Hmmm....you guys and gals are missing some HUGE issues IMO (although there's a lot of good ones so far).
- No lahar zones. The entire town of Orting, for example, is going to be 30' deep under mud, trees and rock when (not if) Mt. Rainier erupts.
- No cedar shake roofs. One spark and the house will bark like a dog...WOOF.....as it bursts into flames.
- No slot canyons or other restricted terrain in fire prone areas (think So Cal). They're death traps at the horrific end of the scale, or a guarantee to a burnt house on the merely shitty part of the scale. You just end up with a foundation and chimney as the fire races up the restricting terrain feature.
- If in fire prone areas, even in gentle terrain, if a home doesn't have defensible space and isn't constructed of highly fire resistant material, then it's a no go. Roof: Minimum of tile or metal or equal fire resistant roof (no 3 tab comp). Exterior of fire resistant material like brick, stone or stucco - no wood siding, vinyl, etc. Surrounding: Absolute minimum of 50' of clear space in all directions, preferably a lot more, with fire resistant / not hazardous landscaping (e.g. no big shrubs or plants up against the house, for example). If in an urban / wild land interface, the forest must have been treated by a knowledgeable forester to reduce the fire danger - thinned, in good health (e.g no bark beetles, etc), with branches and other ladder fuel removed, fire breaks cut into the property perimeter, easy to get permission clear brush & fuels without jumping through tons of hoops of the local govt, etc.
- Not at the top edge of, on the side of, or at the foot of any hill that is even remotely steep enough to slide. Land slides are pretty common on the wet side of the PNW during winter months.
- Variation on the flood plain one (BTW - those of you in flood plains, you suck, since you're sucking at the teat of the tax payer for the subsidized flood insurance, you welfare kings and queens, but I digress.....) is to be on the bluff above a river, especially on the outside edge of a bend. Rivers shift course - even if you're not down in the flood plain, the river can eat away at the outside edge, eventually taking your property (know a person this happened to - place was 40' above river level, and a couple hundred feet back...no matter, it only took a few years once the river started moving).
- Nowhere in tornado alley. Why choose to live in what is effectively the impact area of an artillery firing range? Short of a solid concrete home with battleship armor fold down plates for window covers, there is no residential structure that will withstand the hit of even a modest strength (EF2) tornado without substantial damage, or worse (yes, there is a touch of hyperbole in this, but only a touch, I should have said heavy cruiser armor). Yeah, you might survive in that reinforced closet or storm shelter, but meanwhile, your house....or the bits and pieces that used to be your house, plus the contents, are scattered for a half mile or more in all directions. Compare and contrast with earthquake proofing, which is relatively straightforward to build into a new construction homes (shear walls, lots of steel in the foundation, with bolts / ties for the house, strap down water heaters, auto shutoff gas meters, etc).
- Tsunami zones. 'Nuff said.
- Areas subject to storm surge of a hurricane (e.g. less than 50' above sea level anywhere along the East & Gulf Coast). Same as a Tsunami zone in my book - there's nothing that you can do to harden against this kind of hit. Related: Any West Coast coastal property subject to a similar impact.
