Engineers Use Hurricanes to Study Houses

NewsDay.com ^ | 9/26/04 | Matt Crenson

[ExSoldier]

GULF BREEZE, Fla. -- When a hurricane makes landfall in the continental United States, Dave Prevatt and his colleagues in the Florida Coastal Monitoring Program are out evaluating which construction methods best protect homes from the tremendous wind forces the storms deliver.

Established after Hurricane Andrew socked an unprepared South Florida in 1992 with an estimated $26 billion in damage, the program sets up portable instruments along stretches of coast where hurricanes are poised to come ashore. Engineers erect weather towers that make detailed measurements of the hurricane's winds. They learn about the forces that houses are subjected to by putting pressure sensors on their roofs.

[ExSoldier]

This is the perfect opportunity to harp on my private crusade, earth sheltered living. Someday my wife and I hope to build one of these superb homes for our retirement. I'm forever surprised that the folks in South Carolina, Texas and Florida aren't ALL living in an earth sheltered home. They are hurricane proof, tornado proof (even to an F5 level), earthquake proof, fireproof, even bulletproof! They can be heated or cooled year round for around $40 a month and the bigger the home, the cheaper it is to cool or heat!

DAVIS CAVES

One of the oldest and most respected companies who construct these homes. They are valid for FHA loans and VA Loans and have been okayed for construction in all 50 states. And contrary to popular opinion they are NOT "cave-like" dark, damp and dreary.

Here's a link to one such home in Colorado that was recently put on the market.

CLICK

If I could afford the half million dollar price for all the doo-dads and stuff in this home, I'd have bought it in a red hot second. Too bad a teacher doesn't make enough to afford the purchase. Hafta wait until I sell a script. LOL

[ExSoldier]

PING!

Check out the links, JM. It's worth a look.

[Drammach]

Check out this link as well...

http://www.monolithicdome.com/

One of the lowest cost per sq. ft. available..
Once the "shell" is up, you could actually live in it, while dividing it up into rooms, 2nd floor, etc..

( Just make sure you get water/plumbing in first.. ) LOL..

[Revelation 911]

its cool - but you still have to deal with storm surge

how are the roofs constructed and how does the roof support the tremendous weight of the soil ?

[conservative cat]

Very interesting... Especially if they are more earthquake proof (needed here in WA).

[TruthNtegrity]

Check out Dome Homes. I've been studying them for years.

I heard that a news crew stayed in one in Pensacola - everything around it was leveled. Nothing happened to the Dome Home.

And they're much cheaper to build than the underground or earth-bermed homes you mention.

[lump in the melting pot]

OK, as a practicing engineer I'll take a crack at this one. After checking out the links, my comments on the earth-sheltered houses are:

1) There's always an "exposed" side. Trouble with hurricanes/tornadoes is, you never know which side you'll get hit from, so at best you've cut the probability by 50% but you still need to worry about shutters, flooding etc.

2) I can't tell if this applies to the design you're thinking of but in many parts of Florida there is no way to build any basements/subterranean structures economically, because of the high groundwater table.

3) Psychologically, I would think that many people would not go for living in a house with so little sunlight. People come to Florida because it's the Sunshine State, not to go spelunking, so to speak.

I agree with your basic premise that houses in hurricane zones need to be built stronger, and given what the forecasters are saying about the next 30 years being 'peak intensity' for hurricanes, I'm sure we will see improvement.

You may be onto something, but I imagine most people will stick to a more conventional design, like CMU walls and a roof strapped down to ground anchors...

[lepton]

I would think that a mostly-subterranean mound-home would be nicely complemented by patios/gazebos on the roof. Even if it does blow away, it's a relatively minor part of the home.

[Mamzelle]

There's a guy on FR who has an enormous earth-sheltered home...but I can't recall his name. It was in a thread about McMansions and property rights...I think he might be in WV.

[ExSoldier]

My father was an engineer and my father in law is not only a PE but also a state building inspector. He loves the idea after due study. Contrary to your comments, the fact is that these homes are FULL of sunlight! Properly designed (that is with the help of the company) with key skylights or a cupola and a proper paint scheme inside to bounce the light off the already curved walls, they are as bright and "roomy" as any conventional home. They have already withstood F5 tornados all over the country. In one oklahoma neighborhood, it has become the neighborhood shelter when such a storm forms and the residents all just relax and party. Sanctioned by local government, even.

Sure they can be built and HAVE been built in Florida. You don't have to dig 'em in. You build on top of the ground and berm 'em in!

My wife had the same doubts you speak of in many areas. But she saw The Lord of the Rings and now refers to our dream as her "Hobbit House." The added benefits include the utter silence. No traffic noises, no wind noises, nothin.' But it is acoustically perfect for stereo!

Also there will be no need to paint or redo the roof (except to perhaps mow) or worry about insect (termite) problems. For retirees, it is perfect. I say that because I also recognize the difficulty in resale. We intend to keep this home for the remainder of our lives. That's why location has to be perfect.

[ExSoldier]

Yeah, I looked at these, too. But they remind me of the homes in the first move RollerBall that came out when I was in high school. The advantage of monolithics is that they too, can be bermed in. Both the monolithics and the Earth Bermed homes by Davis Caves and Nest Egg, have withstood nuclear blasts within .5 miles of ground zero. But I don't recall the size of the devices. But earth sheltering does provide nearly all the protection needed for rads protection.

[ExSoldier]

Well, I wouldn't live right on the beach or within the reach of storm surge anyway. You're right about that, though. You could still get killed by the surge, even if the home would itself withstand it, you might drown in your living room. We were thinking of moving out of Florida and building one of these in Texas, or perhaps western North Carolina. Or perhaps both! Live in Texas for most of the year, but summer in NC. Maybe for Christmas, too. I mean, gee, we'll be retired! Now, if the investments just hold.....

[ExSoldier]

WOW! How would I go about finding who he is?

[snooker]

snicker, I hope your earth sheltered cave comes with a snorkel system.

Go up young man, up, not down. And build strong. Remember the big bad wolf. Concrete is your friend.

[ExSoldier]

Concrete is your friend.

Have you seen the sites I linked? They're made of shotcrete! Concrete shells about 4" thick. Re-bar reinforced into the shells. NOTHING stronger. READ before you snicker.....in other words better to let everyone think you're a fool before you hit the keyboard and remove all doubt.

[RedWhiteBlue]

You are looking for pageonetoo. Click here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1196370/posts?page=28#28

[ExSoldier]

HERE is the other LINK I was looking for!

NEST EGG

[snooker]

Yes, as a matter of fact I did. I am always interested in new ideas.

But elevation is what you want. You need to build new construction at 13-18 feet elevation for the first occupied floor level on the beach around where I live. What most people do is fill the cinder blocks with concrete. The elevation restriction means you need to live on the second story of a two story house. I have a 9 foot elevation restriction, and if I were to do over, I probably would go up another 3-5 feet.

Here is another fact ... most houses which are build flat to the ground have an under slab piling system which can go down 30-50 feet below ground level. This supports the weight of the building. So a raised house just has the pilings sticking out at the height you require. For the most part FL is sand so you need pilings or the house sinks into the sand.

There are also some new block systems which work also. Here is one of the new construction techniques http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/DAC-ART/hurricane-ivan.html ... sort of a big concrete block filled with concrete.

Rising water gets more people than does wind. It's fairly easy to build a masonry house that will withstand continuous 140 mph winds. You get garage doors made to that spec these days. Shutters are easy to install on masonry or block houses.

The biggest problem is they allowed trailers(prefab homes) to be used in inland areas of FL. Big mistake. The insurance bill is going to make it hard for many to rebuild.

But elevation is what you want. Then you must enforce the building codes rigorously.

[pageonetoo]

I built on sand, in SE NC. We used water to "wash" the pilings to the desired depth, then placed concrete to hold it in place (theoretically). I had no structural damages to homes I had built there, even following major storms such as hit FL...

Now, I have rock below me, and dirt above, and I am hid in the wiles of WV...

Don't build where you can't afford to lose it... and, oh yeah, you can't build below grade, in FLA... or below storm surge!

Find a place to build on the side of a hill, with no water springing from the area, and facing south. The sun will warm you in the winters, and the earth will keep you cool during the summers... Find a builder who can do good concrete work, and a pre-stress yard who builds bridge panels, The rest is just engineering, and personal design features...

[Mamzelle]

I've been searching--haven't found the right search word yet to find the thread. If I remember, I'll email.