Page 22 - Green Builder's Resilient Housing Design Guide 2019

SOURCE: GLOBAL GIVING FOUNDATION

Built Tough. Metal roofs on five Habitat homes are clearly visible in this post Michael aerial shot from Florida.

FIVE THAT SURVIVED
The Washington Post reported on five Habitat homes that survived
the wrath of Michael last fall. One of the residents, Christina Harding,
described how she felt when returning to her home after the storm.
“Harding,an office manager for a loan company, had worked
alongside the builders,investing her own sweat equity to construct
the house 1.5 miles from the bay. It was topped by a metal roof, but
she had no idea how the house would fare in a storm.
“When I saw those five metal roofs I knew the houses were good
and you guys were good,” Harding said her daughter told her. In all,
the five Habitat houses lost some siding, an AC unit and one window.”
According to a spokesperson for the Federal Alliance for Safe
Homes, the reason these homes survived came down to small but
important details: correct nails (not staples), straps and of course,
metal roofing.

HARD TO BEAT
Metal roofs vary in thickness, fastening systems and coatings.
Roofing experts recommend selecting thicker products for coastal
zones especially, but the right product choice will be clearly reflected
in its wind and fire ratings.
The other advantages to metal roofing products, of course, are
lifespan and recyclability. The product is nearly 100 percent recyclable,
and can easily last 50 years, many times that of most modified asphalt
products on the market. Perhaps more importantly, in terms of storm
resilience, metal roofs do not become brittle or significantly weaken
as they age. Research has shown that asphalt based products just a
few years age do not perform well in hurricane winds. GB

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