Protect Your Home from Wildfire

Specialists in identifying risks and retrofitting your home and landscape to protect your property in the event of a wildfire. This is called home hardening and defensible space. Contact us today for a risk assessment and customized protection plan.

Modern house with wood and dark gray exterior, large windows, stairs leading to elevated porch, landscaped yard with rocks and small trees, surrounded by trees under a cloudy sky.
A diagram of a house showing various safety and barrier features, including Class A Roofing, roof to wall barrier, fire and ember resistant vents, double panedwindows, deck barrier, zone 0 hardscape, and non-combustible fence and gate sections.
A sign indicating that home hardening and defensible space will lower insurance costs by 20%.
Wildfire protection logo with shield icon and text 'Wildfire Protection' and 'Solutions based on data'.
Licensed Experts certification with a checkmark and license number CA #889808.
HomeHard logo with stylized H and text on black background
White downward arrow icon on a black background.

Defensible space is a buffer zone you create and maintain around a home or structure by managing vegetation and other combustible materials to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and protect the property from flames and embers

Downward pointing arrow symbol, white on black background, indicating direction or instruction.

Home hardening is the process of modifying or constructing homes to increase their resistance to wildfire by using noncombustible materials and implementing measures to block embers from entering the home

We Follow Rigorous Wildfire Resilience Standards

Logo featuring landscape with green mountains, yellow fields, and blue sky with clouds next to the text 'Fire Safe Marin' in large brown letters and the slogan 'Adapting to Wildfire' in smaller black text.
Logo with flames, fire, and leaf icons, with the text 'Firewise USA' in pink.
Cal Fire emblem with a California map, a setting sun, and the text 'California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, Cal Fire, Since 1885'.
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety logo with a depiction of a house and a building.

Three Goals to Protect Your Home

  • The most common cause of building ignitions during a wildfire. Basic home hardening is largely about addressing flying embers. Called “firebrands” by wildfire professionals, flying embers can travel miles under certain conditions and are the main source of homes being lost to wildfires. Like water finding any hole in a boat, flying embers find all exposed gaps and ignite fire. Basic Home Hardening means sealing all gaps so fire does find purchase inside. Think attics, under foundations, and any vented area.

  • It’s critical to remove anything combustible immediately around your house. This is “Zone 0” which is a 5 foot perimeter where nothing combustible is present. This is the highest standard but variations of Zone 0 are all similar - minimize or eliminate immediate risks. Also critical is disconnecting combustible items attached to your house that can act as a path that leads flames to the house. For example, a fence and gate. Zone 0 is not official policy in the State of California but is a current executive order that should be become policy by the end of 2025.

    Defensible space also includes Zone 1 & 2 where specific actions are taken to ensure that under wildfire conditions, the fuel leading to and around your house is minimal and designed in a way to contain spread.

  • Homes that are surrounded by other structures (e.g., neighbors homes) or fuel (e.g., shed) are vulnerable to radiant heat - extreme heat from nearby items on fire. This heat can create temperatures that make single pane windows break - letting fire into your home - and ignite combustible siding. Skylights and roofing that are not Class A rated are also major risks. Replacing these items are large expenses that need careful consideration given specifics of your home and neighborhood.

    As an aside, this is why wildfire is a community risk that needs to be openly discussed and coordinated. A single vulnerable home can be the fuel that burns an entire neighborhood.

Listen to the Experts

NFPA fire safety hazard label with fire flame symbol

“Experiments, models and post-fire studies have shown homes ignite due to the condition of the home and everything around it, up to 200' from the foundation.”

— National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) / Firewise (2025)

FEMA logo with an eagle and shield, alongside the FEMA acronym

“Teach your community to create defensible space. They need to keep the first 5 feet of their homes clear of any flammables …”

— U.S. Fire Administration / FEMA 2023

Berkeley Fire Research Lab logo with text in blue and gold.

“Home hardening and creating defensible space dropped that [destruction] percentage as low as 52% … this is an appreciable difference that would save lives.”

— Michael Gollner,UC Berkeley 2025

Headwaters Economics logo with stylized water and mountain design.

"60-90% of home loss is due to embers"

-Headwaters Economics, 2024 (funded by CalFire)

Our Services

Exact details of home hardening and defensible space needs depends on the standards established by your city, county and fire district. Standards established by the State are a baseline minimum.

Note: Standards established by the insurance industry via the non-profit The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety tend to be the most rigorous standards. Your home insurance underwriter may require IBHS standards.

    • Zone 0 (0-5 horizontal feet from house) clearing and optional hardscape addition (if bare soil is not desired)

    • Boxing in eaves with soffit installation

    • Install gutter cover that is non-combustible

    • Ensure roof fascia is non-combustible and sealed with drip edging

    • Zone 0 tree trimming or removal

    • Vent ember guards at foundation, attic, and all other locations

    • Replace (or remove) the first 5 foot sections of easily combustible installations attached to the house (e.g., gate and fence) with non-combustible equivalents.

    • Install non-combustible vertical barrier around the house footprint as well as at the intersection of roofing and combustible siding

    • Ensure chimney has mesh screening (3/8”- 1/2”) to mitigate embers and clearance of a minimum 10 feet from plants and trees.

    • Zone 0 defensible space installation for accessory structures within 30 feet of house

    • Evaluate vulnerabilities for larger hardening items such as roof, windows, and siding.

    • Prepare a maintenance list and schedule to maintain minimal wildfire vulnerability.

    • Zone 1 (5-30 horizontal feet space from Zone 0) defensible space installation

    • If needed:

      • Install multi-pane windows where radiant heat risk is high

      • Class A fire-rated roof upgrade

      • Non-combustible siding upgrade

      • New vertical barriers as firebreaks

      • Installing non-combustible fencing and gates

    • Zone 2 vertical spacing and pruning trees and bushes and debris clearing of live and dead vegetation

    • Detailed installation documentation, including before and after pictures, for insurers and municipalities

Basic Zone 0 Installations

Hardscape

Ground Level Buffer Zone

Show Zone 0 hardscape to create a non-combustible barrier around your house.
Diagram of a cross-section of a building wall showing a non-combustible 6-inch vertical concrete foundation section and gravel ground cover horizontally so fire cannot reach the flammable siding.

Five feet of non-combustible installation around your home is the best defense. If missing, a small strip of vertical material that is also non-combustible prevents embers that settle against your house from igniting siding.

Vents

Stop Embers from Entering

Vented attic vent on the side of a house with a shingled roof.
Foundation ventilation openings that can attract flying embers.

Upgrade vulnerable vent areas to block ember entry that otherwise ignite fire inside and underneath your home. Learn how simple and targeted improvements can dramatically reduce risk.

Gutter , Fence

Eliminate flame fuels

Close-up of a gutter system with cover to eliminate the accumulation of debris.
Non-combustible fence and gate sections replacing wooden sections that are connected to the house

Gutter attract fire fuel. Gutters and covers that withstand intense heat eliminate large risks. Wooden fences and gates are an easy path for fire to find your home. Replacing attached sections is critical.

Deck & House

Deck to House Barrier

Wooden deck that has a vertical barrier that prevents the decks flammability from reaching the house.
Cross-section diagram of how to create a non-combustible barrier between the house and a combustible deck. Includes vertical and horizontal installations of non-combustible materials.

Yet another place embers can collect and ignite your home. All connections of combustible materials to your house must be mitigated with a non-combustible barrier.

Further Hardening & Defensible Space

Roofing Material

Major Vulnerabilities Revealed

Diagram of Class A 'By Assembly' fire-rated roof covering showing roof sheathing, additional fire-resistant layer, and Class B or C fire-rated roof covering.
Diagram showing metal roof requires insulation material, such as mineral wool, underneath to block radiant heat and embers from penetrating the roof.

The proper roofing materials and installation techniques are critical to removing a major risk. Class A roofing is your single largest and best defense from fire and embers.

Windows, Roof Fuel

Neighboring Homes & Tree Risk

Close-up of roof with a note about keeping roofs clear of debris and installing flashing at roof-to-wall intersections where debris can accumulate and create a fire.
Diagram of a dual-pane window showing outside and inside sections, with labels indicating the frame, thermal stresses causing glass cracking, radiant heat exposure, and differences in thermal expansion between the warmer inner pane and cooler outer pane.

Combustible to non-combustible intersections that naturally capture fire fuel and embers must be protected. Radiant heat from nearby trees or from your neighbors house make single pane windows vulnerable to breaking and hence allowing embers to easily enter.

Chimney, Skylights

Other Less Obvious Vulnerabilities

chimney pipe is yet another ember entry point that requires a screen that prevent ember entry.
Illustration of two skylights installed on a tiled roof that can become entry points for flying embers if the material is combustible. Plastic and vinyl skylights should be replace with glass versions.

Flying embers find their way into every opening - including the chimney. They can even settle against or on top of plastic skylights and create a major opening for disaster. Every risk needs mitigation.

Soffit, Zones 1&2

Zone 0-2 Vulnerabilities

A two-story wooden house with a large deck, surrounded by a fenced backyard garden and trees, with a garage attached to the house. The deck has outdoor furniture, and the yard has landscape features.
soffit installation under eaves is inportant to prevent ember entry into attics and to safely redistribute heat from ground fires away from the house.

“Lean and clean” is how CalFire puts it for Zone 1 & 2. Zone 1: reduce vegetation around your home. Zone 2: restrict fire movement into the crowns of trees or shrubs. Soffit’s prevent embers from working their way into your attic and help ground level heat from fire to safely escape.

Common Questions

  • Defensible space is the area around your home cleared of flammable vegetation and debris. Maintaining this zone helps slow fire spread and protects your property from radiant heat and flames.

  • Retrofit or replace existing components of a home to withstand wildfire.

  • Wind-blown embers are responsible for 60%-90% of home loss by entering through vents, roofs, or gaps, igniting materials inside or near your home. Sealing openings and using ember and flame resistant materials greatly reduces this risk.

  • The HomeHarden Company can explain how certain parts of your property are vulnerable to wildfire and how to address these risks. Further, we can make recommendations that meet your local code and insurance requirements. Once a plan is in hand, we will install the necessary changes and help you create documentation for insurance or municipal purposes.

  • Although some properties may indeed have to prioritize specific needs, the goal for everyone is to seal your home from embers, close down any potential path for flame to reach your house, and make sure that nothing near your house (like the neighbors house) can create a real-time vulnerability through radiant heat (like a window shattering).

  • Each municipality establishes its own standard or explicitly states that property owners must follow the state standard. Indeed, the state standard is the baseline for all CA communities with certain municipalities going to higher a higher standard in specific areas due to local risks. Further, your insurance carrier will likely have a point of view on standards. It is important yo review insurance needs to avoid getting dropped and to minimize coverage cost.

  • The overall highest standard currently comes from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), which is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit scientific research and communications organization supported by property insurers, reinsurers, and affiliated companies. Your local requirements on any specific item can be higher. Most importantly, the actual risks of your specific situation is ultimately what matters most (but meeting code and insurance needs cannot be ignored).

  • Yes! Absolutely. A lot of the items are fairly straight forward if you have the time, patience, and aesthetic flexibility. For example, in some cities you can simply get a new vent cover with the 1/8 or 1/16 inch openings and simply nail them over the existing vents. Another example, the Zone 0 hardscape can simply be dirt but many materials suppliers can deliver stone material if you want a modest improvement in look and feel. Finally, Zone 1 landscaping rules are straight-forward as well. Your municipality or fire district will likely provide the resources for you to easily learn what needs to be done.

    Having said this, know your limits and don’t take risks. Some things are dangerous for the uninitiated so anything, for example, that needs equipment or ladders should be given to a professional. Don’t climb a tree or get on your roof please!!!

About our company

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At the forefront of the construction industry, we pride ourselves on delivering top-tier solutions with unmatched precision and reliability. Our team of seasoned professionals is dedicated to protecting structures, creating defensible space, and ensuring quality and efficiency in every project. We are General Contracting and Landscape Construction companies committing ourselves to eliminating the unnecessary devastation recently experienced from wildfire.

More about management can be found at www.bwland.com

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Firefighter working outside at night with a flashlight as wildfire embers fly around a neighborhood.