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Modular Homes Withstand Hurricanes

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Modular homes used to have a reputation for not being safe during hurricanes. However, modern modular homes must conform to new building regulations required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Homes by Vanderbuilt builds modular homes with stronger designs and materials that withstand hurricanes and high winds. HUD building codes now make it necessary for modular homes to sustain hurricane-force winds.

Hurricane IreneModular homes shown in the media after devastating hurricanes are usually in pieces, but what the media fails to report is that the fatalities associated with modular homes are only from ones that were built decades ago before the new building codes were created. Residents who survived severe hurricanes in newer prefabricated homes reported minor damage, like shingle loss. Over the past few decades, construction materials are also stronger and special products are designed specifically to withstand high winds. Homes by Vanderbuilt uses modular home designs and materials that fit the codes while being customizable to fit buyers’ personal tastes.

Traditionally constructed site-built homes have the same strength as today’s modular models from Homes by Vanderbuilt. Some reports show that pre-fabricated homes may be even stronger since they are built with almost thirty percent more materials and require more resilient ground attachments in their foundation. Special modular home designs redirect winds around the home, limiting the damage to the property and better protecting residents inside. Also, each section is created individually and able to withstand the stresses of distribution and delivery, something that standard residential frame-built homes don’t offer.

Home buyers looking for affordable housing trends are usually savvy enough to know about HUD’s national building requirement codes. With so many educated buyers, the modular home industry’s outdated reputation for being weak during storms is starting to dissolve. These savvy home buyers get to take advantage of design versatility available through Homes by Vanderbuilt, which engineers each modular home to code and makes them able to sustain hurricane-force winds. Not only that, but modular building systems available from Homes by Vanderbuilt also provide eco-friendly construction material choices, which limit energy loss and save homeowners money over time.

Pre-fabricated home layouts from Homes by Vanderbuilt are strong enough to offer protection during hurricanes; however everyone should know that it is not safe to remain inside any home if it’s in the direct path of a high category hurricane. Always trust local evacuation warnings and find safe shelter away from a severe storm’s direct path.

Are Modular Homes Strong Enough To Withstand Hurricanes?

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Homes By Vanderbuilt – Modular Homes Are Stronger Than Site-Built, says FEMA

Homes By Vanderbuilt Radar Map North CarolinaCurrent Conditions of NC Coast
At Homes by Vanderbuilt, one of the questions we get asked the most from buyers of a custom modular home is “are modular homes strong enough to with stand a hurricane?”
We’ve always said that our building system produces structures that are far stronger than site built housing. For example, each modular section is built to withstand the shock of highway transport, and they can contain up to 30% more building materials than a comparable site-built home. The drywall is usually glued and then screwed to the wall studs and triple-headers are used over window openings and around stairwells, to withstand the stress of being loaded by a crane and carried on the highway.

The folks at Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) concur that modular homes can withstand a hurricane much better than site built housing. In its report “Building Performance: Hurricane Andrew in Florida,” assessment teams from FEMA concluded that modular homes withstood the 131-155 mph winds of the Category 4 storm in August of ’92 far better than site built housing.

“Overall, relatively minimal structural damage was noted in modular housing developments. The module-to-module combination of units appears to have provided an inherently rigid system that performed much better than conventional residential framing. This was evident in both the transverse and longitudinal directions of the modular buildings,” according to the report.

(Get your free copyof the report by calling FEMA at 800-480-2520, publication number FIA-22, item 3-0180)

Homes By Vanderbuilt offers affordable and quickly built modular housing for hurricane victims and custom permanent homes as well to replace their previous structures. Folks in coastal North Carolina are no strangers to hurricanes and the damage they can cause. In 1996 Hurricane Bertha caused over $55 Million in damages and a few weeks later Hurricane Fran caused another $2.4 Billion. Double hurricanes struck again in 1999 with Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Floyd causing over $4 Billion in damages as well.

For more information on how a custom modular from Homes By Vanderbuilt is a better investment if you live in a coastal state that is in the path of many hurricanes, please visit Homes By Vanderbuilt