Understanding the Benefits of Hurricane Resistant Construction

Hurricane resistant construction can be extremely beneficial and save you tons of money in the long run, especially if you live in an area prone to hurricanes or heavy rains and wind storms.

You may not even live near the shore and still require hurricane resistant construction.

This type of construction protects against three main natural elements, wind, rain, and flooding.

If we have learned anything from natural disasters, it is that you don't necessarily need to live by the ocean to suffer tragedy from the elements.

Building Codes in at Risk Areas

Building codes are regularly being updated as we learn more and more about the structural requirements needed to withstand hurricanes. We have learned so much that code revisions and building changes implemented after Hurricane Andrew in Florida, that no one died in any structure built under the new code.

Furthermore, these structural adjustments also prevented any new buildings from blowing away, and their facade stayed intact. The only complaint was leaking rainwater, which is a minor issue when compared to an entire building be blown away.

However, there is always room for improvement.

Therefore, new building code revisions are still being implemented to control rainwater entry.

Water and Flood Resistant Construction

Some of the tips that hurricane-prone areas, like the coastal regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida are implementing include practical measures, like elevated structures and waterproof building materials.

Construction tips for areas that are prone to heavy rain and flooding are pretty straightforward. Build elevated structures, build with materials that can withstand getting wet, and finally, design your materials to quickly dry and not rot or rust when they get wet.

Let’s get more in depth about these three tactics. 

Elevated Structures

Building your structure off the ground is a fundamental concept for construction in a high-flood-risk area. However, metal buildings typically are not made on stilts like beach houses.

Therefore, metal buildings are often built on slabs. While this is often advised against in high-risk hurricane areas, when unavoidable, slabs can be used, they should just be constructed as raised slabs.

Slabs should be elevated relative to the surrounding grade, and this typically means at least 18 inches above the natural grade.

Keep reading to find out the type of material to use to keep your building’s foundation sturdy no matter what kind of weather it encounters.

Waterproof Building Materials

The buildings slab should be constructed with a non-water sensitive martial, like masonry wall. The cavity insulation on the second level should be non-water sensitive as well, in addition, to vapor open. The attic (if there is one) should be conditioned and unvented. This will also prevent uplift from strong winds and attic pressurization.

Many buildings today use paper-faced gypsum board and fiberglass cavity insulation. It should go without saying that these materials need to be avoided at all costs when building a hurricane resistant structure.

Many commercial facilities are wrapped in paper-faced gypsum board, the fact that this material has “paper” in its name should tell you that it is a bad idea.

So instead, use non-paper-faced gypsum board on the inside of your assemblies.

Also, fiberglass cavity insulation is another big no-no. In commercial steel stud buildings, we recommend you not insulate the cavity.

Instead, install all of the insulation on the exterior of the structure and design the cavity to be well ventilated after a moisture event.

Leaving the cavity empty will allow for airflow and facilitate drying after a flood or heavy rain.

The exterior insulation can be foam plastic boards, rock wool, or semi-rigid fiberglass. All of these are excellent options and can withstand rain and flooding.

Fast Drying Design

The best drying strategy is airflow, especially during and after a hurricane when the power is out.

All spaces and cavities in hurricane-prone areas should be well ventilated. Interior cavities should never contain absorptive insulation and all building materials used should be vapor open to facilitate drying by diffusion.

7 Benefits of Constructing a Metal Building in an Active Hurricane or Flood Area

1. Metal Combats Dangerous Mold and Mildew

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, mildew and mold can cause minor to severe health problems like asthma, coughing and wheezing, upper respiratory tract infections, pneumonitis, stuffy nose, and irritated throat.

These conditions are associated with mold and mildew exposure, which can happen after a flood.

Mold and mildew thrive in high-moisture areas. When mold starts to grow on wood, it can be difficult to remove and prevent it from returning.

In contrast, metal structures do not have wood studs that are porous and harbor mold, which allows mildew to be easily wiped away.

2. Metal Thwarts the Rotting and Warping that Happens to Wood

Quality metal, unlike wood, will not rot or warp.

When wood gets wet the structural framing of the building becomes compromised and will often time need to be replaced.

Metal building frames are not porous; therefore, water will not soak in and damage and weaken the structure. Because the metal frame does not absorb moisture, you will not experience any twisting, warping, or shrinking, which are common issues experienced during floods in wooden structures.

However, it is essential to note that these claims are in reference to flooding caused by rains and hurricanes.

Standing water that does not recede in days to weeks has the potential to eventually cause damage to metal when submerged permanently or for very long periods of time.

3. Flood Water Doesn’t Damage Quality Metal

Cheap metals run the risk of corrosion, but galvanized steel and COR-TEN steel (also known as weathering steel) do not.

This is just one more reason you should not use cheap steel when building your metal structure.

If you want more information about why using cheap steel (Chinese steel) may be unsafe for your metal building project, check out the blog here.

Metal can corrode and break down, especially when exposed to moisture and oxygen. This is a normal electrochemical process, but this can be avoided by using galvanized steel or weathering steel (COR-TEN).

COR-TEN gets its name from its two distinguishing properties, corrosion resistant and tensile strength. COR-TEN is an alloy that is made with steel and copper as its base material, and then there is also an additional mix of manganese, chromium, and nickel.

This type of steel is water resistant because of the copper, which is responsible for slowing down the rate of corrosion.

Alternatively, galvanized steel has a coating of zinc; this protects it from the elements and allows it to be resistant to corrosion as well.

4. The Paint Withstands Flooding

Another benefit of metal buildings is the paint that is applied to the steel panels of your structure.

While after withstanding a hurricane, we know the least of your concerns is the paint on your building, but this is just another reassurance that a quality metal building kit is the right choice for you.

The paint on your steel structure is applied more than surface level deep. Therefore it often lasts as long as the steel itself, a lifetime.

5. A Metal Building is Faster, Easier, and Less Expensive to Repair or Restore

When a natural disaster strikes, it would be a miracle if your building escaped without a lick of damage. While quality steel and metal can withstand a lot, it is not impervious to all damages.

That being said, if your structure is a metal building, the likelihood of entire walls needing to be replaced, complete demolition of the structure, or suffering from a long-term non-operational business is extremely unlikely.

Any of these scenarios can be devastating to your quality of life and business success.

However, most metal buildings endure the worst of what mother nature has to offer. The structure itself may need some minor repairs and restorations, but not complete reconstruction.

In our experience, individuals typically only have to replace internal drywall, carpeting, and maybe some lower cabinets, if even applicable.

Therefore, when compared to wooden structures, your metal building will have you back up and running much faster, regaining your normal life and resuming business as usual.

Learn How CDMG Can Help Supply and Build Your Hurricane Resistant Metal Building

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CDMG can provide all the information you need to get started on your new metal building project.

Original blog published here.