The flagship
Building Fireproof Homes
Fire-resistant materials and construction methods worked into the structure itself, not added to the outside of it.
Building Fireproof Homes detailsHonolulu, Hawaii
A house built as one shell, not as layers.
Zenith Home Systems builds and renovates fire-resistant homes on Oahu using the Composite Blocking System: an expanded-polystyrene core sprayed with a sand and glass-fibre composite, so the walls, the roof and the floor are one continuous structural member.
The section cut
What the shell is made of
Expanded polystyrene forms the core of every structural member. A proprietary coating blended from sand, glass fibre and other additives is sprayed over it. What sets is a single shell that the company states meets or exceeds the testing protocols and load requirements of the ICC-ES.
What it stands up to
One wall system, eight hazards.
Most building assemblies answer one hazard well and the rest by addition. Zenith publishes the following list for the CBS shell as a single specification rather than as a set of upgrades. These are the company’s own stated figures for the system.
- Fire
- Resisted
- Termites
- Resisted
- Water
- Resisted
- Mildew
- Resisted
- Rust
- Resisted
- Mould
- Resisted
- 240 mph wind
- Resisted
- Earthquake
- Resisted
What makes a house fire proof
Nine things, in the company’s own accounting. A house is only as resistant as the weakest of them, which is why the shell is not the whole answer on its own.
What it is made of
- Fire-Resistant Materials
- Fire-Resistant Insulation
- Fire-Resistant Foundation
Where it can get in
- Fire-Proof Roofing and Gutters
- Ember-Resistant Ventilation
- Proper Firebreaks and Firewalls
What is around it
- Defensible Space
- Fire-Resistant Decks and Patios
- Backup Water Supply
Before the coating
The stage most builders never photograph.
A Zenith structure stands as bare core before anything is sprayed over it. It is the least flattering moment in the build and the most informative one, because it is when you can still see that the walls, the roof and the floor are the same system.
Ten things we build
Fireproofing is one of them, not the only one.
Zenith works across new construction, renovation and additions on Oahu. The structural system is the constant; the brief is what changes.
- Coastal and Flood-Resistant ConstructionThe same shell that resists fire is detailed for salt, storm and standing water, which is the combination island building actually asks for.Details
- Custom Home BuildingDesign concepts through to final construction, with the structural system chosen before the finishes rather than after them.Details
- Accessory Dwelling UnitsGuest house, rental unit or additional living space, built to sit with the existing home rather than beside it.Details
- Sustainable and Green BuildingEnergy-efficient, environmentally responsible construction, with the running cost of the building treated as part of the design.Details
- Energy-Efficient Building SolutionsAdvanced insulation, energy-efficient windows and smart home technologies, on new builds and on upgrades to existing ones.Details
- Home Renovations and RemodelingKitchens, bathrooms and living areas reworked with the disruption planned around rather than apologised for.Details
- Home Extensions and AdditionsExtra bedrooms, expanded kitchens and additions that add function and value rather than square footage alone.Details
- Luxury Home ConstructionHigh-end residences where the material specification runs all the way through the structure.Details
- Historic Home RestorationTraditional craftsmanship with modern technique, keeping historical integrity while bringing the building up to how people live now.Details
On the record
What the method has behind it.
Zenith does not publish customer testimonials, and none exist on any public directory, so none are shown here. What follows is what the company does publish about the system itself.
- Category 5 wind, per the company's stated figure
240 mph
Category 5 wind, per the company's stated figure
- Testing protocols and load requirements cited for the shell
ICC-ES
Testing protocols and load requirements cited for the shell
- Origins of the method, in the Dome Home industry
1980s
Origins of the method, in the Dome Home industry
- The Composite Blocking System, as described by Zenith
Multi-patented
The Composite Blocking System, as described by Zenith
Before you call
The questions that actually come up.
It is a multi-patented composite building system that uses expanded polystyrene as the core material for every structural member, walls, roof and floor. The core is sprayed with a proprietary coating blended from sand, glass fibre and other additives, forming a building shell that meets or exceeds the testing protocols and load requirements of the ICC-ES.
More than the walls. Fire-resistant materials, defensible space, fire-resistant insulation, fire-proof roofing and gutters, fire-resistant decks and patios, a fire-resistant foundation, proper firebreaks and firewalls, ember-resistant ventilation, and a backup water supply. A house is only as resistant as the weakest of those.
That is the point of building the shell as one member rather than assembled layers. Zenith's own published figures for the system are category 5 winds at 240 mph, and a structure engineered not to crack during an earthquake, alongside resistance to termites, water, mildew, rust and mould.
Yes. ADUs are one of the ten services Zenith offers, whether the need is a guest house, a rental unit or additional living space designed to sit alongside an existing home.
The Honolulu location is 2333 Alahao Pl, Honolulu, HI 96819. Phone is (808) 743-6981 and email is info@mauiproofhomes.com. Hours are Monday to Sunday, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Zenith's own account starts in the 1980s Dome Home industry, spraying polystyrene over an inflated form and gunniting over that to sandwich synthetic concrete on both sides of the foam. The structural designs changed substantially over the following thirty years, and permitting took three years to secure, with two-storey approval two years after that.
Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono.
The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.
Zenith Home Systems has carried that line on its Honolulu work for years. Building something that stands up to fire, salt, wind and time is the plainest reading of it we know.