PANAMA CITY, Fla., May 3, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- A new home under construction near Panama City, Florida is the first systems-built home in the Southeast to be designated a Fortified... for safer living(r) Structure by the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), a non-profit organization based in Tampa, Florida.
The 1,370 square foot 'beach cottage' style home is being built in Winter Garden subdivision outside Panama City, Florida by Wave Construction of Rosemary Beach.
While there are other homes in the region that have been built to the 'Fortified' standards, this home is unique in that it is a systems-built home -- the components were precision-assembled in a factory by Nationwide Custom Homes, of Martinsville, Virginia, then delivered to the site by truck and set in place as modules with a crane. Unlike mobile homes, systems-built homes are built to meet or exceed all local building codes. "I've been a site builder for nine years," said Scott Henson, president of Wave Construction, "and I can't site build a home to this level of quality."
Chuck Vance, the director for the IBHS Fortified... for safer living program agrees. "(Nationwide's) modular system is excellent. The homes are constructed in a factory by well-trained crews and they're well-inspected. When placed on a foundation engineered to our specifications, these homes work well with our program."
The Institute for Building and Home Safety is a non-profit trade association whose members are the property and casualty insurance companies. "They embrace modular construction to be suitable for this new residential program," said Vance. "That in itself is recognition that you have a very excellent methodology for building a home."
The 'Fortified' designation is given to homes designed and built to guidelines that generally exceed local structural building codes. The 'code plus' standards vary from region to region and are designed to increase a home's ability to withstand natural disasters such as, in Florida, hurricane winds.
"Here on the coast," said Henson, "that means they have to be built to withstand 150-mile per hour winds; this house is rated for 160 mile per hour winds. Not only does that make a stronger house, but that designation is recognized by insurance companies and can mean up to a 50 percent reduction in insurance premiums."
In addition to wind load, there are several other 'code plus' areas that the IBHS looks for including special engineering for the foundation: all openings must be protected with shutters, screening or laminated glass; a secondary water barrier on the roof in case shingles blow off; and the roofing itself has to be much more durable. The requirements, though, are site specific. Other parts of the country have different issues that are addressed, such as ice guards in the north, and may have lesser requirements regarding wind protection.
In order to receive the 'Fortified' designation, Henson worked with local engineers to design the foundation. Then, Nationwide's engineers used those same criteria to construct and inspect the components before they left the plant. Once assembled on site, the home was inspected by IBHS before receiving the 'Fortified' designation.
This may be the first systems-built home to receive the 'Fortified' designation, but it won't be the last. Says Henson, "Every home I build using the Nationwide system will be built to these standards. It just makes sense."