Best Fireproof Home Designs to Survive a Wildfire

Build a wildfire-resistant home with fireproof designs. Learn about fire-resistant materials, smart construction techniques, and home-hardening strategies from WFCA.

Disclaimer: While no home can be completely fireproof, many homeowners and citizens commonly use the term “fireproofing” when referring to fire-resistant practices. For clarity and accessibility, we have used this term throughout the article, though the more accurate term is “fire resistance.”

Importance of Incorporating Fireproof Home Designs into New Builds

Utilizing fire-resistant materials and features can greatly improve a home’s ability to withstand a wildfire. Fireproofing a home helps keep people and property safe by reducing the spread of wildfire and the severity of damage. New home-hardening materials and techniques are continually being developed and have been effective at preventing damage from wildfires when used in home-building.

Key Features of Fireproof Home Designs

Many fire-resistant materials and home hardening techniques can be applied to multiple areas in home construction, including roofing, vents, windows, insulation, and landscaping.

Fire-Resistant Roofing

• Fiberglass-based asphalt shingles are highly fire-resistant and are a very common material among homes in the U.S.
• Recycled rubber tiles are also very fire resistant when used with an appropriate barrier.
• Metal roof tiles are noncombustible and can reach a Class A fire rating when installed over a fire-resistant underlayment.
• Clay tiles are noncombustible as well, but must have any openings sealed to prevent embers from entering.
• Slate is naturally noncombustible and has a Class A fire rating, but is one of the heaviest materials used for roofing.¹

Ember Resistant Vents and Windows

• Vents block the intrusion of embers and flame into spaces in and under a structure. A variety of vents may be needed on a home, including under flashing vents, dormer vents, foundation vents, under eave vents, gable vents, and soffit vents. Vent openings can also be covered with wire mesh to provide additional fireproofing.^{2, 3}
• Windows can also help to block flames and embers. Replacing single-pane windows with double-pane windows provides better protection against wildfires, as single-pane glass is more likely to break in response to high temperatures and allow embers and flames to enter. Tempered glass is another way to increase fire resistance of windows, as it is approximately four times less likely to break when exposed to fire. Mesh screens can also be added to windows to improve resistance to heat and embers.⁴

Fireproof Insulation

• Standard sheets of fiberglass insulation can handle heat as high as 220°F.
• Mineral wool, including glass wool, is another option for insulation due to being noncombustible; glass wool can resist temperatures up to 1,220°F.
• Foam insulation is another type of insulation that can be used for its fire resistant-properties; with a flame retardant, it can withstand temperatures up to 300°F.^{5, 6}

Fire-Resistant Landscaping

• Plants are more likely to be fire resistant if their leaves have a high moisture content, if they have open branching rather than dense branching, if there are low levels of resins or oils on plant surfaces, and if they have widespread root systems. Examples of fire-resistant plants include agave, yucca, red twig dogwood, lavender, azalea, creeping phlox, and yarrow.
• Fire-resistant landscaping can also be achieved by establishing 30 feet of defensible space around a home. Homeowners should regularly maintain plants and remove dry or dead vegetation, as well as adding stone or cement areas that are free of any vegetation.⁷

Designing Homes to Meet WUI Requirements

Building requirements for homes within the Wildland Urban Interface will vary based on the area. Wildfire-prone areas are more likely to have building codes relating to defensible space and fire-resistant materials. Prior to designing and building a home, determine any requirements, and recommendations, applicable in the local area. This information may be available though a building code office, or a county or city fire marshal.

Examples of Homes that Have Survived Wildfires

A home built by architect Greg Chasen survived the 2025 Palisades Fire while the surrounding homes were completely burned down. Chasen, who had rebuilt the home in 2024, explained that he intentionally built the home with a border of defensible space and fire-resilient landscaping.8,9 He also included concrete walls in the garden, and double-paned windows in the home. The house was securely sealed and did not have any attic vents, eaves, or overhangs, and the roof was metal with an underlayment that was fire-resistant.^9,10

A home belonging to architect Michael Kovac and Karina Maher also survived the 2025 Palisades Fire. Kovac, who purchased the home in 2002, deconstructed it and rebuilt it with a focus on wildfire resilience. He incorporated fiber cement siding, a class A roof, commercial glazing, insulated glass, and a fire-retardant system.¹¹

Lastly, a ‘miracle house’ owned by Trip Millikin survived the 2023 Lahaina Fire. The home, renovated in 2022, had a commercial-grade metal roof with a heat-dissipating air pocket. Millikin had removed surrounding vegetation and incorporated stone landscaping, along with palm trees that are heat-absorbent.¹²

Emerging Technologies in Fireproof Home Designs

New technologies and ideas for fireproof home designs are continually being researched and tested. In March 2025, a homebuilder in California introduced its first “wildfire-resilient” neighborhood, comprised of 64 homes that will each be built to meet IBHS wildfire resilience standards. Building designs and specifications will protect the homes from embers, radiant heat, and flames. Each home will be spaced 10 feet apart from one another to reduce the spread of wildfire within the community. The design of each individual home, and the neighborhood as a whole, will work together to protect the entire community from wildfires.¹³

Over the past several years, an architect in Massachusetts has designed a “fireproof” modular home known as SAM House (Sustainable Alternative Modular House). The walls and roof are built out of a dense, non-flammable concrete. The house is designed to withstand fire, water, and wind.¹⁴