What would it take to build a disaster proof home (Or nearly)

bobcat

bobcat

Well-known Member
Location
Northern Calif
More insurance companies are refusing homeowners insurance in areas prone to disasters.
It seems that if we can build bomb shelters, disaster bunkers, safe rooms, etc..., shouldn't it be possible to build homes in a similar way.

I would think the things most important would be:
Materials
Shape
Engineering and design
Cost
 

^^^I agree! ^^^

I’m not sure that I want to own the house that made it through the fire, flood, hurricane, etc…

I would rather choose a boring location that is not prone to natural disasters and build a conventional home.

I suppose that people will keep building as long as they can get financing, insurance, etc…

One idea that is being floated in New York state is requiring sprinkler systems in new construction but it adds considerable cost.
 

Aunt Bea said:
^^^I agree! ^^^

I’m not sure that I want to own the house that made it through the fire, flood, hurricane, etc…

I would rather choose a boring location that is not prone to natural disasters and build a conventional home.

I suppose that people will keep building as long as they can get financing, insurance, etc…

One idea that is being floated in New York state is requiring sprinkler systems in new construction but it adds considerable cost.
Click to expand...
Please name a location not prone to nature's outbursts.
 
I suppose it would depend on what diaster was most prevalent where you plan to build. IMO designing a fits all disaster possibilities home that would be tornado proof, hurricane proof, forest fire proof, flood proof earthquake proof sure would be interesting to see.

Then there should be utility services designed to cope so that normal living could go on.
 
bobcat said:
More insurance companies are refusing homeowners insurance in areas prone to disasters.
It seems that if we can build bomb shelters, disaster bunkers, safe rooms, etc..., shouldn't it be possible to build homes in a similar way.

I would think the things most important would be:
Materials
Shape
Engineering and design
Cost
Click to expand...
Anything can be built. The question is - who would buy it?
 
AI :

What would it take to build a disaster proof home (Or nearly)


Building a nearly disaster-proof home involves strategic planning, resilient materials, and specialized design features:

1. **Location**: Build in areas less prone to natural disasters like flood zones, wildfire-prone regions, or earthquake fault lines[1][5].

2. **Resilient Materials**: Use reinforced concrete, steel, brick, and impact-resistant windows and doors for structural integrity[1][2]. Dome-shaped designs also distribute stress evenly[3].

3. **Structural Reinforcement**: Include reinforced foundations, steel frames, hurricane straps, and proper bracing to withstand high winds and earthquakes[1][4].

4. **Fire Resistance**: Use non-combustible materials (metal or cement siding) and create a defensible space around the home[1][5].

5. **Waterproofing**: Install drainage systems, waterproof membranes, and sump pumps to prevent flood damage[1].

6. **Roof Design**: Opt for hip roofs with fortified systems to resist wind uplift[2][4].
 
Many building materials that are being used in construction can be breached by fire in as little as 5 minutes.
Stucco and Adobe (Which has been used for hundreds of years) will withstand fire for an hour or more.
Dome shaped homes can withstand extreme winds far better than standard shapes.

It seems that in many areas that combination would work quite well. Adobe is inexpensive, fire resistant, and doesn't pollute the environment. If it was reinforced with rebar, and you could use the type of tempered glass for windows that is used in wood stoves.

As for flooding and hurricane areas, you could use the same shape, but instead of stucco, use spray on concrete (Shotcrete), perhaps elevated on piers or a raised foundation.

If we can make pizza ovens from Adobe that withstand high temperatures, then why not make giant reinforced ones for living.
It may take periodic maintenance, but so does everything.
 
This may seem like overkill, but it could have been worse! I have been interested in the weatherproofing of structures ever since I read an article in the WSJ about Patricia Billings. That was 9/25/1996 -- and you have to be a WSJ subscriber to read it now (which I am not).

Here's a home that survived a category 5 hurricane in Mexico Beach, FL, in 2018. Mexico Beach Survivor | ICF Builder Magazine

Building a Wildfire-Resistant Home: Codes and Costs
2018 report, interesting read, although costs are out of date: Building a Wildfire-Resistant Home: Codes and Costs - Headwaters Economics

Wikipedia article about Patricia Billings, the woman who invented Geobond. Patricia Billings - Wikipedia
More from MIT: Patricia Billings | Lemelson

Why some structures may have withstood the Los Angeles area wildfires – while those next door burned to the ground:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/15/us/structures-buildings-homes-burned-la-fire/index.html
 
011525b.jpg

We can, and some do build homes that can be disaster-proof and there are plenty of web sites with such information as well as retrofitting existing structures. But because that may be more expensive, people choose to gamble using convention least expensive materials while local officials, construction companies, and especially real estate and banking corporations who see such as a hit to their profits, work to keep the status quo.

The official California government page on building to withstand wildfires:

Building in the Wildland | OSFM

This sub-page contains most of the pertinent information. Love the interactive map with the red pop-ups:

Home Hardening | CAL FIRE

IMO every person that owns homes within high wildfire hazard zones ought be forced to read this state information at least once annually by their home owners insurance companies as histories have show, large numbers apparently just ignore it until they are victims and then many point fingers elsewhere. Just like with our California Campfire Permit testing, such can be done online effectively, without just allowing people to check some box off.

LRA Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps | OSFM


Of course, it is not just individuals but also local government officials, especially those responsible for establishing and ENFORCING meaningful zoning and building codes. Given recent incredibly sad and horrendously tragic history, one might hope these attitudes will change. We ought not have issue with those rebuilding in even high wildfire hazard zones but rather insuring when they do, they are using materials and structures very unlikely to burn.

The two California disaster types where structures simply should not be built are on geologically unstable mudslide slopes and on historic flood planes like one now sees along I205 about Manteca and Lathrop. Organizations tried to stop builders from constructing the vast housing projects that have sprung up there over the last decade, however real estate and banking corporations with their politicians prevailed. Within our lifetimes, events like we've already seen in 1986 and 2017 will repeat, flooding those riverside areas and the rest of us will pay for it again and not those responsible for allowing it.
 
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The pyramids in Egypt come to mind. How long have they been standing? So, locate in a high desert not in an earthquake/flood zone, build a pyramid shape out of rock or ?. If the walls are thick enough, temperature control would probably be easy.

Only problem I can think of would be access to water.
 
bobcat said:
More insurance companies are refusing homeowners insurance in areas prone to disasters.
It seems that if we can build bomb shelters, disaster bunkers, safe rooms, etc..., shouldn't it be possible to build homes in a similar way.

I would think the things most important would be:
Materials
Shape
Engineering and design
Cost
Click to expand...
This has been on my mind as well. I expect our Homeowner's and fire insurance premiums are either going to triple or polices be cancelled, in light of the horrendous fire danger in California.
 
Murrmurr said:
If laws required all home be fire, flood, and hurricane-proof, then, everyone.
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Yeah, but would everyone be able to afford it? I don't think so. And the dwellings that were for renters would likely have such high rents that few people could afford that.
 

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