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Today’s materials and techniques make it possible to build stronger homes that better resist natural disasters than standard construction. The 2005 NextGen Demonstration Home at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando will teach builders about those materials and techniques. With “Safe and Sound” as its theme, the home will showcase proven ways to build a wind- and fire-resistant home that makes its owners feel a little more secure when the next storm hits.
All American Homes in Rutherfordton, N.C. will build the modular home to the specifications of the Tampa-based Institute of Business and Home Safety’s “Fortified…for safer living” program. The Fortified program is a set of structural specifications designed to strengthen a home against natural disasters. The specs vary by region, but the Safe and Sound home will be fortified against two major threats faced by Florida homeowners: hurricanes and wildfire.
For a home to earn Fortified certification from IBHS, the specifications must be verified by a trained inspector. These specs go beyond the building code in most regions.
The Safe and Sound home’s disaster-resistant features include:
- Simonton’s StormBreaker Plus windows to keep deadly winds out of the house. The windows’ laminated glass and steel-reinforced frames can withstand flying debris up to 134 mph, as well as the extreme negative and positive wind pressures experienced in a hurricane.
- Metal strapping to tie the roof, walls, and foundation securely together. If wind does get into the home, they will help keep it from blowing the roof off.
- Norbord WindStorm OSB sheathing to provide additional wall bracing. The sheets are long enough to reach from the very top to the very bottom of the wall: something standard sheathing won’t do.
- Decra stone-covered metal roof shingles for storm and fire resistance. They won’t burn, and are warranted to stay in place in 120 mph winds.
- A DuPont StormRoom with Kevlar, a residential in-home storm shelter, to give people a place to hide during the deadly tornadoes spawned by a major hurricane.
The home’s systems will also be cutting edge. As the official IBS home of the Consumer Electronics Association’s TechHome division, it will showcase the latest in home automation and home control. A knock-em-dead home theater with a fiber optic feed to the home will show the possibilities of on-demand entertainment. And the home will have the latest in smart HVAC and home security controls, as well as connected home appliances. It will also showcase a new wall system that’s designed to ease the process of installing high-tech utilities in a new home.
Look for the NextGen Safe and Sound Home in the parking lot of the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando next to the West entrance.
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