Defensible space
Give a fire less to burn near your buildings
We cut, limb and thin in bands out from the house, shop and outbuildings, and write down what we did.
Clearing near a building reduces the fuel a fire can use. It does not make a property fireproof, and we don't promise an outcome or a lower premium. What we promise is the scope in the estimate, done and photographed.
Add it to a mowing visit, or book it on its own
Written description with photos for your insurer
We chip or haul. We don't burn piles
In bands
Three bands out from the building
The usual guidance works outward in zones. We follow it and adjust for slope, wind and what's on your ground.
Right at the walls
Bare or non-burning ground against the building, and roofs, decks and gutters kept clear of needles and leaves.
Rake needles and leaves from roofs and decks on request
Move firewood and stored items off the walls
The middle band
Grass cut short, shrubs spaced out, and low limbs trimmed off the nearest trees.
Mowed short through fire season
Limbs trimmed up from the ground
The outer band
Brush thinned and dead material cleared, so fire has no continuous path of fuel toward the building.
Brush thinned, not clear-cut
Chipped on site or hauled
What we won't do
Plain limits
We don't say clearing lowers your insurance or protects a house in a fire. We don't cut trees near a creek or on a steep bank without talking through it first. We don't burn piles, and we won't cut what you want left.
Ask your insurer what they want to see
Ask your county fire district about rules where you live
Questions
Defensible space questions
Does clearing around my house lower my insurance?
We can't say. Check with your insurer, and ask what they want to see. We will write up exactly what was cleared and where, with photos, to hand them.
Do you burn brush piles?
No. Burning needs a permit and the rules change with the season and the district, so we chip, haul or leave a pile for you to deal with. The estimate says which.
What happens at the estimate?
One of us walks the ground with you, marks gates, wells, fences, wet spots and what stays, measures what is being cut, and takes photos. The written estimate comes after, with the scope, the machines, where the cuttings go and what is not included.
Before fire season
Walk the buildings with us
We look at the house, the outbuildings and the ground around them, then write up the scope.