by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Northeast Florida homes may not have been through as many hurricanes as our neighbors to the south, but that doesn’t mean builders aren’t preparing for the worst.
“We keep our finger on the pulse of the industry and code changes,” said Jeff Brecko, vice president of remodeling for Aurora Custom Homes.
The company, like many other builders in the area, remains proactive in becoming educated and staying ahead of the curve when it comes to updated coding for houses.
Building homes in a hurricane-prone area requires an ongoing process of tests, codes and an always-improving array of items that can help improve a home’s chance of withstanding the impact of a storm.
“We learned a lot in 2004 about debris missiles,” said Bruce Peters, vice president of Weather Barriers Unlimited, “with windows and doors being broken, damaged or penetrated.”
In response, codes were changed so that new homes within certain coastal and wind areas are required to have impact-resistant glass or shutters on all windows and sliding glass doors. This eliminates unprotected openings, and while the materials needed to make such changes are costly, the goal is to reduce damage and maintain structural integrity during storms.
Windows and doors aren’t the only things that have been tweaked.
“We’re always looking for ways to make walls stronger,” said Rich Morrison, vice president of Benchmark Homes of Ponte Vedra. Morrison noted that Benchmark Homes frequently uses poured-in-place concrete walls that help with wind resistance.
Benchmark Homes also has an available option in its homes that benefits homeowners in dark times of a storm: a prewired generator able to provide power to an air conditioning unit, lights and refrigeration system in the event of power failure.
“Costwise it’s definitely an upgrade,” said Morrison on all the things associated with making a home more hurricane resistant, “but it also shows in the value of a home.”
The call for building code change and enforcement started 15 years ago with the costliest storm in Florida’s history.
“We saw some changes after Hurricane Andrew with the way codes were enforced,” said Morisson. “The results of that storm showed that even if codes were in place, we need to do more even if we are considered safe.”
The unified building code has been amended several times since the aftermath of Andrew. Such alterings, while needed from a constructural standpoint to decrease damage, might seem to be a burden on builders who must constantly keep up education and increasing costs of such preventative measures. To some, that’s not the case.
“St. Johns County code officials are absolutely wonderful,” said Brecko. “They’re not a problem, they’re a solution and they work with you.”
One such official is St. Johns County’s Dwight Wilkes. Wilkes is part of the enforcement agency that maintains minimum acceptable coding in buildings for the county, and speaks highly of area builders.
“We find that Northeast Florida builders are very proactive,” said Wilkes. “They want to know the code, too.”
Wilkes noted that everybody in the industry has a voice in the code process and that it pays to stay on top of an ever-changing aspect of the industry.
“If time is money and they’re saving time,” said Wilkes, “then they’re saving money.”
While the dream scenario for builders and code officials would be a hurricane-proof house, that notion is unrealistic due to the unpredictability of storms.
“I don’t think there is or will be such a thing as hurricane-proof housing,” said Wilkes, “because there’s always a bigger hurricane out there.”
Testing homes with new products and codes can be a double-edged sword. Wilkes adds that highly beneficial testing can still fall short. Air cannons that mimic high-powered wind debris and projects such as the University of Florida’s “Wall of Wind” (a high-powered engine-driven system of fans that deliver wind gusts and water) are two such tests with hopes of getting better results.
The ultimate test of resistance: hurricanes.
“It’s a hell of a way to test,” said Wilkes.
He noted that man-made tests do prove beneficial in a sometimes trial and error process of making sure things are up to code.
He also has some advice for builders.
“Continue to be informed and proactive,” said Wilkes. “Call your building departments and stay in touch and up to date.”
Some builders have been taking the advice for quite a while and agree.
“If you aren’t ready to learn something everyday,” said Brecko, “then you probably shouldn’t be building.”