This is a house designed several years ago for Ojai, California. It’s important to note that this is a hot dry climate in a wildfire area.
Part of the objective was to design a simple, efficient, easy to build home that takes some lessons from prefabricated homes. I often meet with people who are interested in the idea of prefabricated homes only to find out that it’s not always the best solution. For several reasons, including prefabricated homes are not designed site specifically and they are very difficult to change from the standard format. so this exercise was to design something that could be built in this area on a lot facing south with the advantage of being simple and inexpensive to build.
The house faces south and has a large overhanging roof which shades the property. This is passive solar design. Additionally the house would have a solar array on the south-facing roof on top. The house is built with a concrete slab on grade design and standard “stick” or wood frame which is the standard in most of the USA. The concrete is also the finished floor. The outdoors is used ase outdoor living area. The garage, a building code requirement at the time, is intended to be used as a studio or guest room instead of an actual garage.
View from the deck of my Ojai home on the morning of December 5 2017 as the Thomas Fire roared down the south side of Sulphur Mountain into Ventura. Two days later, the fire cam around the other , North, side of town.
If you haven’t lived through a wildfire it’s impossible to imagine. Hurricane force “Santa Ana” winds – combine with a spark and quickly become a horrifying, mesmerizing, surreal experience ravaging death and destruction. I just missed the age where I could have gone to the war in Vietnam and I imagine the dropping of napalm might be a similar horror.
From the white paper created by Steven Kolter – the experts agree the west is going to burn – all off it – in the next 5 – 20 years!
A Solutions-First Approach: Forest + Fire
By Steven Kotler
“Sometimes you’re up shit’s creek with a paddle.” —George Carlin
This is a story about fire and forests and possibility in the American West. It is a story of community, culture, opportunity, and innovation. It’s the tale of an entire bio-region coming together to take a stand against long odds—and winning.
The No-BS Problem
The American West is going to burn. It’s that simple. All the experts agree—and this never happens. Except it happened here. And their conclusion is that nearly every acre of forest in the West is going up in smoke over the next ten years.
Actually, there’s some disagreement. Most experts say ten years. A few say twenty years. But think about what this actually means—by the end of the 2030s, vast swatches of the American West will be denuded of trees, empty of animals, and a charred hunk of its former self. And if you live in the American West, unless your house is fire-proof, there’s a good chance your house will be gone as well.
What all the studies show is that once cataclysmic forest fires start, they don’t stop for over a decade, until all the fuel is consumed. These fires have already started. In California alone, over the past five years, twelve of the largest wildfires in history have been recorded. In 2020, two fires roared clear across the Sierra Nevada mountain range—a feat once considered impossible. By 2025, the problem had become a cataclysm. The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County claimed 27 lives, destroyed over 12,000 structures, and caused untold billions in losses.
And the same is true all over the West.
Already, the destruction is immense. Between 2020 and 2024, wildfires in the American West caused an estimated $70-$150 billion in damages per year, including uninsured losses and health-related costs. The 2025 LA fires added another $250 billion to the total. Additionally, wildfire smoke is ten times as toxic as normal air pollution, leading to immediate spikes in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and longer-term issues with cancer.
These healthcare costs don’t include the psychological toll of fire. Whole communities are now dealing with PTSD. Everybody is suffering. And just in case you thought someone was coming to save us….
It’s worth pointing out that despite the incredible work of all of the various agencies who fight fires and protect forests in the American West, everyone involved is so under-funded and over-stressed that prisoners being paid $4 an hour are working the front fire lines—and even those crews are stretched thin.
Change our thinking?
Maybe we need to rethink how we build our homes… We have essentially been building the same way for 200 years – wood frame construction, vented roofs and basements in crowded subdivisions.
Conventional Design ? – Make it better
Many new requirements are already included in the ever changing building codes. “Wildfire areas” require tempered glass on all windows, no exposed flammable materials – such and wood shingles or even exposed rafter tails – any exterior lumber must be of a minimal dimension of 4x (more difficult to burn). Roofs must be Class A fire resistant.
Clearance zones are required – with minimal flammable area
But is this enough? Look at the Pacific Palisades or the Paradise fires in California where entire neighborhoods were obliterated – 1,000’s of homes.
What about concrete homes?
ICF – Insulated Concrete Forms – are a great way to build in a high fire area. The material has been around a long time – easy for concrete contractors to adapt to even if they haven’t used them before. Although not seen as much in warm climates, ICF is a common technique in colder climates.
After the Tea Fire in Santa Barbara, which burned 210 homes, several were rebuilt using concrete.
Your design has to take into account the thick walls. The house in the video below has 15 inch thick walls. The 2017 Thomas Fire burned right over the house. Zero damage!
What about partial earth sheltering?
You might think this is crazy! And it is if you are a conventional thinker, but what if you take some of these ideas and modernize them – a hybrid design – by tucking a part of your home into a hill you can create a lot of advantages.
Excuse the primitive videos – they were created almost 20 years ago.
California Building Code was substantially changed in 2008 to add wildfire area building requirements. Click Here
What is your risk?
Of course before you can figure out the best strategy to build or fortify your home, you need to understand the unique risks for your property… Am I in the path of “Santa Ana” wind events? What type of neighborhood and how close are the houses? Is there wildland or large areas of brush upwind from your home? Are you on a hillside?
Check out the build of this beautiful contemporary, Spanish style home. This is new construction from the ground up. The old small house was removed to build this one.
This beautiful 1915, Spanish style home in Santa Monica, California, had beautiful bones but was woefully underbuilt – especially by today’s standards. Watch as the entire house is gutted to the studs – and even half of those were rotten – and built into a fabulous new home. This project actually includes new construction – a pool house – as well as the gut remodel of the main house.
One of my favorite homes ever! The house, designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1978, is owned by the City of Pasadena and operated by the University of Southern California School of Architecture. The Gamble House is open for public, docent-led tours and for specialty tours and programs.
I’ve been at least 9 times! Not only is it a spectacular house but walking inside is like being inside of an antique cabinet. The woodworking is extraordinary.
Cabinets – always an important, significant and detail filled area of home building. An architect friend of mine once did 12 pages – full size 24 x 36 inch old school hand drawn – on cabinets for one project. Some designers only supply the simplest line drawings with almost no detail – other provide a great deal. Furthermore, the cabinet maker should provide detailed drawings prior to construction.
The “Skinny House” is an idea taken from looking at various pre-fab homes, in particular the high concept, prefabricated Glide House, designed by Michelle Kaufmann. Working with clients over the years, many had seen interesting prefabricated homes in Dwell Magazine and other online architectural place. The idea of having a home built in a factory – better working conditions – better quality – cheaper prices etc – is a hot appeal.
The Glide House
The plan below is an idea that uses many of the concepts of a prefabricated home but a bit bigger and using the garage as a “flex space.” Many people prefer using their garage as a studio, office or other use.
One of the ideas of the “Skinny House” is to incorporate outdoors living space.
Keep construction simple to keep costs down … simple but elegant!
Incorporate solar power …
Often times, after researching the true costs with infrastructure, foundations etc, the actual costs of prefabricated homes are the same or more than building the home on site. A site built home design has much more freedom to be “tweaked” to fit the site. Many options, levels of quality and design exist, but most prefabricated homes are based on components – usually 16 feet wide – that can be transported by truck.
Below – some additional ideas for floor plans.
Prefabricated home companies have been around for years. You mostly know them as trailer park homes. Many of these companies have not evolved past the ugly boxy designs you have seen. A bunch of new companies have come and gone such as Michelle Kaufmann’s Glidehouse. It seems to be – so far – a serious challenge to create the “iHouse” design for homes. A design that works everywhere – works well – is priced well and deliverable everywhere.
Building a home in remote areas ups the ante for challenges and cost. This house located at 2700 feet above sea level on the south range of the mountains of the Ojai Valley has amazing views of the Topa Topa mountains to the North and the mighty Pacific on the South.
Just getting people to the job is a challenge – Google, smart phones and even maps don’t accurately show the property. With the 100’s of trade contractors, inspectors, delivery drivers, etc. getting people to the job is a chore itself.
We had to install our own street sign – which was later mysteriously removed !
Roadways, grading, drainage, utilities have to travel up a 1700 foot long driveway. Rules and regulations also get more challenging from the building department, the fire department and all of the other agencies that get involved in the permitting.
But you just can’t beat it! Views of the Channel Islands of Santa Barbara.
Feel Free to copy, share, or re post this article. Kindly make sure to include this information: Written by Otis Bradley, a Custom Home Builder, in Southern California. Please see OtisBradley.com for more information on Custom Home Building!
