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Storm-Ready Design > Episode 1: Rebuilding to Beat a Hurricane

Pouring Reinforced, Solid-Pour Concrete Walls

Project: Storm-Ready Design, Episode 1, Part 3

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Bob is in hurricane battered Punta Gorda, Florida, to build a storm-ready home in Season 1 of Bob Vila. Bob visits two homes in the same neighborhood, one that was completely destroyed by Hurricane Charley in August 2004, the other that was built to exceed hurricane codes and was left unscathed by hurricane winds and water from the same storm. Scott Buescher of Mercedes Homes shows how enhanced building practices and technologies can create a storm-resistant home, while Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings and Secretary of Community Affairs Thaddeus Cohen discuss rebuilding Florida. Building inspector Randy Cole and Mercedes Homes’ Jesse Gonzalez review the site and watch the pour of a three-stage steam wall that sits below grade and ties the slab foundation to the ground. The resulting foundation will resist water penetration from storm surge by allowing water to move around the foundation without encountering entry points. Bob reviews the house plans with Scott Buescher of Mercedes Homes and learns how the house is constructed as an integrated system. Building connections are emphasized and reinforced rebar and steel mesh are extended from the stem wall to the roof line in preparation for the solid concrete pour that will form the exterior walls.

Part 1: Discussing Hurricane Resistant Building and Stem Wall Construction
Part 2: Homes That Can Survive Hurricanes
Part 3: Pouring Reinforced, Solid-Pour Concrete Walls: Bob meets Mark Newton of Solid Wall Systems to learn about the solid-pour walls that will frame this storm-resistant home.

Bob watches the crew attach number 5 steel reinforcing bars to the existing rebar that was set in the stem walls and slab as they were poured. These up-rods or vertical rods will run the entire height of the walls. They are tied to the foundation bars with a battery-powered wire gun.

Once the vertical rods are set, the crew will measure for and mark the openings before setting the wire mesh that will further reinforce the walls.

Newton shows Bob how headers are constructed using stirrups that tie in the rebar and make it ready for the pour within a specialized header form.

Newton then shows Bob the locking forms that will be used for the pour and the clips that hold them together. Spacer wheels are attached to the mesh to keep it centered in the wall between the two forms. Break-free wall clips are also attached to hold the two forms together. These clips are designed to break away once the forms are removed.

Bob is joined by Florida's Lieutenant Governor, Toni Jennings, and Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs Thaddeus Cohen to discuss the aftermath of the four hurricanes in 2004 and Florida's efforts to build back better.

Lt. Governor Jennings briefs Bob on the destruction since Charley hit on August 13, 2004, followed by Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. In Florida, more than 700,000 homes were damaged, 9.4 million residents were evacuated, and the state sustained 42 billion dollars in property damage.

As Jennings points out, hurricane season is again upon the state and they have yet to repair from last year's storms. Still, she adds, it is evident that improved building codes -- in place after hurricane Andrew hit in 1992 -- have dramatically increased the storm-resistance of Florida's built environment.

Bob asks about Florida's commitment to preparedness for upcoming storms. Secretary Thaddeus Cohen, himself a practicing architect, talks about the determination to use the $100 million in block grants to build back better, to put federal dollars to work to improve housing, and to build sustainable communities throughout Florida.

When a hurricane hits, it's not just the house that's endangered, it's the homeowners, the neighbors, and the community. When hurricanes strike again and again, as they did in Florida in 2004, the effects are devastating. In Season 1 of Bob Vila, Bob works with FLASH -- the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes -- to completely rebuild a home that was destroyed in Punta Gorda, Florida. Using current technology and new standards for storm-ready housing, Bob and the crew build a new home of pre-cast concrete that is cast in place with a structural system designed for integrity. Bob looks at the key elements of a home and how they protect or compromise the overall structure when high winds and wind-borne rain strike, as well as why some building systems fail and others succeed. The new Punta Gorda home will feature integral roof and envelope tie-down systems, advanced roof trussing technologies, and impact-resistant windows. Working with the builder, FLASH, and FEMA, Bob learns how current building codes are making new and upgraded housing safer for Florida residents. He also visits a home under repair and looks at how to guard against further damage to your home and surrounding homes while fixing damage from a first storm.

Also from Storm-Ready Design

Episode 2 - Building a Reinforced Concrete House
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Description:
Bob recaps construction of the stem-wall foundation and integral concrete slab, the vertical steel reinforcing, steel mesh, window bucks, headers, and spacers put in place for the cast-in-place concrete walls. Cameron Parker and the crew of Solid Wall Systems spray the aluminum wall forms with an organic oil spray to prevent adhesion from the concrete and set the forms for the pour. Bob joins Wayne Sallade, Charlotte County Emergency Manager, to review cleanup, demolition, and repair one year after Hurricane Charley. sallade explains that housing built in the 1960s through the 1980s, before the Florida Unified Building Code, had stick framing, gable roofs, and siding. "It didn't stand a chance," he says. Looking at surviving 1920s Florida architecture, it's clear that unified construction, concrete walls, protected windows, and hip roofsare the way to design wind-resistant homes. Back on site, bob watches the pour, learns how the walls and window openings will be vibrated to eliminate voids, and sees the bracing set to hold the walls square before leaving the site to let it cure overnight. Once the forms are removed, Jesse Gonzalez explains how a traditional three-coat Florida plaster job will complete the exterior once the structure has cured for two weeks.
Episode 3 - Building a Storm-Ready Roof
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Description:
This episode of Bob Vila will focus on roofs, how they are built and tied down to keep structures safe. Leslie Chapman-Henderson from FLASH, the Federal Alliance for Safe Housing, explains how FLASH brings information about safe housing technologies and practices to homes across America, to protect them against floods, winds, hail, and wildfires. Chapman-Henderson explains how a connected house works as a system to beat back the pushing and pulling forces of wind. Randy Shackelford of Simpson Strong-Tie shows Bob the embedded truss anchors that will tie down each truss member of the roof framing, as well as retrofit tie-downs and heavy connectors designed to fight wind uplift forces. Jesse Gonzalez walks Bob through the steel-framed interior that has a master suite and bath, and lots of open space. Bart Cox of Hanson Roof Tiles brings factory-extruded cement clay-look tiles that are pre-drilled for mechanical installation. Dave Peck of D. Peck Roofing explains that stiffer 5/8-inch plywood sheathing, 30 pound felt that is nailed, hot mopped with asphalt, and covered with 90 pound felt makes a strong, water-resistant roof deck for the tiles. Metal nailer boards keep cap tiles in place when wind strikes.
Episode 4 - Impact-Resistant Windows for a Storm-Ready Home
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Description:
Bob visits PGT Industries to see impact-resistant windows being tested and assembled. Code Compliance Officer Dave Olmstead explains how windows break during a storm, allowing high-force winds to enter the home, pop off the roof, and cause catastrophic building failure. Impact-resistant windows are laminated to stay intact after impact so that wind cannot enter. Olmstead shows Bob the violent impact test used to certify windows to storm standards. He shows Bob windows made of standard annealed glass, tempered safety glass, and impact-resistant glass for comparison. A pneumatic cannon then fires a two by four at each of the windows. Traveling at 50 feet per second, the two-by-four completely breaks the annealed glass, penetrates the tempered glass leaving a hole, and bounces off of the impact-resistant glass leaving it shattered but held together with no holes to invite wind entry. Impact-resistant windows feature two panes of glass with a Buticite layer in between. The glass is pressure baked at 450 degrees for four hours before it can be set in the heavy-gauge frame with silicone adhesive. Bob watches the assembly process and learns that sales of these impact-resistant windows have risen 300 percent in the year since Hurricane Charley.
Episode 5 - Storm-Ready Doors, Fiberglass Wallboard, and Power Backup
Episode 6 - Faux Columns and a Gunite Pool
Episode 7 - Storm-Ready Stucco Paint, Foyer Tile, and Textured Finishes
Episode 8 - Concrete Color Staining, Soffits, and Energy Efficiency
Episode 9 - Kitchen Finishes for the Storm-Ready House
Episode 10 - Pool Deck, Toto Washlet, and Wind-Proof Garage Door
Episode 11 - Sustainable Landscaping, Water Use, and Termite Control
Episode 12 - Hurricane-Safe Pool Structures, Pool Mechanicals, and Safety
Episode 13 - Surge Protection, Plumbing, Bamboo Blinds and Garden
Episode 14 - Completing the Punta Gorda Storm-Ready House

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