Homeowners expect their new house to be a strong, safe, well-built structure. Unfortunately, building codes only establish a minimum standard for performance. While they vary from location to location, building codes can also vary in their interpretation, inspection and enforcement.

The Fortified… for safer living® program was developed by the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) at the direction of insurance industry representatives who support IBHS. The goal was to provide a designation for new home construction that included code-plus upgrade options to enhance disaster resistance.

While almost any new home can be Fortified, providing a sample of plans with disaster-resistance and other important features built-in should simplify your search. IBHS partnered with America’s largest home plan design firm, Design Basics, to make building a Fortified… for safer living® home even easier to achieve.

Design Basics incorporated many of the Fortified… for safer living® aspects in developing their Better Living Home‘ initiative—a holistic approach to the design and construction of homes that live and perform better. Better Living Homes are:

• Energy efficient, using 1/3 to 1/2 less energy,
• Healthier, ensuring excellent indoor air quality,
• Stronger/Safer, paying attention to construction details like connections and using disaster-resistant materials, and 
• Environmentally friendly, preventing the release of greenhouse gases and using long-lasting, even recycled materials.

The plans on this page are just some of the Better Living Designs‘ that can easily incorporate the full Fortified… for safer living® criteria required for the area in which they are built. The chosen styles demonstrate the variety available for different regions of the country. See more Better Living Designs‘ by visiting www.designbasics.com.

Plan One

Plan Two

Plan Three

Plan Four

Plan Five