Built Hard so You Can Rest Easy

It's hard to get much stronger than steel reinforced concrete, which is exactly what serves as the bones of the NextGen "First to the Future" National Demonstration Home. Providing a level of strength and safety not possible with traditional stick frame construction, ICF concrete forms by NUDURA boast up to a four hour fire protection rating thanks to fire retardant expanded polystyrene foam. Plus, by filling the ICF forms with concrete the interior gaps traditionally found in walls are eliminated, and along with it the threat of mold. The result, a home that is not only stronger, but filled with healthier air.

Innovations like this contribute to the continued partnership NextGen Demonstration Homes have had with IBHS, the Institute for Business and Home Safety. This National Demonstration Home will also conform to the standards of IBHS' Fortified...for safer living® program, a program dedicated to helping builders create homes that can stand strong in the face of a wide range of natural disasters. For this home, special attention was paid to earthquake resistant measures -- in Nevada and eastern California alone there may be more than 100 earthquakes in a year that are large enough to be felt. Light but strong roofing, like DECRA's stone coated steel roofing definitely fits the bill, as do PGT's windows and doors. Fortified criteria is even present for the proper use of landscaping to lower the risk of fire damage.

The greatest risk of fire damage for a home, however, comes not from the outside, but from the inside. 33,000 kitchen fires occur every day, resulting in more than 5,000 reported injuries every year. The NextGen National Demonstration recognizes this threat and counters it with the Guardian III system by Guardian Safety Solutions International Inc. All it takes is a moment for a stove-top fire to occur, and when if it does, the NextGen Home is ready. Sensors in the built-in system discharge a wet agent while activating an alarm. At the same time, the gas or electricity to the stove is shut off – keeping everyone in the home safe and sound and protecting a family's largest investment.