Let's take another look at our building codes.

[sprink52]

As Dennis approaches the NW Florida Gulf coast I am reminded of the type of construction that is allowed there. We are still building FRAME houses and town houses along the beaches and the immediate vicinity.

Come on people,storm surge not withstanding, use poured concrete and put the foundations for these places on pilings. I can't believe that insurance companies even consider writing policies for these things!

Now I know somebody is going the scream about cost of construction but with home values sky rocketing as they are, there will be a return on the investment. I live in South Florida and am originally from Birmingham, Alabama. I spent my summers as a teenager in Panama City, Destin and Pensacola. I recently went to Mexico Beach and looked at some $750K~!950K homes for sale on the beach that would not make it through a strong tropical storm much less anything else. I told my wife "no damn way am I wasting my time with this trash". If I purchase anything up there it will be a lot and I will show folks how to build some thing that won't blow away every time a severe thunderstorm passes.

I pray not but a direct hit by Dennis as a Cat 2 or Cat 3 storm or God forbid a Cat 4 will again cause billions of dollars in damage to these piles of sticks along the NW Florida and Alabama/Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Does anyone remember the story of the three little pigs and their houses built of straw, sticks and bricks. Think about it.

[r_u_stuck2]

Go to the web site below and take a look. This is a building that was constructed based on studies by the University of Florida. The building here went through Ivan (Pensacola) and did not even lose a shingle. In my opinion this should be the minimum standard for building close to the water. However, one of the local legislators got the Panhandle excluded from the upgraded building codes which passed in the previous legislative session.

There was much discussion about this in Pensacola and some thought that developers and builders had a great amount of influence in effecting this.

http://escambia.ifas.ufl.edu/windmit.htm

[sprink52]

Just so happens that my home is built with the poured concrete. I get a HUGE wind storm/hurricane mitigation credit on my home owners insurance.

[N2FSU]

I live in Tallahassee and I am presently building my new home with ICF walls (Insulated Concrete Forms). They just finished pouring up to 10ft (I have some walls that are 18 ft) yesterday. After seeing another house here constructed with ICF and researching it, I decided I couldn't afford NOT to build this way. The safety, energy efficiency, and noise suppression is unmatched by traditional stick framing. People driving by it don't know what to think of it, as it looks like a giant styrofoam cooler! Friends and family who know the details behind ICF (6" of solid poured concrete reinforced with vertical and horizontal rebar every 16'24") now say they'll be staying with me if a big one threatens us!

[sprink52]

I have been in my house built in a similar way for two years now. We also have a tile roof. During Frances and Jeane last year if we had not heard debris hitting the storm panels, we would not have known there was a storm going on outside. Very quiet, very safe and energy efficient. Also, most termites don't like it!!

[browe29]

I'm friends with N2FSU and can vouch for his igloo. We are also building a new home shortly but instead of ICF, I'm using precast concrete walls from Superior Walls. They can withstand projectiles at 150mph. ICF definately stronger but more expensive. I might rethink my decision before I break ground.

The Florida Building code just adopted the International Building Code that 48 other states started using. Another season like last year and the whole state will use the Dade/Broward code.

[jdray]

I live 40 miles inland.
3 year old house wood frame.

Double hurricane straps on all trusses. Has a reinforcing anchor bolt/bar from the header to the foundation every 4 feet.

Garage Door has a built in hurricane bar. (came in handy last year with gusts from Jeanne and Frances threatening to bend in the doors)



Nowhere near as strong as ICF, but the building codes are getting much better around the state. I feel safe up to a Cat 3 here.

[ZZ3Astro]

Those of you that have constructed with ICF... Do you have a real world percentage of the additional cost vs framing. I've researched this quite a bit and I find figures from 5% to 15% above traditional frame conts. But this week alone, I've been told by two people that they've heard ICF costs have increased tremendously due to demand and concrete costs.


Building wood framed houses in areas that are affected by hurricanes seems extremely unwise... but paying $400,000 for one is just insane! I'm in a 83 wood framed house and scared of every severe storm. The codes in 1983 were not very stringent. The 2X4's that make up my trusses are joined by thin plywood with staples!!

My next house will be ICF, preferably with a poured concrete roof but I'm looking at other options because I fear the price might go 'thru the roof'. Worst case scenario, I'll build a framed house with a large concrete safe room. It is a terrible feeling to have no safe place to stay and have to face the roads during evac!

steve

[ericinmia]

I have no respect for houses in hurricane zones that are not reinforce poured block or ICF. If you have a gable roof, again that is rediculous.

I don't believe any FEMA money should go to these people either unless the house was built prior to the 50's. This is just rediculous, and i have no pity for them, especially if they stay and ride out the storm in these treehouses on the ground.
-Eric

[sprink52]

I was talking to my brother in B'ham this AM about this (he is also a contractor) and we think we might buy a lot up there in the panhandle somewhere and build a poured concrete house. We could drive pilings down say 30' +/- and put a structural ground floor on pile caps. We could then build two stories of poured wall on that with a hurricane strapped roof truss system...all hipped...no gables. Then top it off with 160 mph concrete tile. That's the way waterfront condos and town houses are built down here. Over on Hutchison Island on the Treasure Coast, the buildings built to this standard are still standing after Frances and Jeane. The only problems they had was the storm surge blowing out the ground floor interior but the structure remained sound.

All those piles of debris still stacked up in Orange Beach and Pensacola are what used to be frame built houses and town houses that Ivan destroyed.

This is a link to the system used on my house:

http://www.royallwall.com/

The "good ole boy" mentality that allowed the panhandle counties to be exempt from the uniform building code that governs the rest of Florida is going to kill people and cost all of us a lot of money.