How to make your home Hurricane resistant (days, locations, season)

[crystalblue]

how can you build a tower or homes that ARE hurricane proof?

im assuming you need to build on stilts or maybe on top of a concrete parking deck

have some sort of metal sliding door to cover windows and outside doors.

anything else?

[Dave_n_Tenn]

Originally Posted by buddyro

I got an inspection in May. Just got an email this week with my mitigation form attached. I don't agree with some of the ratings I recieved and have let them know. But even if you meet all of their requirements your total score still will not exceed 57 points. I was concerned about my garage doors. Does anyone know how to find the building code fo 1998 that would apply to my house which was built in 1999? My door rails are attached to the wall at 5-points and each door has 5-horizontal beams attatched to them. I assume this was to meet the 1998 code. But, I was not given any credit in the report for them.
Buddyro

According to my inspector, the garage door must have no windows (lights) and you must have provisions for covering the door with Hurricane Panels/shutters. When I installed my door in 1995 (Wayne Dalton) there was an option to make it Hurricane proof, or shall I say 140mph rated... it involves the installation of bracing from the "inside".

The standard before 2001 was a 90mph rating (from memory) unless in the costal mitigation zone which was 110 mph.

[Dave_n_Tenn]

Originally Posted by crystalblue

how can you build a tower or homes that ARE hurricane proof?

im assuming you need to build on stilts or maybe on top of a concrete parking deck

have some sort of metal sliding door to cover windows and outside doors.

anything else?

I'm not sure "Hurricane proof"... but rather Hurricane resistant. If I remember Hurricane Camile... there were winds over 200mph..... and I believe most home would be destroyed.

The import thing to remember is ... the "roof" , is what fails... not the walls. Having walls built of concrete provide rigiditity which helps... but what good is concrete walls if the roof is poorly constructed? That's why most points are given for roof construction... and the quaility of construction.

[crystalblue]

then how do you build a hurricane proof roof?

assume money is no object (but lets start cheap)

[Dave_n_Tenn]

Again.... hurricane proof maybe a mute point.


Hurricane resistant is possible. and then you said...

assume money is no object (but lets start cheap)

... wouldn't that be an oxymoron? but I'll try.

1) mitigate for uplift. That would include anchor bolts, and connecting straps... roof trusses connections, headers, re-inforce gable ends(top and bottom) etc.

2) Eliminate any "flat roof" areas or elevated roof edges.

3) re-inforce soffits and reduce apertures to no more than 4" continuos at soffit area

4) re-inforce garage opening.

5) all sky lights have impact resistant glass/lexan and meet new code

6) metal roof either... 5 V crimp or standing seam

7)secondary moisture barrier on roof

8) low profile vents for plumbing or other exhaust apertures

9) low profile ridge vent... with rain barrier

10) re-nail roofing deck (typically plywood) with 8D nails w/glue 6" on center

.... remember the purpose is to prevent high pressure from building up between the roof deck (plywood) and the interior dry wall, and to prevent the roof from being "lifted" off the structure.

The most expensive change wold be if you were replacing a gable roof with a hip roof.

[crystalblue]

id say you can make a house hurricane proof

re-enforced concrete or steel would prob work, but may be a bit pricey

so i wanted to know what we can do short of that...

[Dave_n_Tenn]

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id say you can make a house hurricane proof

Then you tell me... cause I need to know. Remember it's after the fact... the house is already built.

[crystalblue]

im talking about building from the ground up...

good luck if its already built...

[tallrick]

Mine should be hurricane proof- no wood in this structure, Just build like the buildings that had no damage, poured concrete over steel. After hurricane Andrew none of the concrete schools of the 50's and 60's were destroyed. You take a chance with wood, however some wood structures survived- but those were buildings with thick beams and heavy sheathing, bolted down. Poured concrete is the only way to go, it's the way all homes should be built. You can't find an example of a home with a poured concrete roof destroyed in a hurricane unless it washes away or is smashed by a large heavy building or object. Monolithic domes are the cheap version of a concrete structure and do very well.

Flat roofs are just fine when poured concrete.

[Dave_n_Tenn]

Tallrick said:You can't find an example of a home with a poured concrete roof destroyed in a hurricane

I'm sure there are some single family homes with poured concrete roofs... but I never seen one.

Actually the roof (concrete) prestressed "T" beams were blown off the building I was staged at during Andrew, in Perrine. They were flat. As a wing on a plane is somewhat flat... it produces lift... however a roof that has elevation (pitch) produces a down force that is realized when doing co-efficients for "lift", kinda like a spoiler on a car.

The Flat roof itself was not the problem... but rather the amount of overhang on the building was. The loading area was covered by the concrete beams which had approx. 15' of unsupported overhang. Wind got under.... and off came the roof. The individual beams were 60' and weighed approx 12000 lbs each. Needless to say.... the roof was replaced and the overhang was supported and anchored. The material does not insure protection... the construction engineering/quality does.