A Bay area company is making great strides when it comes to hurricane-resistant modular homes.
Over the summer, Palm Harbor Homes became the first ever company to receive the Fortified Home certification from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.
Open since 1977, Vice President of Sales Mark Kelly said times have certainly changed.
“Every home that is built now is capable of standing up to 3 second, 150 miles per hour wind gusts,” Kelly said.
Kelly said the main focus is the roof, starting with peel and stick flashing.
“It actually adheres to the roof decking and virtually waterproofs the roof system,” Kelly said.
Ridge venting is added to prevent wind uplift and everything is secured into place with a ring shank nail, which has little grooves and is dipped in resin that heats up when hammered in.
“When that friction occurs, it creates a resin relief that binds that ring shank nail much better than a conventional nail,” Kelly said.
Double the wood is also used on window and door frames.
Put it all together and you have a hurricane-resistant modular home, thanks to what Kelly calls advancements in construction over the past few decades.