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This home has a cost-saving shallow frost-protected foundation that uses rigid foam laid vertically at the base of the 16-inch-deep footers to protect the foundation from frost damage.

This home has a cost-saving shallow frost-protected foundation that uses rigid foam laid vertically at the base of the 16-inch-deep footers to protect the foundation from frost damage.
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This home has defensible space around it, with a vegetation-free zone that helped the house survive a surrounding wildfire.

This home has defensible space around it, with a vegetation-free zone that helped the house survive a surrounding wildfire.
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This home is heated with in-floor hydronic radiant heating tubes that were installed on top of the R-20 rigid foam under-slab insulation.

This home is heated with in-floor hydronic radiant heating tubes that were installed on top of the R-20 rigid foam under-slab insulation.
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This home on a mountain top in San Ramon, California, has four 10,000-gallon stormwater/greywater cisterns (two are visible at top left) for fire suppression as well as five 10,000-gallon rainwater storage tanks for indoor potable water.

This home on a mountain top in San Ramon, California, has four 10,000-gallon stormwater/greywater cisterns (two are visible at top left) for fire suppression as well as five 10,000-gallon rainwater storage tanks for indoor potable water.
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This home survived the Laguna Beach fire of October 1993, which claimed more than 400 neighboring homes, thanks to a fire-resistant tile roof, stucco exterior, stucco-covered boxed eaves and under-decks, double-pane windows and selective landscaping

This home survived the Laguna Beach fire of October 1993, which claimed more than 400 neighboring homes, thanks to a fire-resistant tile roof, stucco exterior, stucco-covered boxed eaves and under-decks, double-pane windows and selective landscaping
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This home was elevated above the Design Flood Elevation and the pre-existing first story became the second story.

This home was elevated above the Design Flood Elevation and the pre-existing first story became the second story.
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This house design in the Hot-Humid climate uses a slab foundation, masonry walls, and an Exterior Insulation Finish System (EIFS) cladding.

This house design in the Hot-Humid climate uses a slab foundation, masonry walls, and an Exterior Insulation Finish System (EIFS) cladding.
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This house slid off its post-and-pier foundation in an earthquake.

This house slid off its post-and-pier foundation in an earthquake.
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This house with an insulated slab is protected from pests with a termite shield at the sill plate, borate-treated framing, insect screen covering bottom of furring air gap, and brick veneer over slab-edge insulation

This house with an insulated slab is protected from pests with a termite shield at the sill plate, borate-treated framing, insect screen covering bottom of furring air gap, and brick veneer over slab-edge insulation
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This house with interior insulated crawlspace is protected from pests with termite shield at sill plate, borate-treated framing, flashing at end of wall insulation, and a termite inspection gap at the top of the rigid foam

This house with interior insulated crawlspace is protected from pests with termite shield at sill plate, borate-treated framing, flashing at end of wall insulation, and a termite inspection gap at the top of the rigid foam
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This left-to-right sequence shows the method of wall extension to flood-proof a masonry house on a slab foundation. Here the new, raised floor is wood-framed over a wet-floodproofed crawlspace, but using fill to create a new raised slab is also an option.

This left-to-right sequence shows the method of wall extension to flood-proof a masonry house on a slab foundation. Here the new, raised floor is wood-framed over a wet-floodproofed crawlspace, but using fill to create a new raised slab is also an option.
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This metal shutter has top and bottom tracks that are permanently anchored to the wall (FEMA 577).

This metal shutter has top and bottom tracks that are permanently anchored to the wall (FEMA 577).
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This plumbing pipe is wrapped with a stainless steel mesh skirt that is clamped to the pipe before the concrete slab is poured to to keep out bugs and rodents

This plumbing pipe is wrapped with a stainless steel mesh skirt that is clamped to the pipe before the concrete slab is poured to to keep out bugs and rodents
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This poured concrete foundation failed due to use of incorrect concrete mix.

This poured concrete foundation failed due to use of incorrect concrete mix.
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This raised-slab CMU and brick foundation includes flood-resistant features such as a sloped grade, capillary break under the slab (gravel or sand), vapor barrier under the slab (polyethylene sheet), and capillary break at the top of the foundation wall

This raised-slab CMU and brick foundation includes flood-resistant features such as a sloped grade, capillary break under the slab (gravel or sand), vapor barrier under the slab (polyethylene sheet), and capillary break at the top of the foundation wall
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This raised-slab poured concrete foundation includes flood-resistant features such as a sloped grade, capillary break under the slab (gravel or sand), vapor retarder under the slab (rigid insulation), and capillary break at the top of the foundation wall

This raised-slab poured concrete foundation includes flood-resistant features such as a sloped grade, capillary break under the slab (gravel or sand), vapor retarder under the slab (rigid insulation), and capillary break at the top of the foundation wall
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This Texas homes uses a slab foundation including a 4-in.-thick post-tensioned monolithic slab with turned-down edges poured over a 6-mil polyethylene vapor barrier and capillary break; slab edge insulation is not used due to termite risk.

This Texas homes uses a slab foundation including a 4-in.-thick post-tensioned monolithic slab with turned-down edges poured over a 6-mil polyethylene vapor barrier and capillary break; slab edge insulation is not used due to termite risk.
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This vinyl siding melted when exposed to the high heat of a wildfire.

This vinyl siding melted when exposed to the high heat of a wildfire.
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This wood-framed wall is connected with framing anchors, metal strapping and ties, and anchor bolts to secure the roof to the walls and walls to the foundation

This wood-framed wall is connected with framing anchors, metal strapping and ties, and anchor bolts to secure the roof to the walls and walls to the foundation
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Three different anchoring methods are shown for making the home more resistant to getting moved off its foundation in an earthquake.

Three different anchoring methods are shown for making the home more resistant to getting moved off its foundation in an earthquake.
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Three types of foundation walls: Stem-plus-wood stud cripple wall, reinforced concrete wall, and reinforced concrete block/masonry wall

Three types of foundation walls: Stem-plus-wood stud cripple wall, reinforced concrete wall, and reinforced concrete block/masonry wall
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To control surface water, the land should slope away from the building on all sides

To control surface water, the land should slope away from the building on all sides
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To handle the high water table on this lot, the builder installed underground drain pipe to french drains for slow dispersal of storm runoff, then set the floor joists on steel framing set 4 ft above grade on 35-foot-deep piers.

To handle the high water table on this lot, the builder installed underground drain pipe to french drains for slow dispersal of storm runoff, then set the floor joists on steel framing set 4 ft above grade on 35-foot-deep piers.
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To help keep the monolithic slab-on-grade foundation dry, the site’s surfaces is graded away from the structure, the slab is poured on a bed of gravel, and using a vapor barrier will separate the foundation from the sill plates.

To help keep the monolithic slab-on-grade foundation dry, the site’s surfaces is graded away from the structure, the slab is poured on a bed of gravel, and using a vapor barrier will separate the foundation from the sill plates.