A YouTuber has offered some advice about how to fireproof a tiny home or cabin in a video titled "Fireproofing an Off-Grid Tiny House or Cabin DIY Fire Safety."
"The truth is, there's no way to fireproof anything one hundred percent," Big Guy in a Tiny House (@bigguyinatinyhouse) informed his more than 7,000 subscribers. "But if you're careful and make good choices, I believe you can avoid burning alive and enjoy rustic living the way it was meant to be."
Big Guy in a Tiny House goes on to explain the preventative measures he had taken to make sure his tiny A-frame home does not "become a flaming death trap."
Big Guy first explains that the most common fire hazards in tiny homes are from lighting, heating, and cooking. To combat these hazards, he uses a three-pronged system. First, he uses the basics, including a smoke alarm, multiple exits, and a fire extinguisher. Secondly, he uses non-flammable materials wherever possible. Thirdly, he uses class-A fire retardants or intumescent spray.
Big Guy refers to intumescent spray as his "secret weapon," and wonders why more of the tiny home-loving sector of the internet isn't talking about the stuff. For his home, he found a brand that, according to the manufacturer, "is non-toxic, eco-friendly, and easy to use."
Big Guy says that he treated all the critical areas of his cabin with just one gallon of intumescent spray.
"I sprayed that stuff everywhere," he says.
He also clarifies that he was not talking about how to prevent your home from burning in wildfires, which have become increasingly common and severe in many areas due to the effects of the ongoing overheating of our planet.
"If you live in the western U.S. … I don't know what to tell you," he says.
🗣️ When was the last time you changed your smoke alarm's batteries?
🔘 In the last year 😎
🔘 In the last 1-5 years 😬
🔘 In the last 5-10 years 🤦
🔘 Never 🙅
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Big Guy's followers were grateful for the advice and that his home was now as fireproofed as possible.
"I really enjoy your videos! Thanks Big Guy!!" wrote one commenter.
"Great video. Love the experiments! Thanks for sharing!" wrote another.
Adherents of the tiny home lifestyle like to point out how environmentally friendly it is, as these dwellings use less energy and other resources and create less waste than conventional houses (though probably more than apartments) — and all of this is undeniably true.
Of course, it's also undeniably true that building a new home from scratch is fundamentally more wasteful than living in one that is already built, not to mention the fact that, in most cases, you need to own private land to build one. But if you can find an already-built one near you, it could be a great way to lower your personal pollution.
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