Your Real Estate Expert for Berkeley and Beyond
“Marilyn is exceptional. Her knowledge base, enthusiasm for her job, professional ethics, organization, sensitivity to our aesthetic requirements, loyalty and gentle perseverance set her apart.”
-- Bill and Carol Seidel
Marilyn Garcia, PhD
Broker Associate, Realtor®
DRE# 02014153
District Homes
1758 Solano Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94707
Direct:
(510) 390-5406
Mesh Matters
One useful home hardening step most homeowners can take is also one of the simpler ones: covering vents, gutters, and the open space under decks with ember-resistant metal mesh. Metal mesh and gutter guards help keep embers from entering and igniting your home — a common way homes catch fire, often well before any fire front arrives. This matters for safety, and increasingly for insurability, as insurers look more closely at home hardening when assessing risk. It’s increasingly relevant for resale too, since buyers are paying closer attention to insurability and fire mitigation when evaluating a home.
If you’re in a high fire risk zone, you may not even need to buy the mesh. Berkeley Fire’s Home Hardening Mesh Program provides free metal mesh and gutter guard materials sized for vent mesh, gutter guards, and deck screening to eligible residents. Check the program page to see if your address qualifies:
www.berkeleyfiresafe.org/programs/home-hardening-mesh-program
If you’re not eligible, the mesh is fairly inexpensive and widely available — the value of this program is mainly in pointing toward what works. Either way, you’re responsible for installation. The Wildfire Defense Mesh website, linked from the program page, offers guidance on measuring, vent types, and installation, including a list of installers familiar with the work.
Whether you get the materials free or buy your own, adding fire-resistant mesh is a relatively small, manageable project that adds to your home’s overall resilience.
