45 replies to this topic

[mrdavex]

Actually, that would be a thatched roof
:

Shake roofs are for medieval huts in snowy gnome and hobbit inhabited forests.

[Steve Heard]

so, just out of curiousity: are there any ordinances or rules or something that certain geographic locations must build with or not with certain types of roofing shingles?

Honestly, when a fire does get that hot, would it really make a difference?

Some areas may have rules against them, but not here. It is a bad choice for roofing material not only because of the fire danger, but because they deteriorate with exposure so sun, rain, and wind and become unsightly, brittle, and prone to leakage.

It's wood, and with exposure to the elements, pretty dry wood, perfect for fires.

Asphalt/comp shingles, ceramic and concrete are all better, less flammable materials.

[supermom]

to Mr. D..
Thats actually very cute. I have been thinking about building a shed and putting a living roof on it. Very intersting designs I have seen so far

[gbfolsom]

When I was house hunting my realtor wisely steered me away from homes with wood shake roofs as they are hard to insure. It was not something I would have even thought about on my own.

[The Average Joe]

Shake roofs are a bad choice all the way around. They don't last, are extremely fire prone, and expensive to replace/insure. Many areas of SoCal ban them as the slightest spark with set them off. I'm surprised no one mentioned bottle rocket as a possible ignition source. It happened all the time in SoCal around the 4th of July. I would never own a shake roof house. Lifetime tile is your best bet, but the roof structure has to be engineered to handle the weight (those things are HEAVY!)
I feel bad for the family though. Fire is horrible as you lose everything. Even if the fire doesn't destroy it, the water damage will. So sad, but at least they were safe.

[caligirlz]

The majority of the roofs in the town I grew up, Visalia, have shake roofs, and the summertime temps are way hotter than Folsom. As I remember, many of the houses in the older elite neighborhoods had shake roofs. I think shake is the standard in certain markets and in houses of an older vintage.

I'm sort of surprised that a new home in Folsom would have shake, especially in the more upscale neighborhoods.

[nomad]

Shake roofs are a bad choice all the way around. They don't last, are extremely fire prone, and expensive to replace/insure. Many areas of SoCal ban them as the slightest spark with set them off. I'm surprised no one mentioned bottle rocket as a possible ignition source. It happened all the time in SoCal around the 4th of July. I would never own a shake roof house. Lifetime tile is your best bet, but the roof structure has to be engineered to handle the weight (those things are HEAVY!)
I feel bad for the family though. Fire is horrible as you lose everything. Even if the fire doesn't destroy it, the water damage will. So sad, but at least they were safe.

DING DING DING DING!!!!!

[cw68]

seriously though, how does a fire start in a roof? I cant imagine it being lint as someone suggested. its a two story house. the vent would come off a wall and vent outside the house. I could see maybe a fireplace but then, its not really cold enough the other day. I imagine it could be electrical, but that would be incredibly bad luck. That house looks close to new. I saw in the news that the firemen had to pull back on trying to save the house, at one point, because of exploding ammunition. That's bad luck. Well, regardless, it must be truly devastating to the family that owns that home. I hope they will be able to rebuild. Such a beautiful home.

seriously though, how does a fire start in a roof? I cant imagine it being lint as someone suggested. its a two story house. the vent would come off a wall and vent outside the house. I could see maybe a fireplace but then, its not really cold enough the other day. I imagine it could be electrical, but that would be incredibly bad luck. That house looks close to new. I saw in the news that the firemen had to pull back on trying to save the house, at one point, because of exploding ammunition. That's bad luck. Well, regardless, it must be truly devastating to the family that owns that home. I hope they will be able to rebuild. Such a beautiful home.

The two-story home I owned in Folsom had a first-floor laundry room that vented through the roof. A house just a few blocks away had a significant fire that started in the dryer exhaust. That's why I thought of it. Could be a number of things, though.

[ducky]

New homes in Folsom DO NOT have shake. The homes where the fire started is in Lexington Hills neighborhood

of Folsom and are at least 20-25 years old...

 

You are right.  It's listed in Zillow as built in 1990.  Nomad, it's also listed as 1 story.

 

If shakes are treated, how long does it last?

[supermom]

We should wait to hear what really happened before speculating.

 

 

DING DING DING DING!!!!!

I thought we were waiting?..... Did the official status change?

[supermom]

 

You are right.  It's listed in Zillow as built in 1990.  Nomad, it's also listed as 1 story.

 

If shakes are treated, how long does it last?

According to this article, they can last up to 30 years when in prime weather and conditioned well.

 

http://owic.oregonst...maintenance.pdf

 

 

I didnt know you can condition your roof top. Pretty interesting information

[camay2327]

Our home is a single story and our furnace is in the attic.  It is a gas furnace so I could see something going wrong with

a furnace thereby starting a fire??

[MikeinFolsom]

I think the UBC was changed in 2008 to read that all eaves needed to be finished now as well.  Embers can float under any type of roofing into the small eave vents and start an exposure fire. 

[caligirlz]

New homes in Folsom DO NOT have shake. The homes where the fire started is in Lexington Hills neighborhood
of Folsom and are at least 20-25 years old...

Oops I did not realize the home was older, or in Lexington Hills.

[SacKen]

The big fire in South Lake Tahoe a few years ago was a good study of shake vs tiles. Driving through the neighborhoods was eerie as homes with tile roofs were standing untouched while everything around them was burned to ashes. Lots of old homes/cabins in that area with shake roofs. Everywhere we saw a home that survived, it had a tile roof.