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Michael K. Walker, a veteran remodeler in Sarasota, Fla., points out two danger signs along the horizon: permitting lag time and new wind-zone insurance requirements.
In a major windstorm, such as a hurricane or a tornado, it's the windows and doors that usually hold a house together. “Once you breach the envelope, the air rushing in pressurizes the building just like blowing up a balloon,” explains Scott Schiff, civil engineering professor and director of...
Fifteen years ago, even high-end homes were unlikely to sport windows that could withstand hurricane-force winds. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew changed that and gave quick birth to an industry — an industry that today has even the attention of non-coastal residents.
Remodeling in Florida means complying with the strictest codes in the country for wind-borne debris and wind loading. Ben De Prenger of John Kiernan Construction has no worries about compliance because he installs PGT's WinGuard impact-resistant windows.
Named “Seijaku” by its designers, this project embodies this Japanese principle of quiet and stillness, in which all sense of disturbance is absent.