“Our #1 goal is to get clients rebuilt and back home and back to business. To do that, we communicate with all parties honestly and transparently to ensure stakeholders are aware and comfortable with project plans”
— John Farrow, President
In the 2017 Northern California fires, Farrow team members and friends and neighbors suffered significant losses. Farrow shifted the business back home to Sonoma County to be a resource to the community. Three years later, with nearly 100 homes and businesses rebuilt, we are ready to put our experience and expertise to work for anyone seeking assistance in the process of recovery and rebuilding.
Insurance Expertise
Since working with many insurance companies, we have a team fluent in insurance vernacular and processes. Engage Farrow early for help with coordinating policies with rebuilding goals. We are pleased to work in tandem with owners and insurance underwriters to synchronize policy limits with rebuilding goals to establish budgets and identify critical path timing.
“After natural disasters like wildfires, high winds, floods and earthquakes, builders must focus on serving clients, while navigating the complexity of constrained resources, municipal codes, and insurance requirements. I worked with multiple builders after the 2017 Tubbs fire and discovered that none were as detailed and disciplined as Farrow Construction. Farrow asked the right questions regarding insurance to help owners make rebuilding decisions that fit their needs as well as their insurance policy limits and rebuilding budgets. Farrow communicated updates weekly to ensure we had the necessary documentation to continue to support our mutual clients. We have seen excellent results from the rebuilds that Farrow has been involved with.”
— Jeff Young, insurance adjuster
Fire-Resistant Building
Fire-resistant building is about safeguarding homes and businesses and gaining precious time. That is time to gather, prepare, evacuate and allow for firefighters to respond.
The loss and rebuilding process is emotional and complex and choosing the right partners can set your project up for a successful recovery. We are a service and building partner to home owners, commercial property owners, and insurance companies. With fire-resistant building, you can live and work in high-risk areas with greater peace of mind. We can help you get home.
Here are some of the fire-resistant technologies deployed for Farrow clients:
What You See:
What you don’t see:
Steel Framing
Homes are constructed with light gauge metal framing. Benefits include the following:
- Steel is non-combustible so provides no means for a fire to start or spread and does not contribute to smoke and toxic combustion
- Steel-framed buildings lower fire risks by slowing the spread of flames in a building and maintaining the integrity of the structure
- Steel is unsusceptible to rot, mold, and mildew
- Steel is impervious to termites and other damage causing pests
- Steel is straight and does not bow, twist, cup, split, or warp over time
- Steel-framed buildings tend to cost less to insure
Metal Roofing
A few benefits of metal roofing include:
- Metal roofs are non-combustible, they will never catch fire
- Dissipate electric charges from lightning strikes, providing far more protection than the typical wire lightning rods on other roof types
- Property insurance can be discounted on structures with metal roofs
- Requires very little maintenance
- Durable and long lasting; they will not rot, split, crack, leak, etc.
- Shave as much as 25% off annual energy bills and reduce energy waste.
- Easily integrated with PV solar panels to take energy efficiency to the next level of energy production
Conditioned Crawlspaces
Crawl spaces are constructed as an unvented conditioned space with closed-cell spray foam insulation applied on the inside of the stem walls and a concrete rat slab on the crawl space floor. The benefits of this system include:
- Sealed crawl spaces and attics are more fire resistant by eliminating internal access to flying sparks and embers
- Up to 18% energy savings compared to a house with a vented spaces
- Comfortable temperatures are maintained with a designated supply and return air
- The crawl space is sealed, conditioned, and dry, which minimizes the potential for mold, mildew, and pest problems
- The concrete rat slab floor helps to keep your crawl space clean
- Closed cell spray foam insulation provides a higher fire-resistant rating and is more energy efficient to maintain ideal temperatures
Conditioned Attics
Attics are constructed as a sealed, semi-conditioned space with open-cell spray foam insulation applied in between trusses to the underside of the roof sheathing. Benefits include the following:
- 10% energy savings compared to a house with a vented attic
- Removing roof vents improves fire resistance by making the attic space impervious to flying sparks and embers
- The attic is maintained at a more comfortable temperature
Stucco Exteriors
Homes are stuccoed with a 3-coat, acrylic system that contains crack isolation, a medium smooth finish, and integrated color system.
- Extremely fire resistant
- Requires very little maintenance
- Does not require painting
- Durable and long lasting
- Resistant to rot, mold, and mildew
- Resistant to termite and other pest infestations
- More resistant to cracking and peeling than traditional Portland cement stucco
- Repels water and retains its vibrant color better than traditional Portland cement stucco
Fire Sprinklers and Alarm
All homes are equipped with automatic fire sprinkler systems.
- In the event fire does make its way into the house, a fire sprinkler and alarm system will activate which has proven to be very successful at preventing a total loss of the home and its contents
- The alarm bell is located outside so that it will effectively warn surrounding neighbors of the fire
- Sprinkler systems have a dedicated water pressure gauge and prioritize water supply, if they are triggered
- Garage or warehouse sprinklers ensure the entire structure is protected
- Interior sprinklers are embedded in the ceiling to enhance aesthetics and provide the same amount of fire safety as standard sprinklers
Fire Rated Windows
All windows are tempered. Benefits include the following:
- Windows clad in steel offer the most fire-resistant framing material.
- It takes twice as much heat energy to break a dual pane tempered window as it does to break a dual pane annealed window. In other words, during a fire, a tempered window is much better at keeping the outside envelope of the house intact, therefore keeping the fire from getting into the house
Battery Backup Garage Doors
All garage doors openers have a battery backup power supply so in the event of a power outage, garage doors can be operated normally
Fire-Resistant Landscaping
Landscaping is designed to be fire tolerant by:
- Minimizing grass and brush that can easily dry up and become tinder
- Use of weed barrier to minimize the growth of weeds
- Careful selection of drought resistant plants
“I am very grateful for you, John, and your excellent construction company. Before the fire, we had old, tired, and dated homes and as we found out, they were combustible too. Every single one of our 46 homes burned completely in 5–7 minutes each, like tinderboxes. After the fire, I cannot thank you enough for my beautiful, fire resistant, state-of-the-art custom home. To quote my neighbors, “John wouldn’t know how to build anything other than a well-built beautiful home.”
– Miriam Norman
