Should my Monrovia house be repaired or rebuilt after the fire?

A frame that held its strength, with fire confined to some rooms and part of the roof, can usually be repaired and hardened as each exterior part is replaced. When heat took the strength out of framing in most rooms, a new build is the steadier plan. An engineer's findings guide which we propose, and the deck is scoped in either case.

Can you check my insurance scope for an Monrovia rebuild?

Yes. Decks, stairs and railings can be valued as plain lumber in an estimate even where code will require tested boards on a mapped lot. We price the deck the rebuild calls for, set it beside the adjuster's line with the rest of our measured scope, and mark each difference for your insurance adjuster.

What does the wildfire code require when I rebuild in Monrovia?

Some Monrovia lots appear on the state fire hazard maps, and a rebuild on one of them meets Chapter 7A on every outside surface. Expect a Class A roof covering, tested vents, tempered panes, siding and soffits that will not readily ignite, and decking from the state's approved materials. The city checks the mapping at plan review, and the deck details are drawn to match.

Fire Rebuild & Reconstruction in Monrovia

Monrovia fire rebuilds with attached decks built to the ember rules, from the boards to the framing and the ground beneath. Fernhill Builders.

Call the office Request a written scope

Can the new deck still be wood? Some of Monrovia is mapped for fire hazard by the state, and on a parcel inside that mapping, an attached deck falls under the ember rules. Its boards must be noncombustible or a product that has passed the state's fire tests. Some composite boards qualify, and so do certain dense hardwoods and fire-retardant-treated boards. Plain lumber decking on that lot does not.

Boards, framing and the space below

Boards draw most of the attention, but the rest of the deck matters too. Joists and posts can be steel, or wood sized and spaced to the approved design, and the joint between the deck and the wall is flashed with metal so leaves cannot gather there. The space under the deck is either kept bare, with gravel and nothing stored, or closed with noncombustible skirting and ember-resistant vents. We give stairs and railings the same materials as the boards, since an ember lands on them just as easily.

Drawing and permitting the deck

The deck appears on the permit drawings with its board product named, its framing, the ledger flashing at the house and the treatment of the space below. City building staff review those sheets with the rest of the house and inspect the framing before boards go on. Composite and capped boards grow in heat, so gaps follow the maker's chart. Where the parcel is off the hazard map, plain wood remains allowed, and a tested board can still be chosen and priced as an upgrade.

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