New Tech to Protect Your Home Against Extreme Conditions.
Threats from hurricanes and tornadoes in parts of the country, and wildfires in Southern California are a growing concern for many homeowners looking for ways to protect their properties. Some scientists report that extreme weather events will likely continue to have far-reaching consequences in the coming years.
New technologies are emerging.
Some of these technologies are for retrofits, and others for new construction. Homeowners contemplating some of the more cutting-edge approaches may be looking at big price tags—meaning they will need to weigh potential benefits against costs. And because most American homes are older than 10 years, retrofits will be key, industry experts say. If you or a colleague are looking for ways to fortify your homes, here are some coming options and the latest expert advice:
Roofs Go High-Tech
Solar roof systems are among the newest offerings for homeowners, billed as offering sturdy protection while also generating power. These non-traditional roofs combine sleek aesthetics and environmental sustainability with disaster resilience, building experts say.
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Tesla Inc. is among the companies making a solar roof system that features strong glass tiles embedded with solar cells. Tesla says its roof, constructed with a combination of glass solar tiles, glass roofing tiles, and architectural-grade steel tiles, has the top fire rating, second-highest hail rating, and can withstand 110-mph winds. Costs vary by roof size, a Tesla representative says. Ivan Gould, a real estate agent in Sarasota, Fla., says the Tesla roof on his 2,400-square-foot home cost $41,500 after tax credit. [The featured photo, above, shows a home with a solar roof system.]
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GAF Energy this year launched a roof system that it says directly integrates solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials. The company says the system uses the world’s first solar shingle that can be nailed and has the same fire and wind ratings as Tesla’s roof.
Seal the Roof Deck
As too often seen in recent disasters, severe weather can take off a roof’s shingles, allowing rain to pour through gaps in the underlying roof deck and destroy the home’s interior.
Here, a tried-and-true fix can make a big difference. Sealing the roof deck before shingling is relatively easy and can reduce water entry by as much as 95%.
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One method is to cover seams with flashing tape, then top the deck with reinforced synthetic material. The roof deck of a 2,000-square-foot home could be sealed for as little as $500, according to an industry source.
3D-Printed Walls
Most houses are “stick-built” with wood frames, but some builders are shifting to concrete to build stronger walls.
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Austin-based Icon Technology Inc. says it has used 3D printing to build more than two dozen homes and other structures. A printer dispenses a concrete mix, layer by layer, to form walls at a home site. The computer-driven process can save time and money and yield a structure whose exterior won’t burn or rot and that can withstand extreme weather better than conventional wood-frame homes. And 3D printing can more easily create curved walls that allow high winds to flow past.
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Iowa-based Alquist 3D, which focuses on affordable housing, says it plans to print hundreds of homes over the next three years. Black Buffalo 3D Corp., which supplies Alquist’s material and printers, says its proprietary concrete mixture cures to a compressive strength of 7,500 pounds per square inch, well above the global wall-strength standards range of 2,500 to 4,000 PSI.
Ignition-Free Zones
Increasingly intense and destructive wildfires have focused attention on efforts needed to mitigate risks for homeowners—and are bolstering a growing idea that joint neighborhood efforts can be more effective than those of individuals. Embers and small flames cause most homes to ignite during wildfires.
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Many of the prescriptions remain basic: To lower risks, homeowners in fire-prone areas should clear potential fuels—anything that can burn—up to 200 feet from the house, the group says. The most critical zone is the 5-foot perimeter around the home.
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Remove dead leaves from roofs and gutters.
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Enclose areas under decks with wire mesh to keep out debris.
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Move anything that might catch fire, including plants, away from exterior walls.
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Tree placement is also key. Branches and leaves should be at least 10 feet away from the house, and there should be more space between the trees closest to the dwelling.
Protect the Entry Points
Windows are vulnerable to wildfire, and heat from burning trees can shatter the glass before a home ignites.
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Double-paned windows, with one pane of tempered glass, can reduce the risk, according to Home Innovation Research Labs, an independent subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders.
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Finding ways to make windows more resistant to heat and flames is a major focus of research in the home building industry that is expected to bring new products in coming years.
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Embers and flames that enter through a vent can ignite a house from within, so it is important to seal off potential entry points, usually found on the roof, around crawl spaces, and on the undersides of eaves. Covering vents with a ⅛-inch metal mesh screen can block embers big enough to start a fire.
Insulate With Concrete
A method known as “insulating concrete forms” is winning praise from safety experts for its strength to fend off severe weather. These ICFs can resist winds up to 250 mph, equivalent to an F4 tornado.
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Several companies, including Nudura, make these forms, which can be stacked along exterior walls like Lego blocks. The forms consist of two layers of insulation material separated by a void several inches wide. Concrete is poured into that gap, creating a concrete-filled sandwich. Mike Russell, a Nudura Company representative, says his 2,500-square-foot ICF house near St. Augustine, Fla., emerged unscathed from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and a tornado in 2017. While the house cost 5% more to build than a traditional home, he says, the insulating effects keep his electric bill around $40 to $50 a month, even in summer.
Let the Water In
In a counterintuitive idea, building experts say allowing part of your house to flood could help you protect it.
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Using a technique known as “wet floodproofing,” small rectangular openings can be added to the foundation and garage walls, below the expected flood level. If flood waters allowed to enter a home’s enclosed area can quickly reach the same level as flood waters outside, the destructive effects of hydrostatic pressure are reduced, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This can help limit damage to the foundation and other parts of the house.
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“You just allow your basement to flood so that you can clean it up later,” said Nicholas Rajkovich, a University at Buffalo associate professor of architecture. This, of course, would require putting the furnace, hot water tank, and other appliances at higher levels. And to be sure, it’s best for basements, garages, and other areas not used as living space.