[filo74]

I put an offer for a wood frame home built in 1987..it is located in the acreage area of west palm beach....way inland in the western part of palm beach county. Very far from the ocean

My father keeps telling me to NOT buy a wood frame house because it will not do well in a hurricane. I would like to buy a concrete structure, but there are none at the price I am looking for (low 200's)....at least in the specific area I am looking for. Out of the 10 houses I see for that price, only 1 or 2 are concrete.

I don't know what to do..I am confused. This house looks perfect..the roof looks perfect...everything looks very good. Why is it that miami-dade building code prohibits new wood frame construction and palm beach still allows it ?? They are both in hurricane prone areas. I do not understand it and it just leads me to believe that wood frame homes do well in Hurricanes....the building officials in Palm Beach know something I do not know. Are concrete homes over hyped and over rated ? What is your opinion ?

[tallrick]

Unless your concrete home also has a concrete roof, it is still vulnerable. I for one would never live in a wood frame home, it is just too much trouble. Termites are horrible, and the more wood you have the more you have to inspect for rot and insects. That said if you find a good deal on a wood frame home, it's better to buy it and take your chances with hurricanes. Single story wood frame homes seem to do the same as CBS single story homes as long as the roof pitch is not too high and there are no gable ends. Replacing shigles with steel panels can also add some hurricane resistance. While I saw Country Walk, a development of poor quality wood frame homes leveled in hurricane Andrew, I also saw many small cracker-built wood homes undamaged in the rural area nearby. Using more treated wood and 2 x 6 wall studs also makes wood stronger.

In Palm beach county they even allowed wood frame for apartment buildings. You should see how fast they are destroyed in a fire. Remember, most "concrete" homes are actually wood frame except for the exterior walls.

[spainbrit]

Have to say I do feel safer in my concrete block home, even if it is a bit outdated.
We got through the last few hurricanes well, but if my oak tree decided to drop onthe house, well that would be another thing I am sure.

[imagardener]

Besides safety you need to consider resale value. Wood frame houses have lower resale value compared to CBS for all the reasons stated above, that's why you are finding more of them in your price range.

You will find nicer wood homes compared dollar for dollar than concrete. Weird but true.

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

I also feel safer in mine as well.

One of the things I like about it is the thick walls dampen the noise as well.

I had been thinking that if I moved somewhere else, I can't imagine living in a normal house again.

[doggiebus]

Don't Do It !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can not stress enough, never buy a wood frame home in Florida or any coastal region that is hurricane prone. In West Palm Beach, it doesn't matter how far in land you are, you are still not far enough in land for a hurricane to die down enough for you to not worry.

If I were you, go for something else than a house, like a condo or townhouse that is CBS (Concrete Block Stone) which might be in your budget.

If you do buy a wood frame home, when a hurricane comes, please do not stay in your house, take what ever is valuable to you, with you when you leave.

I went through Hurricane Andrew (Cat 5, the eye of the storm came over my parents house while we were in it.) The home is CBS and survived the storm and the tornadoes during the storm. The roof stayed on, walls were not damaged, we did have damage to the french doors which let in the rain and wind but for the most part the house did excellent compared to a wood frame home.

Originally Posted by filo74

I put an offer for a wood frame home built in 1987..it is located in the acreage area of west palm beach....way inland in the western part of palm beach county. Very far from the ocean

My father keeps telling me to NOT buy a wood frame house because it will not do well in a hurricane. I would like to buy a concrete structure, but there are none at the price I am looking for (low 200's)....at least in the specific area I am looking for. Out of the 10 houses I see for that price, only 1 or 2 are concrete.

I don't know what to do..I am confused. This house looks perfect..the roof looks perfect...everything looks very good. Why is it that miami-dade building code prohibits new wood frame construction and palm beach still allows it ?? They are both in hurricane prone areas. I do not understand it and it just leads me to believe that wood frame homes do well in Hurricanes....the building officials in Palm Beach know something I do not know. Are concrete homes over hyped and over rated ? What is your opinion ?

[jhlcomp]

Oh boy - I sure wouldn't buy a wood frame house in Florida.

Let me tell you a little story of a colleague of ours who has a solid wood home in Stuart. Last hurricane the entire house shifted - as she stated it was almost like someone wringing a wet towel. The house survived and required tens of thousands of dollars of repair including a new roof - lucky for her she has great insurance. Oh, and naturally, every single wall in the house had to be taken down to the studs and replaced.

We all use to think if you are really inland you are protected - WRONG! Reconsider and fast. If the deal looks too good to be true it probably is.

[rbayle]

I disagree-my husband is a contractor and built us a gorgeous two story wood frame house two yrs. ago for our own. He prefers wood frame. Look at all the little wood shacks still standing! We have a lifetime termite warranty that renews every year and we feel fine in a hurricane. We built to code. Concrete is not the tough guy everyone thinks it is. Every mortar joint in concrete is weak and MORE subject to damage than your wood frame home. That being said, I do not know about the particular house you are considering. Have an inspector/contractor look at it good. Do they still have the blueprints to look at?

[WanderingCajun]

There is a big difference between a vintage house built of concrete BLOCK and a house that is specially built of formed concrete slabs and then erected in place by cranes. The total concrete house in Orange Beach that went through the last hurricane fine (you can search for it on the net) is of that special construction. It is nothing like vintage concrete block. Today's contractors are also building concrete block with special features (like steel framing and forced-in foam insulation in all block hollows). Florida buyers who want the traditional frame-built look should ask about steel framing.

[harry chickpea]

CBS construction isn't just a stack of concrete blocks covered with stucco. Code requires the use of poured concrete in certain structurally important areas of the house and the use of rebar. The tree falling on the house is one great example of why this is so important. You need the strength of the concrete and the mass of the structure to counteract the impact of falling limbs or airborne shed roofs, roof tiles and other objects.

It often isn't the wind in a hurricane or tornado that damages homes, but the airborne debris. A full-on log home pinned with rebar might do OK, but the thin walls of a stick-built home and the 2" x whatever plates at the top of the walls are no match for any serious debris.

One thing we learned from Andrew is that there can be small tornadoes within hurricanes. That means that the forces on a house can not only be strong in a single direction, but there can be pressure differences and quick changes of direction that work to prise a house apart.

The comments about termites and rot become even more important because of the above issues. A house that has the bottoms of a few 2 x 4s or 2 x 6 studs chewed away, unknown to the homeowner, may look fine and stand up to normal winds without a problem. However, when push comes to shove, the structure will fail.

I would not buy a stick-built in southern Florida. Wait and rent and hope the prices on CBS homes continue to fall.

FWIW, the more I'm learning about manufactured housing, if I absolutely had to buy stick construction, I'd consider a new zone III manufactured home before a stick home that was built on-site. Builders get away with a lot of cr-- and can often easily hide it from inspectors. The manufactured home plants, OTOH, have HUD inspectors constantly in the plants. They can and do stop the lines and levy huge fines if the homes aren't up to par, which is why a lot of the worst manufacturers have been forced out of business. If you do your research, you can find some amazing high-end manufactured homes priced at about half the cost of stick-built of the same size, and better insulated and appointed as well. These aren't the cheap boxes of even a few years ago.