Coastal Building Resources
Daunting as the coastal climate can be, the home-building industry has the capacity to construct homes capable of withstanding the ravages of hurricane-force winds, floods, home-crushing waves, incessant rain, high humidity, short drying cycles, scorching sun, and corrosive concentrations of salt. What's needed is the know-how from a number of different sources. The must-have titles gathered here provide a good representation of this collective knowledge and even point the way toward overcoming new perils looming on the horizon. Read more
Double Doghouse Dormers
An architect explains how merging a pair of doghouse dormers with a shed dormer created extra space and added visual interest. Read more
Hurricane-Resistant Concrete Homes
Following the 2004 hurricane season, Florida-based Mercedes Homes paired up with researchers at the DOE's Building America program to design and build a truly hurricane-resistant home. But as researchers and builders have come to understand only too well, a home that provides complete protection from an intense tropical storm must offer not just superior structural strength but also afford both greater resistance to wind-driven rain and improved post-storm recovery. William Zoeller explains the science behind the cast-in-place concrete Solid Wall System (SWS), and why it offers significant improvements over CMU construction. Read more
Products
Pneumatic Shingle Knife ~ Cellular PVC Decking ~ Last Line of Defense ~ Closed-Cell Foam Sealant ~ Stable Shower Stall Read more
Raising Carolina
As CEO of Stormont and Company Builders of Kitty Hawk, N.C., Paul Buske builds homes on the Outer Banks that are a far cry from the simple one-story cottages he spent summers in during the 1960s and 1970s. These typically wide, tall custom homes stand on piling foundations; include complex roofs, multiple levels, screened porches, and decks; and offer an amenity few would even have considered back in the '60s: an elevator. As Ted Cushman reports, an aging U.S. population, base flood elevation codes, and ADA regulations are making the residential elevator an attractive option for coastal homes. Read more
