Myles Nelson McKenzie Design in South Carolina creates and develops construction plans for custom homes and renovations that comply with building codes in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Ensuring they can withstand hurricane-force winds.
Additionally, we understand that storms such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and cyclones, which are characterized by strong winds, can cause significant damage or destruction to many homes. However, implementing proper structural and foundation designs can greatly reduce the extent of damage caused by these forces.
Storm surge waves along coastal areas can cause additional damage. Custom homes built on high ground or with raised floors can help keep the residence safe from the surging waters.
If waves can reach the building site, the structure must be elevated on metal, concrete, or wood pilings or anchored to a solid rock to ensure stability.
In our design studio located in South Carolina, we develop custom homes and renovation design projects that are capable of withstanding the intense wind forces of hurricanes and the storm surge waves along coastal regions, in accordance with local building codes.
Hurricane Home Design Components
We have put together the range of processes and components that can help a building survive during sturdy winds and storm surge.
The Foundation
With even a strong foundation, we know very well that wind acting on the roof surface of a building can cause a terrible pressure that creates a lifting force enough to lift the roof off the building.
Once this occurs, the building is weakened drastically and the rest of the building will probably fail as well. To reduce this vulnerability, we design the custom home to be anchored structurally from the roof to a structural designed foundation.
Home Tie Down
Though we incorporate several structural design components to anchor a roof. Typically, roof trusses are often used for most roof structures. They can be “toe nailed” into the apex of the walls. This although provides inadequate strain to withstand high winds. So, we detail out on our construction plans hurricane ties. Such as Simpson Strong-Tie hurricane rafter tie. They are nailed into the face of the wall construction and around the bases of the trusses. This provides better pressure resistance.
What is Simpson Strong Ties?
Hurricane ties create a secure link between the truss or rafter and the wall to withstand wind and seismic forces.
Simpson Strong-Tie straps and plates simplify joining and strengthening joints, offering versatile solutions for a broad array of connections. They come in various lengths, widths, and thicknesses. These straps can be installed on either the wide or narrow face of lumber. Making them suitable for both light repairs and heavy-duty applications. Many straps are designed for back-to-back use on a piece of lumber without fastener conflicts. The hurricane tie series comprises various configurations of wind and seismic ties, specifically designed for trusses and rafters.
Protective Glazing
Building openings such as garage doors and windows are habitually susceptible factors prone to failure by wind pressure and blowing debris.
Once failure happens, wind pressure builds up in the building resulting in the roof lifting off the building. We spec out windows with either Impact-resistant glass or glass with protective membranes.
For those clients who possibly could face strong storm winds. We highly recommend the use of HurricaneShield® window and patio door systems from Pella products. They are impact-resistant patio doors and glass units made with outstanding impact-resistant technology. Window and patio door systems that have been created to withstand wind speeds up to 184 mph. The HurricaneShield® series is designed to help maintain your home’s structural integrity.
Click on our link to HurricaneShield products at Lowe’s.
Earth-Sheltering
We know that earth-sheltered buildings are generally more resistant to strong winds and tornadoes compared to standard structures. Cellars and other underground components of homes can provide safe shelter during tornadoes. Therefore, we often include a below-grade, waterproof storm shelter in custom home designs. This shelter is typically built using either poured-in-place concrete or concrete blocks.
Additional Hurricane Home Design Features
- A structure featuring a square floor plan (or preferably a hexagonal or octagonal plan) coupled with a roof comprising more than one panel (four or more panels) has been observed to reduce wind loads
- Roofs with multiple slopes, such as a hip roof (4 slopes), perform better during wind forces than gable roofs (2 slopes).
- Gable roofs are generally more common because they tend to be less costly to construct.
- A wind force on a roof generally causes uplift forces. This is why roofs often blow off during strong wind events.
- Connecting roofs to walls matters!
- Strong connections, as noted between the structure, its foundation, and the joints among walls, are appropriate to prevent damage caused by high winds.
- Residential steel construction is a strong alternative to wood for withstanding severe storm winds.
Though certain areas of a building, such as the ridge of a roof, corners, and eaves, are normally subjected to higher wind pressures, roof overhangs are subject to wind uplift forces that could cause a roof failure as well. These forces can exert tremendous pressure on the structure, particularly during severe weather events such as hurricanes or tornadoes. As the wind flows over the roof, it creates a lift effect beneath the overhang, which can lead to detachment or structural damage if the design does not adequately account for these pressures. It is essential to incorporate proper engineering practices and materials to mitigate these risks and ensure the building’s longevity and safety.
Please contact Myles Nelson McKenzie Design today to discuss a new home design for your custom home, including Hurricane home design features.