Los Angeles is home to a lot of a fires during it's late summer and early autumn period. And it's most prone areas are always in the hills around San Fernando Valley. Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills and Calabasas often get their fair share of fires. This is due to the chaparral environment that Los Angeles finds itself in. This kind of environment is covered in shrubs and grasses that grow quickly to take advantage of the wet seasons but dry out by the mid summer. Chaparral regions tend to ignite a lot of faster since a large percentage of it's plant life tends to die early. This in turn makes areas that are surrounded by large extent of wilderness like the residents that live north of the Santa Monica mountain range.

It is imperative for residents in these regions to maintain their backyards from accumulating too much dry brush, but in reality, accidents will always happen regardless. And it's because of this that the residents of these regions should definitely consider doing a remodeling job that would help protect their home from fire. There are many things that they can do, some are cheap and quick, and others are far more expensive but often times necessary. At US Home Developers we've seen an increase in recent years for home remodeling that take fire-safety into heavy consideration. Some ideas to remodel in your home for protecting it from fires:

Floor Remodeling - Consider changing the type of material you use for flooring. Carpet flooring ignites extremely quickly, because of the threads. Wood flooring ignites much slower, but because it's made out of wood it provides the fuel necessary for the fire to continue. Consider replacing the floor with stone slabs, marble, fire resistant vinyl or even ceramic flooring. If you insist on using wooden floors, consider getting materials that are fire-retardant which may cost a little more, but provide a huge benefit in terms of fire safety.

Ceramic Tile Roofing - If you have a wooden roof or wooden shingles in your roof consider replacing it with Class A ceramic tiles. Not only are they durable, fire resistant, and water resistant, they also provide a great natural style that fits perfectly with California's Spanish Mission architecture style. Ceramic Tiles are also cost effective, and wouldn't cost too much more than many of it's wooden counter parts.

Fire Resistant Wall Coatings - There is no perfect fire proof wall material, but there are ways of making the walls of your home resist fires a lot better. Metallic walls tend to buckle under extreme heat, and although wooden walls can ignite, with proper coating, the risk is reduced, and when it is caught on fire, the walls burn longer before collapsing.

Flame Guard Additive: this is a powder that goes into interior paint which help provide resistance to fire.

Flame Resist: a coating liquid that is non toxic used for treating wooden materials to be better at resisting fires.

Back Yard Safety - A large number of fire accidents can happen in the backyard. Especially if you have a fire pit, bbq, or an outdoor kitchen. Make sure to keep anything flammable at least 5-10ft away from anything that can produce a fire. That can include trimming branches, or removing furniture that can ignite away from those appliances. 

Taking all these safety tips into consideration can protect your family from a natural disaster that all too often causes tragedy. Make sure you hire professional contractors to install any kind of fire resistant materials, and make sure that they are fully licensed and knowledgeable about the materials, and how to install them.
Fire safety is a must while living in a drought stricken California. And if you live in the chaparral region of Los Angeles, it places a greater demand for fire vigilance.