ASHEVILLE, NC--(Marketwire - May 21, 2010) - New home construction in hurricane prone areas is taking on a different shape. Homeowners are choosing a path less traveled when rebuilding homes lost to storms or when building for the first time.
Wind resistant alternative designs are abundant, from solid concrete conventional homes to cement domes and wood framed circular homes being some of the most popular.
One of the leaders in this new construction trend is Deltec Homes, an Asheville, NC based company. Deltec produces a yurt style home that deflects high winds around the structure. "No house is 100% hurricane proof, however our homes are specifically designed, engineered and built with hurricane survival in mind," said Joseph Schlenk, company spokesperson for Deltec Homes.
Many of their clients are believers too:
"Our home served as a shelter for 12 adults and seven children after the local shelter lost its roof during Charley. The winds reached 178 mph. We were also hit by Hurricane Jeanne. The only damage we had were a few missing roof tiles."
Alice P. - Arcadia, FL
"Everything around us was destroyed as the eye of Ivan passed directly over us. Damage around us was unbelievable. Our family stayed in the home during the hurricane. There weren't even any shingles gone from the roof, but the trees outside were completely twisted apart."
Gregg H. - Butler, AL
"We had no damage to the structure from Hurricane Dennis; only a few loose shingles. We watched the modular home next to us totally collapse."
Jayne and Barney P. - Crawfordville, FL
According to Deltec, these types of comments are very typical from their homeowners. "What we are hearing from our new customers is that they don't want to make the same mistake twice. Why put a home design in an environment where it will most likely fail? Some home styles are just not suitable for high wind zones," said Schlenk.
This building trend doesn't show any signs of weakening. The benefits of hurricane resistant construction far outweigh any minor cost increases a homeowner may incur in order to build a hurricane resistant home. In 2004 four hurricanes came ashore in Florida causing billions in damage. In the central part of the state many homeowners were affected by as many as three of the storms. Since each storm was a separate insurance claim many homeowners were faced with insurance deductibles in excess of $15,000.
Hurricane resistant homes generally have damage so minor that it is never reported to the insurance company. The cost of repairs is far less than the deductible of the insurance policy itself. "That alone is significant," said Schlenk, "but can you imagine the lives and resources that could be saved if all homes built in these harsh conditions performed like our homes do?"
For additional information on Deltec Homes hurricane resistant homes, contact Joseph Schlenk or visit www.deltechomes.com
Homeowners available for interviews.
About Deltec Homes
Deltec Homes, located in Asheville, North Carolina, is a family run business that has been building green hurricane resistant circular homes for 42 years.
Documents and/or Photos available for this release:
Deltec home after Hurricane Dennis
To view supporting documents and/or photos, go to www.enr-corp.com/pressroom and enter Release ID: 257069