With the formal rulemaking process by the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, in consultation with the State Fire Marshal, expected to be completed this month for properties in the Highest Fire Hazard Severity Zones, an Orinda duo has found an aesthetically pleasing way to meet Zone Zero requirements.
 
    According to the Moraga-Orinda Fire District, Zone Zero specifically refers to keeping the area within the first 5 feet from your home clear to prevent embers from combustible materials, such as vegetation and wooden fences, that can spread fire. This includes wooden gates connected to residences.

    The pair of Orinda artists, Mark Metz and Andi White, have forged a collaboration to give more attractive options to counteract the persistence dangers facing Lamorinda area homeowners.

    Seeing that so many homes in the wooded areas of Lamorinda have adjoining wooden fences creating a fire safety hazard inspired Metz to see how he could apply his metalworking skills in a wide variety of ways.

    White reached out to Metz when she and her husband, Chris Seeger, decided to address some of the fire concerns about their Orinda home, specifically the wooden fence that came in contact with its front portion.
 
    “We saw many neighbors replacing their fences and using the metal mesh insert, but in a lot of cases, plants are then growing back through the mesh, negating the impact of the fire prevention measure,” she said.

    White noted it was neither unique nor artistic, and they wanted to try something different. 

    “We wanted something that would be a better reflection of the artistic environment we love in our home,” she said.

    Metz met with White and Seeger and they talked about the idea of leaving the existing posts and structure of their fence, removing the wood panels and replacing them with custom metal inserts.

    White was given a special door by her late friend, Darlene "Dar" McCray and had not yet found a use for the door but dearly wanted to incorporate it into the vision for the residence to serve as a reminder of her friend. Inspecting it, Metz said he could design around it, and White suggested adding stained glass pieces to it as well. “And that was really the final piece to the puzzle of design and collaboration on the fence,” said White, who praised Metz for helping incorporate something with so much meaning into the aesthetics of her home. It was that door that dictated the rest of the fence.

    “Metal is nonflammable so it's an obvious choice,” Metz said. “I like to use recycled or re-purposed metal when I can, so there are ways to make fireproof gates and fences that are either totally private or see-through.

    “Metal is also long-lasting, maintenance-free, and can be very inexpensive depending on the type of metal and the design,” Metz added.  
    The design for White’s fence struck a chord with another Orinda resident, Betsy Blakeslee, an artist in her own right, who posted a neighborhood query on social media for anyone having recommendations to replace wood fencing in the Zone Zero area surrounding her residence.

    “I wanted something that was more aesthetically pleasing than just practical and replacing it with mesh fencing,” she said.

    “I really wanted it to be beautiful to look at,” Blakeslee added.

    White promptly responded to her social media question and that got the ball rolling.

    In October, the new gate and adjacent fencing, which features Metz’s metal work and similar shaped pieces of White’s stained glass, were installed at Blakeslee’s home, replacing mesh fencing and wood that had long been present around her home of 25 years. 

    “The whole space looks lighter and larger,” said Blakeslee of the exterior space that is immediately visible outside her home’s dining room.
    Metz couldn’t agree more, saying the collaboration for Blakeslee worked like a charm.

    “I had the stainless leaf shapes and came up with a motif that worked to frame her glass. In their case, privacy is not an issue, so the design is very open and airy,” Metz said.

    To date White and Metz have completed three collaborations, and one is on the drawing board. He has two other fire-safety fence/gate projects in progress, but these two have no stained-glass elements.