovepipes, use spark arrestors with 1/2-inch mesh or smaller (nifc.gov).
These upgrades are often simple and affordable but make a significant difference.
3. Upgrading windows and skylights
Windows are weak points during wildfires. Heat can shatter glass, allowing embers inside, or ignite curtains from the outside.
The best protection is:
Dual-pane tempered glass windows (agri-access.com).
Tempered glass is 4x stronger than regular and resists heat much better.
For added protection, choose metal or fiberglass frames—they don't burn.
Avoid plastic skylights and vinyl frames, which can melt or fail.
Consider external shutters or metal screens for picture windows facing wildlands.
In an emergency, foil or reflective material on the inside of windows may deflect some radiant heat.
Tempered, dual-pane windows are not just a building code recommendation—they're a key line of defense.
4. Exterior walls and siding
Your home’s exterior walls should be made from non-combustible or ignition-resistant materials like:
Stucco
Fiber-cement (e.g., HardiePlank)
Brick, stone, or metal (readyforwildfire.org)
Wood siding and vinyl can burn or melt. If you can’t replace all your siding, start with the side facing the most risk (such as a canyon or adjacent brushland).
Other tips:
Seal gaps in siding and keep vegetation or mulch away from the foundation.
Reinforce the junctions where decks, porches, and fences meet the house.
Box in eaves and use ignition-resistant soffits to protect overhangs.
For wood decks, apply fire-retardant treatment and keep them free of debris.
These areas—roof edges, vents, siding seams—are common ignition points and should be treated with care (agri-access.com).
5. Ancillary structures and features
Attachments like fences, gates, trellises, sheds, and gutters often go overlooked—but they can be wildfire entry points.
Key precautions:
Replace the last few feet of wooden fences near the house with metal or masonry.
Keep sheds 30+ feet away from the home, or treat them like the home if closer.
Use metal rain gutters, and keep them clean.
Install gutter covers or prepare to fill gutters with water if evacuation is likely.
Screen attic turbines and ridge vents with fire-rated mesh.
You can also apply fire-retardant coatings to fences, eaves, or siding (firesafemarin.org). These swell under heat to protect underlying materials, though they may require reapplication and aren’t always recognized as substitutes for fire-safe construction (readyforwildfire.org).
In some cases, fire-resistant wraps or blankets can be used to cover decks, porches, or vulnerable walls during an emergency. These have been used by the U.S. Forest Service to protect remote structures.
Inside your home, residential fire sprinklers and smoke detectors—especially in attics—can provide an extra layer of defense if embers breach the envelope.
6. Yard hardening
Hardening your yard is just as critical as hardening your house.
Focus on the first 5 feet from the house—this is your “ember-resistant zone” (readyforwildfire.org):
Use gravel or rock instead of wood mulch.
Keep shrubs and flammable plants away from walls and decks.
Avoid planting tall conifers near the house—use low-flammability species like succulents or deciduous trees.
Use non-flammable hardscaping (like pavers or concrete) to break up fuel continuity.
Prune tree limbs and space plants to avoid fire ladders.
Every adjustment you make in the landscape helps reduce ember ignition risks near your home.
Proof of effectiveness
These upgrades are not just theory—they’ve been proven in the real world.
After the 2007 Angora Fire in Lake Tahoe, homes with Class A roofs and protected vents survived at significantly higher rates. In the 2018 Camp Fire, newer homes built to Chapter 7A codes outperformed older homes in terms of survivability.
Retrofitting older homes makes a major difference. That’s why CAL FIRE promotes gradual upgrades—box eaves one year, install new vents the next, then replace the roof later.
Some insurers now offer discounts for hardened homes or Firewise designations.
Final thoughts
Home hardening is about identifying and addressing the vulnerabilities in your home’s design.
Focus on key areas:
Roofs
Vents and windows
Eaves and decks
Siding and landscape
Every upgrade you make increases your home’s chance of survival. When combined with defensible space, you’ve done what’s possible to prepare.
A hardened home isn’t just about physical resilience—it brings peace of mind. Wildfires are inevitable in fire country, but destruction isn’t.
Your choices today could be what saves your home tomorrow.
