High winds can blow shingles off your roof, break windows, rip off awnings, and slam objects into the side of your home. This isn’t just exclusive to extreme weather like tornadoes or hurricanes, either. According to the National Weather Service, this type of structural damage begins once winds are blowing at 47 miles per hour.
While you can’t control the wind or how fast it’s blowing, you can utilize proper building techniques to protect your home and prevent damage. Let’s take a look at some effective strategies for strengthening homes against extreme wind conditions.
Fortify the Roof
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) explains that your roof is the “first line of defense” when experiencing high winds. If your roof is only attached to the home with nails, consider adding extra metal strapping or anchors to attach it to the wall frames and keep it from lifting off the home.
Continuous Wood Structural Panel Sheathing
Sheathing all walls with plywood or OSB during construction can help your home be more wind resistant. Doing so helps to distribute wind loads more evenly throughout the structure. In turn, this can help keep your walls square during heavy winds, and less likely to tilt or cave under the pressure of strong winds.
Check the Connection to the Foundation
If you have an older home, you may want to review its connection to the foundation. The home should be bolted down to the foundation. Otherwise, a strong windstorm could cause it to slide off and make the entire home unstable.
Rethink the Wood Framing
Wood framing is common in residential buildings. However, there are stronger options available if you want to strengthen your home to wind damage. This includes using insulated concrete forms (ICF), which are more durable and resistant to natural disasters and the strong winds that accompany them. Before constructing your home, consult with the builder to see if this is something they can accommodate.
Deliberately Orient Your Home
Before you finalize your building plans on a new home construction, assess whether the home’s orientation on the lot is compatible with the wind patterns in the area. Of course, this won’t apply for a home that’s already built, and you may be reliant on road access and building codes for a new build. However, it’s something worth considering.
Specifically, if your new home has a rectangular shape, with two sides substantially longer than the others, consider placing the shorter walls into the prevailing winds to minimize the amount of pressure that the structure will endure.
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Written by Bailey Schramm in partnership with wrought iron door manufacturer Abby Iron Doors.
