This Old House

Kevin

Today on "This Old House"...

Tom

These vents shut down to keep radiant heat, embers, and flames out of your attic.

Richard

And every new house here will have a way to stop an interior fire in its tracks.

Man

41, 54, 23.

Kevin

Paradise, California, home to the worst wildfire in California history.

Calin

I didn't know if the rest of the world was ending, but this world that involved Paradise was ending at that time.

Kevin

Many towns would consider giving up, but not Paradise. Man #2: You can rebuild a house, so that's what we're doing.

Avonlea

The town is still my home. It's where I want to live.

Anna

Very excited, ready to get home.

Kevin

"This Old House" joins the fight to rebuild Paradise. Hi, there. I'm Kevin O'Connor, and welcome back to a special episode of "This Old House." I am in Paradise, California, home to the worst wildfire in California history and one of the worst fires in the United States in the past century. This town of Paradise was almost wiped off the map, but of the thousands of people who lost their homes, many are determined to come back, and Joe and Avonlea are two of those people.

This is the house that Joe and Avonlea moved into five years before the fire. They remodeled. They painted the outside. They even put in a new kitchen.

And then in a matter of just a few hours, the home was gone. We've heard about Avonlea's harrowing trip to safety during the fire, but that was almost a year ago. Six months after the blaze, Joe and Avonlea were among the first to apply for building permits. And as you can see, they are rebuilding what they've lost.

Avonlea, good to see you again.

Avonlea

Hi, Kevin. Thank you for meeting me here.

Kevin

Thank you for having us. This is some good progress, right?

Avonlea

It is. It feels like home.

Kevin

That's good, right? And so the old home was basically right here?

Avonlea

It was. So, the exterior was the exact same shape, but we did move things around a little bit in here just to kind of make it a little bit more modern.

Kevin

Tell me about that. Give me a little tour.

Avonlea

So, before, what we had was when you came in, there was a living room that was a little narrower, and it stretched all the way through here for the dining room, and the kitchen was shifted over more. So it wasn't as open of a concept, so that is just the major change that we have made. And then we added two additional bedrooms.

Kevin

So was the master always on this side of the house?

Avonlea

It was. So, before, we had the master here, and there was a hallway that stretched through with a bathroom in the middle and the second bedroom on the end. It was more of a standard bedroom versus a "master," so what we have added is we have this covered -- this door that goes out to the covered patio.

Kevin

Nice.

Avonlea

And we had just a standard closet before, so walking through here, we now have an attached bathroom.

Kevin

Oh, nice, so this space wasn't here.

It -- No. Kevin

Right.

Avonlea

It was not part of the bedroom, so what we've added is a nice closet for us.

Kevin

Look at the tile.

Avonlea

That's herringbone marble floors to match the walk-in marble shower.

Kevin

Luxurious. I love it.

Avonlea

So, coming into the living room, it is wider than we had before, which is going to be nice space-wise. What we have also is, we have 12-foot ceilings in our living room.

Kevin

That'll help make it feel bigger.

Avonlea

Yes. Before, it was only standard 8-foot, so it's definitely going to be a lot bigger. Previously, over here, what we had was, like, a fireplace that was built in. So one thing we decided to do different is, we have added a wood stove, because for us, with it getting cold, the fireplace took a lot of wood, and it didn't produce as much heat, where the wood stove is just really going to pump it out.

Kevin

Stovepipe already through the roof right there, so it's going to sit out here?

Avonlea

Yes.

Kevin

And you'll do something to protect floor and walls in this corner?

Avonlea

We are. So, as you guys know, Joey is a granite fabricator, so we're going to be doing a granite hearth that is going to flow and match what's in our kitchen.

Kevin

Is he going to do the work?

Avonlea

He is going to do the work. I believe he's actually working on that today if you guys would like to go down to his shop

and check it out. Kevin

Absolutely. We'd love to. That would be awesome. We will do that.

Hey,

Joe. Joe

Hey.

Good to see you. Joe

You, too.

House is coming along. Joe

It is.

Kevin

That's good news. So this is your operation here, huh?

Yep. Kevin

You guys do it all?

Joe

We do it all -- fabrication, installation, tear-out.

Kevin

And this is the fabrication spot. Looks like you've got slabs. Looks like you've got saws, tables, the whole deal. So this is the template here?

Yep. Kevin

Tell me about it.

Joe

So, this is an acrylic template. I made it here in shop last night.

Kevin

So what am I looking at, Joe, orientation-wise?

Joe

So, the hearth, this is the back. That's a back wall.

Kevin

Oh, so it's coming out of the corner, right, yeah.

Joe

This is the front and the clip.

Kevin

Stove will be facing into the room this way?

Joe

It will be.

Kevin

So this is just a connect-the-dots exercise?

Joe

It is. You mark the corners, and then a straightedge will cut them.

Kevin

And what is the stone? I wouldn't have even thought this was granite. This is beautiful.

Joe

This is a piece of quartzite. It's a really hard piece of stone, more fire-resistant than granite, so it's going to do a good job for the fireplace.

Kevin

So, what does it feel like to you to sort of contribute to rebuilding your own house, to have something you made go into the home?

Joe

Well, I like that I'm doing the granite. The granite's something I know how to do. I've been doing it a long time, so it's going to be really nice when it's done.

Kevin

Okay, so let's just take a look at it. Front right here, back corner right there. That is looking pretty sweet.

Joe

Yeah, it is. I like it. Watch your fingers. Yeah, look at that.

Okay, you can go ahead and let go. Alright. I am flush to baseboard and off the back wall just a little bit.

Kevin

Same, flush and --

Joe

There, that's where I want it.

Kevin

Yep, that's going to look real good, right?

Joe

Yeah, it is.

Richard

California fire codes were strict before the fire, but since then, they've only gotten tougher. Since 2011, any new house built in all of California must have a residential fire-sprinkler system. And here's another new house going up here in Paradise, and today is sprinkler day. Rick Fox and his family have been the sprinkler experts around these parts for a long time, so, Rick, I've got to ask you, to start, a fire-sprinkler system like this is no match for the kind of wildfires we had here, right?

Rick

Absolutely not. This system is designed for buying you time to get out of the house.

Richard

Right, it's to save people. It's a life-saving device.

Exactly. Richard

Alright. Now, where do you start in the process? How do you get rolling?

Rick

Well, where we start is their builder will give us a set of plans.

Okay. Rick

And from that, we will design the sprinkler system according to the code for the garage.

Richard

So here's the garage I just came in. Here's where we are, the living room, and I see there's two heads right here. Now how do you determine that?

Rick

Well, these heads have an 8-foot spray, so I know that that head will spray and cover to here, and I know that head will spray and cover to here.

Richard

Now, does every single room need to have a head?

Rick

Not every room. Bathrooms under 55 square feet don't require one, but we put one in a bathroom, because you can start a fire in a bathroom just as easy as anywhere else.

Richard

Bathroom could have a curling iron, could have a hairdryer, all kinds of things that could start a fire.

Rick

Small closets don't require them unless they're 3 feet or deeper.

Richard

Alright. So I see your parts and pieces here. This is what type of tubing here you're using?

Rick

This is a CPVC rated for fire sprinklers.

Richard

It says right on it, "For fire-sprinkler pipe." Why is this the better choice?

Rick

Because it has a fire retardant in there, so it will last longer in a fire.

Richard

So you've got all kinds of T's, elbows, couplings. I see a glue here. It's just like CPVC but glue?

Rick

Yeah.

Richard

Okay. Now, how about the pendants? How about the heads?

Rick

So, what we have here is an upright head. That head would be used in the attic above the furnace.

Richard

Because that's a source of flame. I see the little bulb here. Once the temperature is achieved there, the bulb breaks, and water sprays up

through the deflector. Rick

Right.

Richard

Alright. So that's up in the attic. How about the white one?

Rick

The white one would go in the garage, and it would hang down as a pendant.

Richard

So you still see yet again with the bulb right here. That's still exposed. How about this one?

Rick

This here is a two-pieced concealed head.

Richard

I love these. So this is all the consumer sees up against the Sheetrock right here. And so a little temperature comes here, the cover will drop away, and when it does, it will now let this pendant drop, and you see up inside here the red bulb? That will let go.

Water hits the deflector to put the fire out.

Rick

Correct.

Richard

Perfect. Alright. So are we ready to turn the system on yet?

Rick

I have one more head to install, and then we are.

Richard

So do we need pipe dope or Teflon tape on this?

Rick

No, no, I have a torque-safe head adapter.

Richard

Torque-safe, what does that mean?

Rick

That means you can't over-tighten it.

Richard

Alright. So all the pipe is run. All the heads are in. What's left for you?

Rick

Testing. First we put air to make sure there's no leaks, and then water.

Richard

Alright. So once the water's in, can we actually see one of these heads release?

Rick

For you, yeah.

Richard

Alright. With a propane torch, we'll simulate fire. At 135 degrees, that white cover will drop off. At 155, the bulb will go!

And you can see -- Look at that. So now it's completely gone around to do the whole room. And also notice that only one sprinkler head went off. People think they all go off, and they don't.

If this had been a fire, I would have been able to get out of the building. I would have put the fire out. Hey, the test is over! Turn the water off!

Kevin

A year after the disaster in Paradise, California continues to struggle with wildfires. To help understand how they spread, Cal Fire uses something called a Simtable to visualize how these fires grow. Chief Garrett Sjolund was in charge on that day last year. Alright.

So, what are we looking at? Where are we?

Garrett

So what we have here is, Paradise is right in the middle of the map. There's four major roads that come out of the town of Paradise here as it leads into the valley, and then over here, we have the town of Chico. And then back towards us here is the Sierra Nevada foothills and as we get into the higher country up into this community of Pulga.

Kevin

Okay, and Pulga is where it all begins the morning of November 8th. What time?

Garrett

So,

about 6

30 in the morning, Feather River Canyon here is very steep. We've got about a 1,500-foot elevation change from the community of Pulga all the way to the top of the mountain, and the fire starts right below some high-tension power lines just up from the community of Pulga, as you can see there.

Kevin

This is remarkable, and so now your projector is actually projecting the progression of the fire.

Garrett

Yes, it's showing you how fast it's going. Real windy. We got 20-mile-an-hour winds coming down this canyon. It's hitting this wall right here in this very steep Pulga drainage, and then it is progressing with gusts up to 40 as it comes up and to the top of this mountain right here.

Kevin

Wow, okay. So at this point, it's moving fast coming up these hills, and it is headed west.

Garrett

Yeah, and it's real interesting. At this point here, we have these numerous spot fires as you can see out here. This is about 4 miles from the start of the fire, and then we had numerous spots even getting into below the town of Paradise.

Kevin

And they are being caused by airborne embers being thrown ahead of the fire?

Garrett

That's right. So we're looking at a total of about 7 miles from where this main fire is right now to the edge of Paradise.

Kevin

So now this first road is involved right now?

Garrett

Right. This is about an hour into the fire, where you can see the edge of the fire is hitting the edge of Paradise here right now, and so this is really the first -- begins the first true firefight of Fire Resources in saving people's lives, is on this edge of town here.

Kevin

Wow, okay. And so as it progresses, I would imagine things are getting really hairy.

Garrett

They are. So, our fire is starting to get more and more established into the town, and folks are looking to shelter in place. Temporary refuge areas are starting to be utilized by our fire personnel in gathering up locals and individuals that can't get out, getting them into a safe, clear area such as a parking lot or a large building until the fire front passes, and then they're safe to exit.

Kevin

That is making the hair on my neck stand up. Paradise is completely engulfed.

It is completely surrounded. Garrett

Yeah.

Kevin

Are you no longer fighting this fire and strictly involved with evacuation?

Garrett

Correct. We were strictly in rescuing people and keeping evacuation routes open, and those are the two objectives set by the incident commander of the fire that morning.

Kevin

So let's see this progress over the course of a day. We know it is a fast-moving fire because of these winds and the dry conditions and the time of year.

Garrett

Right, correct.

Kevin

All of our escape routes are now involved.

Garrett

Yep, they're cut off, and so there's a lot of sheltering in place.

Kevin

Wow.

Garrett

This fire has grown substantially.

Kevin

And in terms of how this compares to other fires in California that you guys have either seen or studied, how fast is this moving?

Garrett

It's set the record now. It's off the charts. It was definitely something we've never seen before in California fire history.

Kevin

It is a monster. We are not even 1/2 day, 2/3 day away from when it started back here,

and Paradise is lost. Garrett

Yep.

Kevin

It is a powerful thing to see, so thank you for showing that to us, and thank you for being on duty that day.

Garrett

You betcha, Kevin.

Jenn

In wildfires, embers are the enemies of houses, so here in Paradise, new codes have been designed to keep the fuel for those embers away from the houses. The code is divided into two zones. In zone one, you want to separate trees and shrubs from other flammable items. Remove dead plants, grass, and weeds.

Remove any tree branches that overhang your roof, and keep dead branches at least 10 feet from your chimney. You should prune or remove flammable plants or shrubs near the windows or decks, as well as trim trees to keep branches 10 feet away from other trees. In zone two, you need to create horizontal space between trees and shrubs, keep lawns trimmed down to 4 inches, remove fallen debris from below trees if it's more than 3 inches deep, and remove bottom branches from all large trees 6 feet from the ground. Derek is a local landscaper working at Luke and Crystal's house.

Hey,

Derek. Derek

Hello. How you doing today?

Jenn

Good to see you. So you want to tell us a little bit about planting in defensible spaces?

Derek

Yeah, what we're doing is we're going ahead and spacing the plants out just a little bit father apart.

Jenn

Okay, so they're not touching when they fully grow?

Derek

Exactly,

exactly. Jenn

Alright, and then is there a certain amount of feet you have to plant away from the house?

Derek

Yeah, we want to go ahead and keep the plants away from the house far enough to where when they mature, there's a gap between the plants and the house itself. And then instead of using a bark mulch, we'll end up using a rock mulch so that it's as fireproof as possible.

Jenn

Right, so let's just take a walk around and see what you guys are doing.

Derek

Yeah, they're putting in a drip system.

Jenn

Mm-hmm.

Derek

The drip is going to go ahead and be placed in underneath the rock mulch. There will be emitters at every one of the plants to go ahead and water the plants individually.

Jenn

So maybe like 3 inches down?

Correct. Jenn

Okay. And that'll help conserve the water.

It'll go right to the roots. Derek

Right, right.

Jenn

So, yeah, so that's good.

Derek

Green grass, especially if it's watered, is much more fire-resistant.

Jenn

Okay, so what do you have for trees on site here?

Derek

This is a red maple. It'll grow up to about 25 feet tall, have a 15-foot canopy. The purpose of this tree here is to give us a little bit of shade in the afternoon, protect the house a little bit, but not have a tree that's going to be too big and overbearing, so...

Jenn

Right, and be on top of the house. So, will you have to keep it a certain amount of feet? Is this new that you have to have it further away...

Correct. Jenn

...with the new ordinance?

Derek

Correct, you're going to be at least 15 feet away. 20 feet or 30 feet would be even better. This one's grown for its fall colors. It has a nice canopy on it, real good leaf during the summertime, but in the fall, it has a real nice color.

Jenn

That's a good one in New England, as well. But we don't get to have these in Boston.

Derek

Okay, yeah, and the crepe myrtle is going to give us some beautiful flowers during the summertime.

Jenn

That'll be nice to give the color.

Derek

Yeah,

exactly. Jenn

So, in the Northeast, we try to pull plants off the foundation to keep moisture away from the house. Here, it's a little different.

Derek

We're doing it for fire protection here.

Jenn

Right, so all that fuel gets pulled away from the house, and so I think Luke and Crystal are going to have an amazing new landscape. It's going to be not too bad to maintain,

and it'll just be safer. Derek

It will be. I think they're going to really enjoy it.

Great job. Derek

Hey, thank you very much.

Alright. Take care. Derek

Alright. Bye.

Tom

The last time we saw Bret Wayland, he was showing us techniques that he uses to make houses safe against fire. He also showed us a vent system that closes from the heat. Brandon is going to show us how they work.

Brandon

Hey,

Tom. Tom

Hey, Brandon, how are you?

Brandon

How are you doing?

Tom

Alright. So what do you have here?

Brandon

Well, we have this noncombustible rig that we've set up. It's a simulation of a exterior house and an inside attic.

Tom

Okay, so we have the front wall or the back wall here with a soffit, and that represents the roof.

Brandon

Correct, and what we've done is we've installed a traditional vent on one side and a fire-and-ember-safe vent on the other. And what this has is an intumescent coating over a 1/4-inch honeycomb. When the radiant heat gets to a certain temperature, each one of those individual cells close off, and they create a firewall.

Tom

Really? About how much heat?

Brandon

It's right between 575 and 615 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tom

Wow, that's pretty hot. So the idea of that is to stop the flames from going in under the soffit and coming out into the attic?

Brandon

Correct, and what we have back here is a simulated attic.

Tom

So, I see. The plywood represents the sheathing underneath the roof shingles.

Absolutely. Tom

Alright. Well, let's see how these work.

Brandon

Alright.

Tom

Oh, there it is.

Brandon

Gas is on. We're simulating a wildland fire event. A lot of times, you'll see this happen. When a fire is coming in, it hits the outside of the structure, and then it creates its own little weather pattern.

It starts rolling up the soffit.

Tom

I see the white smoke on that side.

Brandon

There it is. That's the intumescent coating sealing off on each one of those --

Tom

Honeycombs?

Brandon

Honeycombs.

Tom

Closing them up?

Brandon

Correct. What you will see is that because this vent over here is going to create a firewall, so there won't be any oxygen. Over here on this vent, on a traditional vent,

there will be oxygen. Tom

So the fire's getting into the attic?

Brandon

Absolutely.

Tom

Can we see that on the other side?

Brandon

Let's go take a look.

Tom

Oh, wow, look at that.

Brandon

So as you can see, right now in this wildland fire event on this side over here, this has turned into a 1-hour firewall. You're not going to get any flame, zero radiant heat transfer. The home that would have a traditional vent, you're getting flame penetration.

Tom

So you're getting flame right there into the attic under the soffit, and it's going to start -- You can see that sheathing is starting to burn.

Brandon

Correct.

Tom

Wow. That's amazing. Wow, Bret, I was really impressed by the simulation in showing how these vents work in the soffit to stop the embers and the heat from going into the house.

Bret

I couldn't believe it, as well. This is the first time I've seen it actually take place, and I'm really impressed with how they closed off. And we're installing these same vents right here in the foundation. I'd love to show you how these are installed.

Tom

Alright.

Bret

This is that flashing paper that goes on the bottom.

Tom

Yep, same stuff you use around windows and doors.

Bret

Yep, and we just place it right to the bottom of the vent. Okay, and now we'll get the right measurement that we had on the other one.

Tom

Okay.

Watch your fingers. Tom

Yep. Alright. That looks good.

Bret

Yeah, we just got a little bit of blocking to do around each one of these vents from the inside, and they'll be ready for stucco.

Tom

Alright. Great. Thanks.

Kevin

One of the other projects we're following is the Guevaras. Jose and Anna lived right here for 14 years before the fire, and they are determined to come back. So, this is exciting, right?

Yes. Jose

Very, very.

Kevin

How does that feel, to see the progress?

Very exciting. Kevin

Yeah?

Jose

It's awesome.

Kevin

So, let's talk about what was here. Describe the old house to me.

Jose

So, it was about 1,420, 1,430-square-feet-ish estimate, around there, three bedroom, two full bath, living room, kitchen, dining, and kind of a bonus room in the back.

Kevin

Yeah.

Jose

You know, nice, cozy, quaint little house, I mean, we fell in love with it when we moved here 14 1/2 years ago.

Kevin

And, Anna, served your guys' needs for -- You know, kids were raised here, growing up, school,

the whole deal. It all worked. Anna

Yes.

Yep. Kevin

And so what's going in?

Anna

A three-bedroom, two-bath. I'm most excited about the open concept with the kitchen being open, with the bar, you know,

the countertop -- Jose

Peninsula.

Anna

Yeah, to where we can just all gather around that, and then a dining room, so...

Kevin

So, did you enjoy the planning process? Did you enjoy sort of planning the new house, thinking about what it's going to be like when it's rebuilt?

Anna

Yeah, it was exciting, because you get to plan to meet your family's needs and accommodate when we have the family over for holidays.

Kevin

And as you look out right now, what do you see?

Anna

I just see the start of a new beginning and moving forward.

Kevin

Alright. Well, work has begun here in Paradise. We have foundations and fireplaces for two of our homeowners, and next week, Luke and Crystal start checking off their punch list, and that means that moving day isn't far behind. And "This Old House" is going to throw in with the town as they build a new memorial.

All that next week when "This Old House" comes back to Paradise. Next time on "This Old House"...

Jenn

In Paradise, 85 people died in the Camp Fire, so the town plans to honor those who went through the tragedy with a memorial called Hope Plaza.

Man

As you come out of the sanctuary, come back through the fountain, and that opens you back up to Hero Plaza, the community.

Jenn

I think that's incredible.

Tom

And it's time to put these fire-rated shingles on Jose and Anna's roof.