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Thermography ■ Mold Inspections ■ Home Inspections ■ Hurricanes

Space Coast Inspections, LLC     Ph: 321/626-4190

Hurricane Mitigation Inspections

Preparing your home for a hurricane
can be as easy as the A-B-C’s!

Anchor

_ Bring anything from the yard that could become windborne
inside – ask neighbors to do the same.
_ Replace gravel/rock-landscaping material with fire treated,
shredded bark to reduce damage.
_ Trim and anchor down foliage.
_ Make sure your home has a wall to foundation (anchor
bolts/re-bar) connection.

Brace

_ Bolt all doors with foot and head bolts with a minimum
one-inch bolt throw length.
_ Reinforce the garage door and tracks with center supports*
_ Brace all gable end framing with horizontal and/or diagonal
braces.
*Approximately 80% of residential hurricane wind damage
starts with wind entry through garage doors.

Cover

_ Cover all large windows, doors, especially patio doors with
securely fastened, impact-resistant shutters with proper
mounting fixtures, or replace them with impact-resistant
laminated window and door systems if feasible.
_ Make sure all doors and windows are properly caulked
and/or weather-stripped.
_ Install roof covering that is rated for hurricane force winds.

Strap
_ Harness any free-standing fixtures in your yard.
_ Strap rafters/trusses to walls with hurricane straps/clips.

We do both residential and commercial inspections. We work with you and your insurance adjustor for claims due to hurricane or water damage. Unsure of your indoor air quality? We can test that for you too. Jim Poon and Space Coast Inspections is here to serve you! If you've lived in Florida for any length of time, especially in the past five years, then you've witnessed the forces of nature by way of Charlie, Frances, Jeanne - or even Wilma. Any one of these storms brought millions of dollars of damage to our state. Space Coast Inspections is on your side...not the side of the insurance company!

BEFORE a hurricane, here are some excellent guidelines that we recommend to minimize your risk of damage:

BLUEPRINT FOR SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS

All specified connectors and fasteners shall be galvanized to prevent corrosion. If within 3000 feet of shoreline, stainless steel connectors and fasteners are recommended.

Foundation Systems

Floor system anchoring and connections must be installed per manufacturer's recommendations and be designed using rational analysis based on wind loads calculated according to ASCE 7-02 using a Basic Wind Speed defined by local amendment or ASCE 7-02 but not less than 120 mph.

Foundation piles must be braced to provide lateral stability in all directions. Methods and materials used to brace piles shall be designed using rational analysis based on wind loads calculated according to ASCE 7-02 using a Basic Wind Speed defined by local amendment or ASCE 7-02 but not less than 120 mph.

Connectors must be installed from the foundation girder to piles, piers or stem walls. Connectors used in anchoring the girder must be designed using rational analysis based on wind loads calculated according to ASCE 7-02 using a Basic Wind Speed defined by local amendment or ASCE 7-02 but not less than 120 mph and installed according to manufacturer's specifications.

Floor & Wall Framing Systems

All exterior walls that are remodeled shall be constructed as shear walls and designed using rational analysis based on wind loads calculated according to ASCE 7-02 using a Basic Wind Speed defined by local amendment or ASCE 7-02 but not less than 120 mph.

Securing the Roof

Hurricane straps or other hardware that connect the roof to the walls must be installed with the proper number and type of nails per manufacturer's specifications and be designed using rational analysis based on wind loads calculated according to ASCE 7-02 using a Basic Wind Speed defined by local amendment or ASCE 7-02 but not less than 120 mph.

All gable end walls gable end walls must be tied back to the roof or ceiling structure with bracing designed using rational analysis based on wind loads calculated according to ASCE 7-02 using a Basic Wind Speed defined by local amendment or ASCE 7-02 but not less than 120 mph.

Roof sheathing material, if all the roof deck is replaced, shall be plywood having a minimum nominal thickness of 5/8" (or 19/32") and shall be continuous over two or more spans with face grain perpendicular to supports. Roof sheathing panels shall be provided with a minimum of 2" x 4" edgewise blocking at all horizontal panel joints with edge spacing for a distance at least six feet from each gable end.

Roof sheathing should be nailed using 8d ring shank nails spaced at 6 inches apart along panel edges and 6 inches apart in the field of the panel. If re-fastening, use 8d ring-shank nails or #8 wood screws two inches long no further apart than 6 inches between fasteners.

Attach roof sheathing with construction adhesive onto the trusses/rafters from the underside of the sheathing if re-roofing is years away.

A secondary water resistance system of self-adhering polymer modified bitumen strips with a 4" minimum width shall be installed below the roof membrane system at all roof deck joints. The system shall be used in addition to the roof system underlayment material.

Applying Structural Foam to Glue the Roof Sheathing to Rafters/Trusses. Some contractors and installers spray structural foam to the underside of the roof deck. The material is often sprayed from a specially designed machine and is available through specialty companies that are licensed to sell and apply this product.

Roof coverings must comply with the most recent version of ASTM D3161, modified to reflect 110 mph fan-induced wind speeds or Miami-Dade protocol PA 107, be certified to meet minimum wind speeds of 110 mph and must be installed per manufacturer's specifications. Roof systems may have only one layer of covering.

Protecting the Openings

Windows, entry doors, sliding glass doors, and skylights must comply with the most recent version of ASTM E1996 and E1996, SSTD 12 or Miami-Dade protocol PA 201, 202 and 203 or be protected by shutters that comply with one of those standards. Exception: one entry door must use a unit that meets impact-resistant and wind load standards, not a shutter, so it will meet Life Safety Code requirements for escape. All products must be installed per manufacturer's specifications.

Garage doors and track systems must be wind-resistant and must be certified with a design pressure rating equal to or greater than the wind pressure calculated to be exerted on the product as calculated according to ASCE 7-02 using a Basic Wind Speed defined by local amendment or ASCE 7-02, but not less than 120 mph.

Exterior Structures

Exterior structures must be attached to the main structure of the house with an anchoring system designed using rational analysis based on wind loads calculated according to ASCE 7-98 using a Basic Wind Speed defined by ASCE 7-98 but not less than 120 mph.

WIND BASICS

Wind velocity varies with the height and increases according to a power curve based on the height above the ground. The wind velocity near the ground is slowed down according to the surface roughness present. Open areas near airports for example present very little obstacles to slow down the wind, which is why wind speeds are measured at airports. Forested areas and urban areas with an extensive array of buildings present considerable surface roughness to slow down the wind. Ground obstacles from a subdivision of residential construction can create erratic wind behavior as the wind attempts to move in and around the building obstructions.

To clarify wind behavior as it approaches a building and attempts to move around it, assume wind is moving from left to right and strikes a building as shown in figure 1.

It is clear from the basic wind facts, that as wind moves past a building, the entire volume is simultaneously subjected to pressures and suctions uniquely on all surfaces. The building’s components and their connections must have sufficient strength to resist the pulls and pushes that produce tensions or compression in residential construction. The basic wind load requirements for strength and stability found in all the building codes include resistance to:

Overturning

Sliding

Uplift

When wind hits the building volume as depicted in figure 1, uplift (suction) on one or both roof surfaces combined with the pressure on the windward wall and the suction on the leeward wall to cause the building to pivot about the bottom of the leeward wall. This action will rotate the entire building off its foundation as illustrated in figure 10.

This is called overturning. Resistance to overturning involves a tension tie-down (or anchorage) to the foundation on the windward side. Given that wind can come from any direction, this tie-down system to the foundation must exist at discrete points around the entire building perimeter. The exterior wall construction on the windward side is also subjected to tension at all its connections from the foundation to the roof. These connections form a chain, and must be capable of holding on to the roof to avoid the roof separating from the wall.

Again, referencing figure 1, the building is subjected to horizontal components of wind force on all surfaces that tend to slice or shear the building from its foundation. This is called sliding, and proper connection between the exterior walls and the foundation can provide the strength to resist this behavior as illustrated in figure 11. Note that the roof windward pressure and leeward suction can have horizontal components that add to the horizontal force on the windward and leeward walls.

Lastly, when the entire roof is subjected to uplift from suction there is a tendency to lift the building volume straight up from its foundation. This behavior produces tension between the roof and the exterior walls. Thus, the connections between the roof and all the components which comprise the wall must be strong enough to transfer tension between all the wall parts, right down to and including the foundation, as illustrated in figure 12. Note that the uplift is actually only the sum of the vertical components of the suction that is perpendicular to the roof surface.

Click here to read Wind and Rain Damage Potential
Potential for wind and rain damage during a hurricane.

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