Water Woes
I just finished reading "Water Woes" (Breakline,
September/October 2006). Within our lifetime (for boomers,
anyway), the issue and importance of freshwater availability
(or scarcity) will outpace that of reliable energy sources.
Coastal areas (particularly Florida, Georgia, and South
Carolina) can seasonally count on an overabundance of
freshwater in the form of precipitation during the summer
months and hurricane season. Why not capture this water from
roof runoff and store it in cisterns, like they do in Bermuda,
or the way they did in Florida in the early 20th century? If
you look at the amount of roof area in existing and developing
communities, there is massive potential for water capture.
While the article mentions re-use, I'm not sure it includes
water capture.
This problem isn't going to go away. With the volume of new
development in coastal regions, perhaps some simple and
cost-effective methods for water capture and conservation are
needed.
David Plant
Toronto, Ont., Canad
Foundation Resource
Where can I find the publication Recommended Residential
Building Construction for the Gulf Coast: Building on Strong
and Safe Foundations (mentioned in "Strong, Safe Foundations,"
September/October 2006)?
John Darnell
Insurance Restoration Services
Pensacola, Fla.
The complete publication is now available from FEMA's
Information Resource Library at www.fema.gov/library/view
Record.do?id=1853.
Durable Decks?
I always like to read the many informative articles in your
publication regarding techniques for building durable outdoor
structures. This being the case, when the November/December
2006 issue featured an article on deck building, I turned
directly to it. What shocked me was the choice of highlighting
fir decking as a durable decking material. I have been a deck
designer for the past 10 years and have had the opportunity to
see hundreds of old decks that are deteriorating and need to be
replaced. One constant that I see is the consistent rotting of
fir decking after only 8 to 10 years. Fir has very little
natural resistance to rot and (in my experience) if installed
with little to no space between the boards (as was pictured)
will rot faster than any other deck material. The same is true
of the area of the railings where the 4x4 posts meet the
horizontal 2x4s. The ease of availability and workability of
fir doesn't justify using it rather than more durable woods
like cedar, mahogany, or ipe.
Larry Cohen
Archadeck of Suburban Boston
Burlington, Mass.