About the Author: Kevin Page is a board member of the Institute for the Building Envelope. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
Read the full op-ed here.
“Communities nationwide are forced to recover from intense and devastating weather events yearly and rebuild the homes that provided many of life’s great memories. As we recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, we must turn our sights toward a future where building with resiliency is at the forefront of our minds. This starts with constructing homes that withstand nature’s forces better.
No better example of this is Hunters Point, a community near Bradenton Beach, Florida, which boasts “some of the most sustainable, energy-efficient and hurricane-proof homes in the country.” Its careful and deliberate attention to each home’s design resulted in residents reporting little to no damage to their homes as Helene and Milton swept through.
Resiliency features previously deemed optional upgrades in construction are now considered necessary, as building codes may not stand sufficient against severe storms. According to architect Timothy Archambault, who designs homes in California and Florida, states prone to natural disasters, “Building codes often provide a baseline for construction standards, but they may not always account for the full range of challenges presented by extreme weather events.”
In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to use a more holistic approach in construction by evaluating ways to build stronger and more efficient while benefiting homeowners and mitigating damages in the aftermath of a storm. This means addressing a home’s building envelope, the exterior features of a house that not only shield homeowners from the elements but can better withstand harsh weather.
Contractors looking to increase the strength and resiliency of a home first evaluate its roof. During high wind events, particularly hurricanes, wind uplift can place immense pressure on the underside of a roof, causing it to detach from the structure. Roof deck failure can be mitigated by preventing pressure building within the attic space. To address wind uplift, contractors use unvented attics built using air-impermeable insulation, such as spray foam insulation, on the underside of the roof deck to seal the attic while also providing secondary structural benefits and wind uplift protection. Unvented attics seal a home’s building envelope, preventing pressure from building under the roof deck.
Florida is enacting solutions that will address building resiliency needs. Last year, legislation was signed into law requiring insurance companies to provide premium reductions for homes with wind uplift prevention solutions. This year, Florida passed a measure incentivizing the construction of unvented attics.
Innovative building construction methods not only add to the strength of a home, but they also defray the rising costs of homeownership. The non-mortgage costs, including insurance premiums, have made homeownership increasingly more difficult to attain and sustain. Nationally, property insurance payments have risen by more than 50 percent over the last five years and now make up more than 9 percent of a homeowner’s monthly mortgage payment. Last year, 19 states saw a 10 percent increase in home insurance rates. High winds and flooding risks mean that 36 million U.S. properties are vulnerable to higher home insurance premiums.
The laws in Florida that promote construction methods that strengthen the building envelope and help reduce insurance premiums for homeowners can serve as a blueprint for other states to mitigate the effects of extreme weather concerns.
Incentivizing building envelope solutions reduces the cost of home ownership, potential loss of property, disaster relief efforts, and makes this a win for homeowners, insurers and governments.
As we continue to address ever-evolving climate challenges, we must prioritize solutions that make homes stronger and more resilient.“