KB Home Unveils Its First ‘Fire-Resilient’ Community in California

KB Home’s New Wildfire-Resilient Neighborhood in Escondido, California

Just months after raging wildfires destroyed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area, California-based KB Home is unveiling what it calls its first "wildfire-resilient" community.

What Makes These Homes So Resilient?

The development, in Escondido, just outside San Diego, will have 64 single-family homes when completed that all meet the wildfire resilience standards developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). These standards are designed to protect the homes against the three major sources of ignition during a wildfire: flying embers, flames, and radiant heat. The homes are built with covered gutters, enclosed eaves, noncombustible siding, tempered-glass windows, and non-combustible patios, doors, and roofing. They also incorporate defensible space with low-combustible vegetation at least 5 feet from the homes. Metal fencing is used throughout the neighborhood.

A Research and Development Project

Steve Ruffner, regional general manager of KB Home’s coastal division, said he and his colleagues saw a fire-resistant home demonstration by IBHS at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference last summer and were impressed by the opportunity this type of community presented. Since KB Home had already broken ground on the development, they had to change gears quickly to incorporate the fire-resilient components.

"We had to change the architecture on the fly to a more stucco-oriented architecture with fire-resistant shutters, or fire-free shutters and doors and tempered windows. We were able to do that really quickly with the city, because they wanted to work with us. They really understood that this was important for their city," Ruffner said.

Costs and Affordability

The homes range from $1 million to the low millions, which tends to be a move-up price in that area for single-family, detached homes. Ruffner called it more of a research and development project to see what the costs might be and how to work with trade partners to lower that cost, although he wouldn’t say how much those costs increased.

A New Era in Home Building

As climate change causes more severe drought in more areas of the country, focus is shifting to fire-resistant homes and communities. During the Palisades Fire in January, some homes that had been specifically built to fire-resistant standards remained unscathed while everything around them was destroyed. These types of homes, however, are largely one-offs by custom builders. There has been progress in California on a home-by-home basis, but KB Home is the first big production builder in the country that has designed and is fully building out 64 homes all to meet the wildfire-prepared neighborhood standard.

Conclusion

KB Home’s new wildfire-resilient neighborhood in Escondido, California, is a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation and customer safety. As the threat of wildfires continues to loom over many communities, KB Home is leading the way in building homes that can withstand the devastation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What makes these homes so resilient?
A: The homes in the new neighborhood meet the wildfire resilience standards developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), which are designed to protect homes against the three major sources of ignition during a wildfire.

Q: How much do these homes cost?
A: The homes range from $1 million to the low millions, which tends to be a move-up price in that area for single-family, detached homes.

Q: Will these homes be entirely risk-free?
A: No, while these homes are designed to be fire-resistant, they are not entirely risk-free. Homeowners and cities will need to make changes when it comes to non-combustible landscaping, elevations, and design.