bkshopr_IHB
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As we are searching for our perfect house we often select function being the most important factor. I have always emphasized the aesthetic component as the vital essentials. Aesthetic often relates to how big the home should be in proportion to its land. I posted in the past about these rule of proportion. Front, side and rear yard setback are not only important in providing privacy but it can save your life in the event of a neighborhood fire like the tragic one we have witnessed in Yorba Linda. The homes spared from flame were homes with ample distance from the neighbors.
My rule of ? the vertical building height is a good guide for side yards. In theory the distance between 2 structures should be the average heights of the 2 homes. For example most homes are 26? tall then the distance between 2 homes should be 26? and the side yards for both are 13? each. As the wind gust are the strongest through the path of open street the front setback is also just as important in preventing fire jumping across the street and likewise across the backyards. The most vulnerable place of fire ignition and gain its entry into the home is the largest combustible openings and typically through the garage openings then the windows below the wood eaves. Wood or metal garage doors make no difference in withstanding the heat. The higher number or wider openings the weaker the line of fire defense against fire entry.
Have you ever built a storage shelf or bookcase? We all have experience the wobble shelves and vertical supports when the structure did not have a solid backing or an ?x? brace. In the event of an earthquake the places of failure are the volume space and garage door openings. Tall un-braced wall in a volume space is the weaker spot. It is like building a bookcase without the middle shelves and the structure is totally weak.
The worse and the weakest spot of the entire house is the garage openings. One car opening is stronger than the 2 car opening. 3 car garages are the weakest of all the structure due to the lack of a shear wall(s) flanking the openings. Shear wall width must be ? the width of the building height. For example the wall from the ground to the roof is 9? the shear walls must be 4-1/2 wide anchoring the both sides of the garage door openings. In a 2 story wall 19? tall the shear walls must be 9-1/2? at both sides of the garages unless other drastic remedial structural measured is augmented.
Aesthetic often deals with graceful composition and is often taking in account of what is visually structurally sounds and balance proportion. In the Northridge and other earthquakes most structural failure was at the garage. Building code classified the garage as a different assembly and forbids habitable activities other than transitioning in and out of the vehicles. In the event of an earthquake garage is the most susceptible to collapse, fire from sheared gas line in the garage water heater and carbon monoxide poisoning from loose vent ducts.
<img src="http://www.smate.wwu.edu/teched/geology/GeoHaz/eq-Loma2/eq-CA-Loma2-09.JPG " alt="" />
My rule of ? the vertical building height is a good guide for side yards. In theory the distance between 2 structures should be the average heights of the 2 homes. For example most homes are 26? tall then the distance between 2 homes should be 26? and the side yards for both are 13? each. As the wind gust are the strongest through the path of open street the front setback is also just as important in preventing fire jumping across the street and likewise across the backyards. The most vulnerable place of fire ignition and gain its entry into the home is the largest combustible openings and typically through the garage openings then the windows below the wood eaves. Wood or metal garage doors make no difference in withstanding the heat. The higher number or wider openings the weaker the line of fire defense against fire entry.
Have you ever built a storage shelf or bookcase? We all have experience the wobble shelves and vertical supports when the structure did not have a solid backing or an ?x? brace. In the event of an earthquake the places of failure are the volume space and garage door openings. Tall un-braced wall in a volume space is the weaker spot. It is like building a bookcase without the middle shelves and the structure is totally weak.
The worse and the weakest spot of the entire house is the garage openings. One car opening is stronger than the 2 car opening. 3 car garages are the weakest of all the structure due to the lack of a shear wall(s) flanking the openings. Shear wall width must be ? the width of the building height. For example the wall from the ground to the roof is 9? the shear walls must be 4-1/2 wide anchoring the both sides of the garage door openings. In a 2 story wall 19? tall the shear walls must be 9-1/2? at both sides of the garages unless other drastic remedial structural measured is augmented.
Aesthetic often deals with graceful composition and is often taking in account of what is visually structurally sounds and balance proportion. In the Northridge and other earthquakes most structural failure was at the garage. Building code classified the garage as a different assembly and forbids habitable activities other than transitioning in and out of the vehicles. In the event of an earthquake garage is the most susceptible to collapse, fire from sheared gas line in the garage water heater and carbon monoxide poisoning from loose vent ducts.
<img src="http://www.smate.wwu.edu/teched/geology/GeoHaz/eq-Loma2/eq-CA-Loma2-09.JPG " alt="" />
