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In light of the recent hurricanes, what should new home buyers look for in a new home to better weather the storm? W. N.
D.
- Daytona Beach, FL
Thanks for writing us. We hope things are getting back to normal in your area. There are many things a homeowner can do to help protect against hurricane winds. When the weather is nice, the only forces that a home has to withstand are the forces of gravity. The home is constructed so that forces from gravity are carried from the tip of the roof, down through the walls, down to the footers and then to the ground below. With extreme winds, the home is subjected to lateral forces. To combat these lateral forces, it is important that the home is well connected to the foundation, for instance through the use of anchor bolts to connect the top of the foundation through the sill plate. Additionally, strong connections between walls, floors and the roof help to hold the home against strong winds – hurricane straps can help keep components together.
Keep in mind that it’s
easier to implement the above precautions in the process of building a new
home, but an existing home can be retrofitted for future safety. Hopefully,
you won’t have a hurricane season like this one again anytime soon, but if
you take the above precautions you’ll be better set to weather the bad
weather. |
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Dennis
Walsh & Associates, Inc. Website
Design, Graphics, Product Logos and Product Interfaces |
