Although building a home in Southwest Florida is in many ways equivalent to building a home in paradise, with the ready access to beautiful beaches and water, there are some potential dangers that can come with that.  One of these is the threat of hurricanes, which are capable of inflicting devastating damage to coastal regions.  However, new construction in Southwest Florida must adhere to certain building codes that strengthen homes against hurricane damage, and there are a few additional steps you can take in the construction of your own new home to help protect it.

Besides flooding, much of the damage from a hurricane comes from the wind, whose continual pressure can weaken and then rip through unprotected homes.  One of the most vulnerable points of entry for these destructive winds are the garage doors.  Many garage doors are made of lightweight material that make them vulnerable to hurricane-force winds, and any bend or crack will let the pressure build up until the doors breach and the wind gets inside.  Once the wind gets past the doors, it can build upward pressure that could eventually rip off the roof.  So it’s important to prevent this kind of breach by determining the pressure rating of your garage doors and reinforcing them so that they can withstand hurricane force.  It’s also a good idea to make sure the garage doors are rated for impact resistance so that flying debris will not cause a devastating breach.

Just the garage door, windows too can be a potential point of entry for strong hurricane winds because of the danger of flying debris.  In hurricane-prone areas, it’s recommended to install impact resistant windows that are designed to withstand the impacts of flying debris.  You can also install hurricane shutters to cover the windows in particularly intense storms.  Remember that any breach made into the interior of the home will give the wind greater leverage to do more damage, as well as letting in damaging rain.

Another way to maintain the structural integrity of the home so that the wind can’t get leverage to rip it apart is to glue down the roof.  Although roofs are generally well constructed, the glue acts as an added layer of protection to help hold things together when the wind gets really strong.

Although hurricanes striking a particular area are rare, overall hurricanes form every year, and you never know when one will strike your area.  Despite being a relative paradise, Southwest Florida is in the hurricane danger zone.  When you’re building your new custom home, be sure to consider steps to help protect it against the damage of a hurricane. 

​If you have any questions about your options for preparing for a hurricane or about your new custom home in general, be sure to contact Harden Custom Homes at (239) 603-6083 or stop by our model home at 2818 Tropicana Pkwy W., Cape Coral, FL 33993.