[herbaru]

I am not posting this to cause trouble, I am just concerned. I am planning on buying in TV and one of my top choices is a vinyl home because of the floor plan. I live in Raleigh, NC and we had huge fire that burned six homes this week. They are saying the cause was an exterior fire that spread quickly in pine straw landscaping and the flames came in contact with vinyl siding. Please read the article (see link below) as I am no expert on this as a fire hazard but I would get the word out to your friends and neighbors to get rid of any pine straw they may have. I think I may even send this along to someone at TV. If you have any emails I should use please post them. Thanks.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/03/...#ixzz0jQpzs3Qg

[Russ_Boston]

Thanks for the warning. Just a note: Many of the vinyl sided homes have a 'sister' home in CBS. i.e. Wisteria II and Jasmine II; Camellia and Gardenia etc.

[herbaru]

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston

Thanks for the warning. Just a note: Many of the vinyl sided homes have a 'sister' home in CBS. i.e. Wisteria II and Jasmine II; Camellia and Gardenia etc.

Yes I know. We like the Cypress and there is no "new" sister home. I understand is was built as a block home years back.
Regardless of the home one might have if you live next to a vinyl with pine straw I would be concerned due to the close proximity. Buying a CBS does not make my concern go away for me, you or my someday neighbors.

I just sent my first email to some VCDD board supervisors and publicsafety@districtgov.org. I told them about the fires and asked that The Villages reconsider their use of Pine Straw as the standard ground cover on their vinyl homes or better yet all their homes because of the close proximity of many.

[l2ridehd]

This is just one of the many costs you face when you buy new vs resale. Almost every one replaces the straw with some other kind of landscaping material. This along with attic stairs, overhead flooring, blinds, fans, bond, and several others are costs people forget when comparing new to resale.

[wdwduo]

About a year ago neighbors in Hadley had this happen to them. Someone dropped/flicked a cigarette and the pine straw caught fire, then charred the lower part of the vinyl siding before he could put out the fire. He replaced the straw with stone and the warranty people did replace the damaged siding. Not sure if it was replaced for free. So they should be aware of a potential problem.

[Russ_Boston]

Great advice. Thanks for this. A good reminder for us when we buy if we go new.

[spk7951]

There was another incident in Hadley just a couple of weeks ago. Discarded smoking materials in the pine straw started a fire that spread to the vinyl siding under the front window. When that straw is dry watch out!

[batman911]

There was a pine straw lawn fire near the home where we stayed on or last LSV. Turning on the lawn sprinkler system is another way to put out the fire.

[downeaster]

Originally Posted by batman911

There was a pine straw lawn fire near the home where we stayed on or last LSV. Turning on the lawn sprinkler system is another way to put out the fire.

Pine straw is an excellent mulch but not next to a foundation. I prefer roch/stone next to the house.

[herbaru]

Just to update folks. Here is the response I received regarding my email to the TV Public Safety dept and my response:

From Donna: I have consulted with the landscaper for the District and there is no regulation that says a resident has to keep the pinestraw after you purchase a home (there is an application process to apply through Architectural Review Board) through Community Standards, stating that you would like to switch to another type of mulch or even rock.

Donna,

I do thank you for your response but I do not see how your suggestion alleviates my concerns. I was aware that I could change the ground cover but that would cover my home only. This is a community wide safety concern and the only way to prevent these types of fires is to not use pine straw in the first place. The Villages has the moral obligation to take the responsibility beforehand. To say a homeowner could have removed the pine straw is an evasion. I sure hope The Villages will reconsider before something terrible happens.

[rsetterlund]

downeaster, good idea. We also have been told by many of the professional landscapers that pine straw is the best because bugs do not like it, it conserves water, and it does not heat up the ground like the other mulches. Interesting that people are not concerned with people smoking, only that the pine straw can catch fire. Another solution to removing the pine straw is to outlaw smoking in The Villages.

[otherbruddaDarrell]

Originally Posted by rsetterlund

downeaster, good idea. We also have been told by many of the professional landscapers that pine straw is the best because bugs do not like it, it conserves water, and it does not heat up the ground like the other mulches. Interesting that people are not concerned with people smoking, only that the pine straw can catch fire. Another solution to removing the pine straw is to outlaw smoking in The Villages.

You have my vote!

[herbaru]

Originally Posted by rsetterlund

downeaster, good idea. We also have been told by many of the professional landscapers that pine straw is the best because bugs do not like it, it conserves water, and it does not heat up the ground like the other mulches. Interesting that people are not concerned with people smoking, only that the pine straw can catch fire. Another solution to removing the pine straw is to outlaw smoking in The Villages.

Hmm, I don't recall anyone saying they are NOT concerned with people smoking!