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Tampa – A home showcasing how to build houses with added protection against natural disasters is on display at the 2006 International Builders’ Show in Orlando.
The NextGen “Peace of Mind” Demonstration Home has been built to the Fortified…for safer living® standard, with proven ways to increase a home’s defenses against high winds and flooding – two of the most destructive natural threats in Florida – which is where the home will remain permanently after the show.
The Fortified…for safer living® designation is granted by the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Tampa, FL. Fortified techniques and construction materials raise a home’s overall disaster resistance above the minimum requirement of building codes. The Fortified program pays extra attention to areas especially vulnerable to disasters, including doors and windows, roof construction, the foundation and even landscaping.
Fortified construction criteria are tailored for the region in which a home is built. The program can also include protection against earthquakes, hail, freezing weather, wildfires and water damage.
Fortified features in the NextGen “Peace of Mind” Home include:
- Connections that securely tie the house together from roof to foundation, protecting the structure from winds with speeds up to 130 miles per hour,
- Impact-resistant roof materials that better withstand high winds,
- Windows, doors and garage doors that keep wind and water out even when struck by flying debris,
- A secondary moisture barrier beneath the roof covering to reduce water intrusion.
The NextGen Demonstration Home, built by BrownStone Builders, was manufactured by Palm Harbor Homes. It showcases more than 15 technologies approved by the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), such as green building and energy efficiency. Visit the home in the Orange County Convention Center’s outside display area, Lot D2.
Following the show, the “Peace of Mind” home will receive the Fortified…for safer living® designation when permanently sited as a model for the first NextGen Certified planned community, which will be built in the Tampa Bay area.
For more information about the Fortified…for safer living® program, click here.
To visit the NextGen "Peace of Mind" home website, click here.
IBHS is an imitative of the insurance industry to reduce deaths, injuries, property damage, economic losses and human suffering caused by natural disasters.
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