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How to Keep Your Trees and Yard Healthy to Prevent Fire Damage

In light of the devastating wildfires that have ravaged their way across Southern California in recent weeks, we would like to take some time to discuss how you can protect your home and property from fire damage. For instance, certain kinds of defensive landscaping can go a long way toward keeping your home and family safe. Below, we will take a look at how exactly that works. 

What is defensive landscaping? 
Defensive landscaping utilizes judicious selection and placement of plants to strategically decrease the damage that may be caused by wildfire or other types of destructive fire damage. It also involves maintaining the health of trees and bushes and eliminating debris so that fires are less likely to quickly take to a property if nearby. This can go a long way toward keeping your home safe and minimizing the disastrous effects of a fire. Main principles of defensive landscaping include: 

• Planting with fire resistance in mind 
• Clearing flammable debris 
• Strategically placing landscaping materials 
• Maintaining the health of current plants 

Is this kind of landscaping unattractive? 
When you hear words like defensive or fire resistant, you might begin to conjure up images of rusty metal, cold concrete slabs, or sharp rock beds. Actually, defensive landscaping can be just as attractive as any kind of landscaping, if not more so. It simply utilizes the placement of plants to keep you and your home safer. Lush green plants and trees are much more fire resistant than wide open spaces or dead and dried out foliage. Many methods of defensive landscaping may actually wind up making a yard more aesthetically pleasing.

Maintaining Your Yard 
Beginning the process of fireproofing your yard is easier than you may think. For the most part, good maintenance is all you need. You’ll want to maintain your yard and trees and keep them as healthy as possible. Additional strategic planting and placement of plants can also be helpful. It’s also a good idea to remove unwanted debris like dead leaves and branches. 

How to Protect Your Trees
Maintaining the health of your trees is an important first step. For the most part, mature trees can fend for themselves. You can help protect them by keeping root systems safe and trimming away dead branches. Mulching regularly is also wise. 

• Mulch Regularly 
Mulching around the base of your trees is important. Mulch helps your trees maintain proper levels of moisture. It can also add key nutrients to the soil, depending on the kind of mulch you use. Apply one to four inches of mulch around the base of each tree. Start an inch away from the trunk and extend mulch all the way to the drip line of the under the branches. Repeat every few months or whenever you see mulch drying out or blowing away. 

• Don’t Over Fertilize 
Mature trees don’t need all that much fertilizer. Fertilizer can contain a lot of moisture, and too much moisture can actually be bad for trees. In addition to this, fertilizer can be flammable. 

• Protect Root Systems 
A root system is the lifeline of a tree. Many kinds of root damage are accidental. For instance, did you know that parking under a tree can damage its roots? Vehicles compact soil and thus may hinder root function. It’s also important to watch where you dig. 

For more tips on strategic planting and other defensive methods to prevent the spread of wildfires, follow this link. 

ReBLDing Can Help

ReBLDing can help restore communities that have gone through hard times caused by the wildfires. If you need help maintaining your yard, planting defensively, or repairing fire damage that’s already been done, don’t stress. We are here to help. 

ReBLDing has an extensive database of industry professionals that can assist you with essentially everything and anything in the housing industry. We can help you find the contractor services that you’re looking for. Our user-friendly interface allows you to track communications between contractors, see the status of current jobs, get fair estimates, and much more. If you need contractor services of any kind, you can count on ReBLDing to simplify the entire process from start to finish. In times of uncertainty, ReBLDing will help you find professionals that you can trust in an environment that puts you at ease.

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Top Ways to Rebuild and Restore After a Wildfire

California residents know wildfires better than nearly anyone. This is especially true this time of year, when fire damage repair is essential. Here at ReBLDing, we know that dealing with the damage caused by a wildfire feels like a daunting and difficult process. There are a few things that you can do to minimize the stress caused by this kind of catastrophe as you begin to make the necessary repairs to rebuild your home. Let’s take a look at a few ways to approach rebuilding your home and your life after a wildfire.

An Overwhelming Task: Where to Start

As you return from an evacuation and begin assessing the damage to your home, you may feel a bit overwhelmed. This is perfectly normal; having a game plan in effect will help you find a good place to begin the entire fire damage repair process. We suggest taking a look at the following tips and suggestions and applying them to your unique situation so that you can begin to form a sound restoration plan. 

Safety First

Play it safe. Before re-entering your home, it’s a good idea to check for damage and asses danger from the outside of your home. Look for signs of possible danger on the exterior of your house and on or around the boundaries of your property. Here are a few signs of hazard to look for as you return to your residence after an evacuation. 

Before Going Inside:

• Hot spots – Check the ground for hot spots, smoldering foliage or stumps, or vegetation that may still be burning. 
• Roof damage – Look for sparks, embers, or loose wires that may have been disconnected during the fire. 
• Property stability – If your home has been burned, do not re-enter it until you know that it’s structurally sound. 

After Entering Your Home:

• Hidden sparks – Check your attic or upstairs for embers or hidden sparks. 
• Interior damage – Look for fire damage throughout your home. Turn off your appliances and check your meter for damage before turning on the main circuit breaker. 
• Well or pump house damage – Make sure that these systems are in working order. 

Asses and Document the Damage

Once you know that your property is safe enough to re-enter and authorities have given the go ahead, it’s time to assess and document your losses. Go from room to room and look for signs of fire damage. Take photographs of anything that you find immediately. This way, if you choose to file a claim, you’ll be able to ensure that nothing gets overlooked. 

Should You File a Claim?

Determining if you should file a claim will be your next step. Most homeowner’s insurance policies will cover sudden losses that aren’t otherwise excluded from your policy. Before calling your insurance company, be aware of your rights and policy prior to your home fire repair process. 

• Review your entire policy 
• Understand what coverages will be afforded 
• Request pertinent policy information 
• Determine a course of action 

Call your insurance company to find out what deductibles may be available to you. Decide if the amount of damage and loss will be worth filing a claim. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of submitting an insurance claim beforehand. 

Obtain Fire Damage Repair Estimates and Find a Contractor

We have good news! ReBLDing can assist you throughout both of these processes. We can help you find contractors who are skilled in fire damage repair and obtain fair repair estimates, and much more. Common areas of damage to a home after a wildfire include: 

• Roof 
• Structure 
• Siding 
• Windows 
• Appliances 
• Interior of a home 
• Plumbing and heating systems 
• Landscaping 

We have skilled professionals in our system that are experts in all of these areas and more fire damage repair services. 

At ReBLDing, we help minimize the stress of your rebuilding process; our contractors and fully licensed fire damage repair specialists are ready to help you get your life back on track. Our unique interface allows you to follow your home fire repair progress from start to finish while obtaining competitive estimates and secure communications with the contractor or specialist of your choice. 

A Bright Future

Rebuilding after a wildfire can feel overwhelming. Knowing where to start and how to find reliable repair specialists with www.reblding.com can make things easier. Apart from making the repairs that are needed, consider adding fireproof landscaping to your property. You may even want to consider asking your contractor about making innovative additions to your home that can help to protect it from possible fires in the future. With a solid game plan and help from ReBLDing, you can get your home repaired and your life back quickly and easily.Post a job on ReBLDing to start restoring your home today. For more ReBLDing tips, visit our blog!