Questions and Answers
Answers about repairing, rebuilding and hardening a house in fire country.
Hardening a standing house
Through vents, gaps at eaves and roof edges, broken or failed windows, and through anything that burns against the walls, such as a fence, a woodpile or a deck. Those are the places we check first.
No. A retrofit can run in stages. We put the openings first, since they are where embers enter, then cladding and decks.
Usually very little. Rated vents, tempered glass and fiber cement or stucco can match the look you have. We show you the options in the scope.
After a fire
Often, yes. It depends on what the heat did to the structure, the wiring and the insulation. We open the walls where needed and tell you in writing what can stay.
Yes. We read the adjuster's scope against the house and our own, and we point out where the two differ so you can raise it with the insurer.
Not always. A like-for-like rebuild can move faster through permits, but you may also redesign. Either way, the new exterior has to meet the current wildfire code.
Quotes, permits and the process
From a written scope. We walk the property, list each assembly and its materials, then price those lines. Nothing is priced before we have seen the house.
We do, with the building department that covers your address. Cities and unincorporated county areas each have their own office.
Yes. Fernhill Builders is a licensed contractor in California.
Your question is not here?
Send it with the form or by email, along with the address, and we will answer it for your house.