A frame homes and smoke damage

2/14/2020 (Permalink)

In my line of work we see smoke and fire damages frequently. At one point we had two jobs with the same style home, an A Frame. What’s an A Frame style home? Picture a capital A now put a door on it… and TA DA! That’s an A frame style home. Sometimes they are cabins and sometimes they are permanent homes. Not every home is a perfect layout, or can they be preventive of any type of damage.

Here are some things to be aware of with an A frame home:

1. The roof can be an energy siphon if it is not properly insulated
2. It is an expensive roof replacement
3. Can be susceptible to termite damage due to the wooden framing
4. They are not built to withstand strong winds

Let’s look at the above in a little more detail. Number one: it can be an energy siphon. What does this mean? When you need to heat your home, it could be a continuous stream of heat that escapes through the roof and walls. It’s escaping while your heating and paying more in your heating bill.

It can be a costly roof replacement when the time comes. Consider it, the roof doesn’t really expand in different directions, it juts down at a steep angle. This could take more time and care when the roofers are replacing it.

Termites. One of their food resources is wood. The A frame home is mainly constructed by wood. This could be a future problem if you’re A Frame isn’t taken good care of or if it is a vacation home and not occupied every day. Another reminder on how important it is to check the perimeter of your home monthly if not seasonally.

Up here in the Northwest, we are not always prepared for strong gusts of winds. Down in Southern California they have consistent Santa Ana winds and they can sustain those on a regular basis. In the Pacific Northwest we have dense tree coverage and when we get strong winds from Alaska, we suffer multiple power outages. I look at the A Frame home as two playing cards leaning against each other and if someone were to blow on them to see how long it would take for it to fall. The roof line is a large surface area for that wind to hit, meaning it could be a potential hazard to fall in on itself.

If you love an A Frame style home, here are some pro points for having one:

• Steep sloped roofs make snow fall off easier for winter cabins
• Affordable
• They are quick to construct – they have prefabricated kits that you can build yourself
• They are good for minimalists

Whether you are for or against an A Frame home you have some very handy information in case you should need to know. If ever you run into any structural damages; wind, snow, water, fire, etc. please call a SERVPRO of Gig Harbor/North Tacoma and SERVPRO of Mason County.