Surviving the storm: by spending 5% to 10% more upfront to fortify the construction of a new home, dwellings can be made more resistant to catastrophe-caused property damage. (Property/Casualty: Loss Management).

Homeowners may think that as long as their homes meet the local building codes, they'll escape major property damage during natural disasters such as tornados, hurricanes, wild fires and earthquakes.

They are likely to be wrong.

"Building codes are predominately there for life safety, to keep the building from falling. They're not designed to protect property from a catastrophic event. A building may experience a lot of damage but not collapse," said Jeff Sciaudone, director of engineering for the Institute for Business & Home Safety.

The institute has drafted standards, often higher than local building codes, which are designed to protect buildings from major damage during catastrophes. Many homeowners would be surprised to learn they could build a fortified home--one that meets the institute's stricter building code recommendations to become more resistant to natural catastrophes--for about 10% more than the cost of a regular house. In fact, building a fortified home is even affordable for low-income housing, as the institute and Nationwide Insurance proved by building a fortified Habitat for Humanity home in Wilmington, N.C.

"There's no question in my mind that one of the things we have to do in this country is figure out how to build houses that will stand up to the forces of Mother Nature," said Douglas C. Robinette, senior vice president of Nationwide Insurance. The growth in population in coastal areas has made it necessary to consider building better storm-resistant homes, he said.

"Sometimes we think we are helpless, but there are things we can do," Robinette said.

The institute, which is funded through donations from the insurance industry, has developed the "Fortified for Safer Living" program, which recommends specific building requirements above and beyond traditional building codes, the baseline for all construction. The program has ideas for homeowners and business owners to upgrade their buildings to become more resistant to natural disasters, and also has recommendations for new buildings still under construction.

"Homeowners may be aware of the exposure, but think they are covered by the building codes," Sciaudone said.

Areas at Risk

The institute has identified geographic areas at risk for different perils such as hail, wind and earthquake throughout the country, and also considered ways to strengthen homes and businesses against fires and floods, which can occur anywhere. And the institute's recommendations are affordable, adding just 5% to 10% to the construction costs.

For the Habitat home in North Carolina, which cost $50,000 to construct, building the house to meet for-titled standards cost an extra $5,000. For a $500,000 house, it might cost $15,000. "As the homes get more expensive, the percentage to build it as a fortified structure comes down," Sciaudone said.

Robinette of Nationwide said he hopes building the Habitat home "sends a message to the consumer that building a home with these kinds of safety features is not something that is reserved for people who can afford $250,000 to $300,000 houses. It's something that people with more modest homes, both in size and cost-wise, can do."

In fact, homes built by Habitat for Humanity, which builds homes for low-income residents using volunteers, "are extremely well built to begin with," Sciaudone said.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, Sciaudone remembers seeing a picture of an entire subdivision that had been destroyed. On the outskirts of the subdivision stood four homes that looked untouched. "And they were Habitat for Humanity homes," Sciaudone said. He said the simple design of the homes helped protect them against damage from wind.

That's intentional, said Nevil Eastwood, director of construction for Habitat for Humanity International. "We want to make sure the family is safe and the home will last a long time," Eastwood said.

Built to Endure

Habitat homes tend to be one- or two-story, single-family homes. "They don't have large overhangs. They don't have garage doors. They don't have a lot of things that fail first in an event," Sciaudone said.

Also, Habitat homes are built by conscientious volunteers.

"If we tell them to put 10 nails in, they'll put in 20," Eastwood said. "They really want to do a good job."

In fact, "higher-end builders could learn a lot from these simple projects," Sciaudone said.

Doors and windows are particularly vulnerable to wind damage from hurricanes and tornadoes. For instance, windows should be protected by impact-resistant shutters. Another key to prevent wind damage is to tie elements of the house down.

"You need to securely anchor the exterior structure. The biggest switch is in a conventional house, you build a roof and house to stand up. But when you speak of wind, you need to build it to keep it down," Sciaudone said.

For instance, the most vulnerable part of a porch is the roof, which in a wind storm acts like a pull tab on a soft drink can. "The wind can pick that up and pull the whole roof off," he said. To prevent that, the porch roof is connected with metal strapping to a post. Once completed, the house doesn't look different from a nonfortified house, Sciaudone said.

The institute or a subcontractor of the institute inspects homes and businesses that are seeking the "fortified" designation to ensure all requirements have been met. Once it's been verified that the building met the requirements, the institute issues a certificate to the building's owner.

Fortifying homes is a relatively new concept, so there's not much information yet on how these homes perform in catastrophes. "But if it is successful, we'd look at offering premium discounts in the same way we charge more depending on how far away you are from the fire department," Robinette said.

"Fortified" Upgrade Cost Comparison

Adding these upgrades to a new home raises consturction costs by about
5% to 10%.

                            Standard                Fortified
                                Home                     Home

Windows and doors             $5,450 (a)  $15,500 (b)($7,700) (c)
Garage doors                    $650                   $1,250
Roof decking                    $650                   $1,750
Sealing roof joints               $0                     $650
Roof covering                 $2,350                   $3,350
Concrete/steel down pours         S0                     $500
Fortified inspection costs        $0                   $1,000
Total incremental cost
Percentage of base cost

                            Incremental Cost
                                  to Fortify

Windows and doors           $10,050 ($2,250) (c)
Garage doors                            $600
Roof decking                         $1 ,100
Sealing roof joints                     $650
Roof covering                         $1,000
Concrete/steel down pours               $500
Fortified inspection costs            $1,000
Total incremental cost      $14,900 ($7,100) (c)
Percentage of base cost          9.8% (4.7%) (c)

As-built base home price: $151,500 (including lot and options, before
"Fortified" upgrade).

(a)Based on selection of PGT[R] window and door products.

(b)"Fortified" with PGT[R]  WinGuard[TM] impact-resistant  windows and
doors.

(c)Cost of panel shutters instead of impact-resistant windows.

Source: Institute for Business & Home Safety

RELATED ARTICLE: Building a Fortified Home

The Institute for Business & Home Safety has issued a series of construction and design suggestions to fortify a home against natural catastrophes, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados and fire storms.

The fortified program which often has more stringent requirements than local building codes, is based on specific design factors, such as a one- or two-story building with ceilings that aren't higher than 10 feet. Other designs may be considered fortified, but an engineer would have to adjust the specific recommendations, which include the following:

* Strapping down the house. By securing the house's frame to the foundation with metal straps, the house is less likely to be blown off the foundation by strong winds (see photo to the bottom right.)

* More nails, more often. The institute requires builders to use 50% more nails to hold down the plywood roof decking--which will be covered by shingles. Nails are required to be placed no more than four inches apart, while standard building codes require nails to be every eight inches apart.

* Do the twist. Ring shank nails, which are grooved, are used on the roof decking instead of smooth shank nails. Because of their configuration, ring shank nails have up to twice as much holding power as smooth shank nails.

* Seal of approval. By placing asphalt tape over seams in plywood roof decking, even if the shingles fail and are blown off, water will be prevented from leaking through the cracks into the house.

* Cover your glass. By using impact resistant shutters--which are tested to withstand a direct hit from a nine-pound two-by-four traveling at 35 mph--the glass windows and doors in a fortified home are protected from flying debris. Those shutters meet the building code for Miami/Dade County, Fla., but aren't required in many other jurisdictions.

* Topping it off. Builders must use noncombustible roofing materials that can withstand winds of 110 mph.

* Easy on the green. A house should be 30 to 100 feet away from underbrush depending on its proximity to woods.