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| Round homes that survive hurricanes  A prefabricated round home that seems to be hurricane proof has received a great deal of attention recently because all of these homes in hurricane ravaged areas survive with either no damage or just minor cosmetic damage.Deltec attributes its remarkable record to the shape of the home and how it's built. Deltec Homes aren't really round but a series of flat eight foot wide panels joined at angles. The roof is also at the optimum pitch for wind deflection. The surface area of the walls is minimal so wind can't build up enough significant pressure to blow the walls down. The wind actually blows around the structure, not through it. In Arcadia Florida Alice Parsley's home was in the path of Hurricane Charley and Jeanne. "Our home served as a shelter for 12 adults and seven children after the local shelter lost its roof during Charley. The winds reached 178 mph. We were also hit by Hurricane Jeanne. The only damage we had were a few missing roof tiles, " said Parsley. Deltec claims to have never lost a home to high winds in their 37 year history. Deltec's round houses are very popular in coastal areas and scenic settings. Deltec ships their round homes all over the world with a high concentration in the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean. Deltec produces the structural components and ships them directly to the job site where they are assembled and finished by local labor. A Deltec Home costs about the same to build as a conventional custom home. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Construction News :: home page |