houses and hurricanes (Miami, Leisure City, Odessa: real estate, construction, building)

[triton1]

I don't know why some people complain about south florida houses being like boxes. As far as I know, they are built like that without overhangs to make them more streamlined so that they perform better in hurricanes. I mean, which would you rather have, a concrete box that will hold up in a big hurricane and protect you and your valuables, or some wood frame overhang that will catch wind like a parachute and come crashing down on you? Even if that overhang is made of concrete, there is still a chance that wind blowing into it may lift it right up and over and at the very least, leave a gaping hole in the roof. In fact, many homes in Hurricane Andrew failed due to faulty, wind trapping construction. Indeed, the best type of house to have in a hurricane zone is a concrete block box type house. But it does not stop there; the roof has to be properly designed as well, and the best type of roof for a hurricane region is a hipped roof (the "pyramid" type of roof that slopes in all directions) with a slope from horizontal of no less than 35 degrees and no overhangs. Too shallow a slope and the roof becomes like an airplane wing in high winds, which can lead to the roof literally flying off the house in a big hurricane. The worst type of roof is a gable end (the A-frame type of roof that slopes in certain directions and overhangs a triangular wall at each end)which literally catches wind like a sail, leading to the roof simply peeling off as if it were tape being peeled from a window, or worse, the entire house being shifted off its foundation.

[tallrick]

Long overhangs are necessary in a place like Florida, with hot sunny weather. The fact is that a concrete roof will only blow away if it's lightweight prefab, not attatched to the building except by gravity. Poured concrete tied with columns cannot, and will not blow away. Traditional Florida homes were designed with low profile roofs, and were often single-story to provide the lowest resistance to wind. In the 70's and 80's a stupid "California style" home with high-pitched shingled roofs, and wood frame over stucco took over in the late 70's to the 80's.




These flimsy structures did not survive the test of Andrew. Meanwhile the boxes of Leisure City were undamaged with their concrete roofs.

[triton1]

Originally Posted by tallrick

Long overhangs are necessary in a place like Florida, with hot sunny weather.[/IMG]

In my opinion, long overhangs are not necesarry if you simply put up a dining canopy in your yard!

[StPeteFLGuy]

I have wondered why a break away roof overhang has not been engineered or maybe something like a pergola edged roof. I think concrete panel houses are the wave of the future for Florida. You can read about them on my blog at Real Estate Blog - PRECAST CONCRETE HOMES - THE NEW WAVE IN FLORIDA HOME CONSTRUCTION

[doggiebus]

Originally Posted by StPeteFLGuy

I have wondered why a break away roof overhang has not been engineered...

Wow, if everyone had a break away roof overhang, could you imagine, the debra that will caused by that and the damage that, that debra could do to your neighbors. Everything needs to be built to stay in place. Anyplace that is in a hurricane zone, from Texas to the Carolinas needs to have the same building code as Miami-Dade County. People in these zones should also be required to have shutters. I have friends in Odessa Florida that don't have any shutters for their home, and plan to stay in their home if a hurricane comes, just crazy to me. I have watched on the news people rebuilding their homes after Katrina, using stick frame homes again, its just crazy have they learned anything?