RESILIENCE

The ability to adapt to changing conditions. To continue functionality and maintain living conditions against forces of nature. Resilience guidelines changes with climate zones and location within the US. Resilience Design is the purposely and intentional design practice to make a house damage less, under a natural disaster, with practical and cost-effective solutions.

All of us, with our tax dollars, we are already paying for our inaction on climate changes and disaster relief. Resilience Construction has become more prevalent in recent years, with all the high-winds, wind-driven rain, cold and hot weather, hail, thunderstorms and tornadoes, drought, earthquakes, lightning, flooding, fire, hurricane, snow and avalanches, etc. These are all more than hazards, which you may or may not have insurance coverage for. We want to minimize the damage for your new home.

National and local Building Codes, are the minimal approved ways all homes can be built. Nowadays, States and Municipalities can even water-down or weakening parts of the codes. That is to say, your code built new house is the least LEGAL way it can be design and build. Not too confident now, are you?

A CODE BUILT HOUSE = A MINIMUM LEGALLY BUILT HOUSE

Not only we provide details and instruction on advanced framing, water management, trusses, and good building practices and durability, but we offer additional resilience performance to be included with your home design. We look an “above code” solutions for your climate zone and area. We use guidelines from FEMA, IBHS, HUD, and other resources, to reduce the risk of damage your home may go through these forces of nature.

It’s very inexpensive to increase design loads from wind-loads of 90-110 mph, found in most municipalities’ codes, to wind-loads of 111-135 mph. See National Weather Service. From 1950-2018, with and EF2-Cat3 design, we could have minimize catastrophic damage in 96% of all tornadoes and hurricanes.  In addition, with the right design and product selection, we can minimize damage to your new house from hail, flood, and fire. Those are the biggies! Let us help protect your investment. Depending where you live, other resilient design ideas include water collection, sanitation, and safe environmental health.

Designing a Zero Energy Ready House, or Zero Energy House, allows you to quickly and inexpensively, have alternative sources of energy if you go through one or more of these natural disasters. There is no reason you should be designing and building a new house with 30-50 year old technology.

 

RESILIENCE DESIGN:

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  Design and build homes with defensive materials and techniques to avoid extreme climate conditions, like good insulation and outsulation, rainscreens, fire-proof materials, structural stability, high-wind resistant fenestration, etc.

• Design and build to handle severe weather inclement at any climate zone or geographical area, like power losses, potable water and water harvesting, back-up heating and cooling, materials that can dry quickly in the event of floods, don’t need replacement and are easy to maintain.
• Design and build using site-renewable energy sources. Solar PV, windmills and generators.
• Locate and plan critical systems in your community to help you withstand extreme weather conditions.