Fire Rebuild & Reconstruction in San Dimas
San Dimas fire rebuilds with fire rated gypsum sheathing behind cement plaster or fiber cement, sealed to the roof deck so no open strip is left at the eave.
Behind the cladding of a rebuilt San Dimas wall, we use fire rated gypsum sheathing to buy the studs time. Water is chemically bound inside the gypsum core, and heat has to drive it off before the wood behind can reach ignition. Covered with cement plaster or fiber cement, that layer helps the wall stand up to radiant heat from a burning shed or hedge and to embers carried on dry wind.
Building the wall up
The sheathing goes directly over the studs, with joints staggered and screws at close spacing so the panels stay put under heat. A water resistive barrier laps over it, shingle fashion, and over the flashing at every window and door. Cladding goes on last. At the top of the wall the sheathing runs tight to the roof deck, leaving no open strip at the eave, and at the base it stops above a metal weep screed. Gypsum board inside the rooms completes the assembly, so both faces of each stud bay are protected.
When the code asks for it
The building department serving San Dimas reviews the wall section on the plans. For a parcel the state maps as a fire hazard zone, the wildfire chapter requires exterior walls that are noncombustible, ignition resistant or rated from the outside, and this assembly is one way to meet that. On an unmapped parcel, the code asks less, so we price the rated sheathing as an option. Listed ember resistant vents and tempered glazing are priced the same way, each on its own, letting you weigh one upgrade against another.
About our Fire Rebuild & Reconstruction serviceServices in San Dimas
Fire Rebuild & Reconstruction in San Dimas: common questions
We look before we answer. Studs and joists that are only stained can be cleaned, sealed and kept, and the house gets repaired around them. Where the structure charred deeply in several rooms, or the slab cracked, new framing with a rated wall assembly throughout is the better build. You see what we found first.
We can. An estimate written to replace the old walls as they were may leave out rated sheathing, new cladding and other exterior parts current code expects. We set our scope beside it, note those items and any quantity shortfall, and give you the noted copy to send the insurer.
Start by checking the San Dimas parcel on the state hazard map. If it sits in a mapped zone, the wildfire chapter governs the new roof, attic vents, glazing, exterior walls and any attached deck. If it does not, standard code is the minimum, and the hardened assemblies are quoted as additions.
More work we do in San Dimas
Plan your project in San Dimas
Tell us about the house and the fire rebuild & reconstruction work. We reply about a walk-through and a written scope.