Keeping It Together
We have all seen TV coverage of houses collapsing in hurricanes; plywood sheets flying in tornadoes, and roofs peeling off in high winds. After each natural disaster, officials investigate the cause of structural failures and rewrite the building codes to lessen future damage. The current state building codes require parts of new houses to be reinforced against high winds and earth tremors. When wood buildings are framed, carpenters now install metal plates to connect roof rafters to tops of walls, appropriately nicknamed “hurricane clips.” Wood walls are connected to the concrete foundation with anchor bolts and “hold downs.” Window openings in walls are reinforced with long metal straps. The sides of garage door openings are strengthened with metal frames intended to resist twisting or crumbling. Numerous connections are now required to reinforce houses so that they survive the inevitable “big one.” It is the little things that count.
Under Construction
-TJC