question about concrete houses

[recycled]

Originally Posted by bltorres

I am talking specifically about a concrete roof as well, no tiles. I am used to this type of house in Puerto Rico that has weathered various hurricanes. But I am concerned that builders in the states don't have the same experience with this type of house and that for whatever reasons it will costs way too much.

You are correct, it is rare for a residential or even small commercial building to have a concrete roof. For small projects, the economics of installing a premade wood truss roofing system is hard to beat. However, that lightweight wood truss system can be blown off a concrete wall home in a high force hurricane. It is quite common in the "loft" condo buildings and large commercial buildings to use concrete floor decks between the levels, and also concrete roof decks. They use something like this to form the concrete surface across the roof or across the upper floors.

EPIC METALS CORPORATION - EPICORE® Composite Floor and Roof Deck Ceiling Systems (http://www.epicmetals.com/pm5-1.html - broken link)

It's a ribbed steel deck that gets concrete poured over it, and has steel re-bar installed inside to give it strength. It needs plenty of reinforcement below to hold up all that weight, but if a home were properly designed with this stuff, it would be great. You can put heavy layers of styrofoam on top of the roof deck and apply a protective roof coating above that for good protection from the heat and weather.

[InterestedOne]

Originally Posted by bltdf20

I want to move to Central Florida (Orlando/Tampa area) but with the hurracaines I want to explore a total concrete home, including the roof. Any thoughts on this? Experience with this? recommendations?

bltdf20 - You're right about US builders not aware of concrete roof construction. Code compliance in the US are much more difficult and even more so for enforcement officials as they are not attuned to the special needs. I suppose if I lived in an active hurricane zone I too might prefer the same. However, I would do mine mine in a much different way than some southern islands if I ever have the need. Displacing heat would, of course, be first priority.

Willdufave - There are many reasons for island homes being concrete, point taken however.

Palmcoasting -
Part 1: There are many ways to do exposed concrete roofing. Why its not do often is simple. The amount of heat a roof must endure. So the short answer is heat and cracking. Cracking is a result of many possibilities suffice to say the mixture and the pour have much to do with cracking, other than heat. Concrete expands and contracts with incredible force and that energy must be dealt with in an efficient manner. A FLA concrete roof (w/typical US recipies) would need many expansion joints or if coated with a high grade reflective nano coating to minimize heat absorption, fewer expansion joints. CAT-4/5 storms with flying debris, in all likelihood, will not damage a direct exposed concrete roof other than show a few nicks. Many years ago I did a twin-tee precast concrete roof capped with a rinsed pea gravel finish and its was stunning. That was almost 30 years ago and have not had anyone ask for another since.

Part 2: Insurance cost is more expensive for total concrete homes merely because of total replacement value module, other contributing cost modules will be less.

ipoetry - Its not the block that kills interior cell service. The rebar is grounded (which means subject to moisture) and thus creates null node points. Homes with certain size wire mess with plaster are subject to the same effect. Its all about wave guide and faraday cage pricniples of physics.

[InterestedOne]

recycled is corect. Lite-Deck is another I have used for flooing, though not for a roof.