House Meets Hurricane

We all know that the weather is changing and not in favor of human survival.  Storms are more frequent and more violent.  Is residential construction adjusting to this new environment?  Building practices are changing, but sadly heading in the wrong direction.

Your new home will be held together with glue and staples where sturdy nails were once used.  Wall and roof studs that hold up the building are now lighter and weaker.

Don’t take my word for this.  Just turn on your TV almost any summer day and you will see whole new subdivisions that have been torn to shreds by a tornado or a hurricane.

If technical innovation is soaring, why are we living in substandard housing?  My answer?  Fifty years ago we cherished individual human life and every new home was built to reflect that reality.  Today we have the miracle of  ”Risk Management”.  Risk Managers will tell you that most new homes will never be exposed to a hurricane. Their question:  "Why build them all to withstand weather violence"?

The good news?  You save money because cheaply built homes cost less to buy.  The bad news?  Weather violence is rapidly becoming the norm,  and will soon be coming to the city where you live.  Think about it.