I love those stories where you feel like you really learn something. That's how I feel about tonight's story. I've looked at dozens of homes over the years and like most people I've focused on the closet space, the kitchen layout and the size of the bedrooms. Most of the time, I left it up to an inspector to tell me if the home was safe.
It's still important to have an inspection. However after meeting with engineer Tim Marshall, a storm failure and damage consultant who's worked with the federal government investigating the damage after storms like Hurricane Katrina, you realize there are safety features we should all look for when buying or building a home.
Building Codes
The first thing I learned was that the building code is simply a minimum standard. Marshall says most builders meet the code, but that's like "getting a 70 on an exam." He says you want a builder who goes above the code to make a stronger, safer home.
Wind Basics
I wanted to provide you with some tools to help you better understand how your home reacts to extreme weather conditions. This site has a great animation that shows you how homes react in wind.
Hurricane Ties
The one safety feature Marshall recommends is hurricane ties. These can be attached in several different places in your home. Marshall recommends you have ties where the roof meets the walls and where the walls meet the floor joist. Here is another great animation by Simpson Strong-Tie to show where they can be attached to help strengthen a home.
Anchor Bolts
Marshall also prefers anchor bolts to steel straps. "Bolts are better," he said. "I've seen too many problems with straps. I've seen straps that are broken, not installed correctly or the nail heads are smaller than the holes. I've seen that too many times."
Marshall says in an unfinished basement or a garage you should be able to see them. If you don't, chances are your home was built before they were required.
Home Foundations
Marshall also prefers poured concrete foundations over concrete masonry block wall ones. This article helps explain the different types of foundations you find in homes.
"I've seen plenty of houses that have shifted off their foundation and they carry the top block and leave the rest of the foundation there. That's why I don't like concrete masonry unit foundations," said Marshall.
Questions to Ask Builder
PATH is a Public-Private Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology has some terrific information for home buyers. Here's a home buying checklist. In this you'll find more specific information on various areas of interest in your home. Whether building a home or buying a home this is one of the best guides around.
The National Association of Home Builders also has some terrific resources.
Most of the companies who specialize in this kind of work are in hurricane prone areas. If you're wondering what to ask your builder, you'll find some good suggestions here. These are some suggestions from the American Lung Association's health house.
You can find more information on quality and durability here.
Help Renovating
PATH also has some great resources for homebuyers looking to save some money on renovating their home. You can search by state here. You can find information on potential state and federal rebates here.
Building Codes
The International Code Council develops codes to make buildings stronger. The council will be here in the Twin Cities in September and there is some controversy about possible changes to the code involving those hurricane ties.
Safe Rooms
We'll have more information coming up tomorrow night at ten on how to build a safe room in your own home and look for future reports on ICF or Insulated Concrete Formed Home construction.
