Tornados in the U.S.A.

[kleinboet]

Chesters - They were removing CONCRETE!!!!!!!!! 'nuff said.

[chesters1]

concrete blocks perhaps poured concrete is different ,the problem i think lies when the wind gets inside ,if you can stop it getting inside i believe the wind has less effect ,trouble is wood panels or boards or shingles are easily sucked off letting it get in and once it has something to grab "hold" of the problem starts ,it become a house kite and seeing as wood isnt as strong as the concrete base it tears off and it flies.

a concrete bunker type house "could" get around these problems but certainly not so nice to look at nor so big but i would prefer to be safe than continually watching the weather .

a cave is safer than a twig house i'm sure ,if most is underground you could live ok ,electric would be used more to light it but upstairs could have windows with steel shutters and light tubes making it more homey ,theres nothing new about living underground their called cellers and do get used in hurricanes just go that one step further

also the risk of nextdoors house becoming nothing more than spears is less nasty when they cant simply fly through the walls to get you.

if the complete house was one or two pours then there would be nothing to tear away ,the roof could be sacrificed if the top ceiling was concrete beams etc.

if all the windows and doors were self closing shutters (those like on shops) that ran in grooves then the place would almost be airtight and burgler safe as well.

you tend to sleep at night so going downstairs to a lit room would be little different to going upstairs to one ,just missing the sunrise coming through the window nothing else

i certainly would live in one i know through experience bunkers are safe and snug,and ofcourse if there was a ww3 you could just sit back watching your neighbours panicking and knowing full well their raised eyebrows at the strange house next door may well have been a good idea after all in the back of their minds or watching them picking up photo's from a mile away sorting through their house as you sip tea and dust the fragments of their bog from your walls

or simply raising the shutters from your underground garage and asking them if they need the paper as you drive your gleaming merc past what was their pickup

Edited December 4, 2008 by chesters1

[snakey1]

This house stood up to a tornado pretty well although in the article it doesn't give its strength or F rating monolithic dome house survives tornado

and before you say well its a bit ugly have a look at its hurricane resistant big brother hurricane resistant monolithic dome house looks pretty cool to me

[Newt]

There are certainly homes that will stand up to the worst tornado or hurricane or earthquake without any but superficial damage.

 

Rectangular blocks (rammed earth, earth /w 6% concrete, or similar) 36-48" x 6-8" and stacked without mortar will do nicely. Windows need to either not seal tightly or be of seriously strong glass to withstand high pressure differences inside and outside. Strong shutters inside and outside are a big help.

 

The roof needs to be both heavy and well anchored to the ground since loss of a part of the roof is a quick way to have even the strongest structure destroyed. Most well built stick houses do pretty well as long as the top stays on.

 

Building cost is a bit of an issue.

 

Concrete domes (as per Chesters) are certainly sturdy enough but dealing with the moisture problems (concrete sweats badly in certain climates) is a never ending problem and they are less suitable for earthquake prone areas than the block ones.

 

Underground or heavily bermed construction will work in many places.

[chesters1]

yes the concrete is a cost compared to wood but in my view a better investment long term ,but who looks long term i certainly skimp now pay later especially with poxy "budget" car tires

the damps mostly an air circulation problem properly "tanked" underground rooms with adequate air circulation should remain dry ,my bosses old celler had standing water but he had it tanked and fitted a rather small fan to it up a vent and it remained bone dry dry enough to be a very fancy "theater" for his kids and numerous friends ,the projector alone cost more than my landy when he bought it for me!

very common now "tanking" with cellars being used rather than moving to a bigger house etc.

Edited December 4, 2008 by chesters1

[Newt]

American families move house about every 3-4 years on average so an affordable price and easy resale has to be a major consideration since chances of moving are much greater than chances of a tornado.

 

Earthquake resistant is required in earthquake prone areas and hurrican resistant (withstand winds to 150mph without damage) is required in many coastal areas so you will have no choice about paying the extra if you live in those areas.

 

We started with a habit of using wood since it was plentiful and cheap in much the same way as you folks started with a habit of using stone since it is much more plentiful in your area. In the parts of the US where building stone is common you will see many stone houses.

 

I think our continued fondness for stick or brick dwellings is a matter of old habits dying hard rather than them being the best material to use.

 

That said, you folks might do well to adopt stick construction in flood prone areas since it is light enough to make building 10 feet off the ground a reasonable way to put together a house. The area under the main house makes for a wonderful area to park autos and to have a laundry area. Flooding then becomes a minor nuisance.

[chesters1]

some of our oldest buildings are stick houses and pre-date the pilgrim fathers ,we dont get as many windy bits as you or rather as big windy bits as you ,most modern houses are wood with a brick outer its more cost effective even here now.

some are even rammed earth especially in cornwall we just dont admit it

i think though in boscastle (sp?) being stone they survived more than if they had been modern although a few did collapse but being rammed by cars i'm sure wasnt taken into consideration in their design.half the trouble is with stone the planners insist on lime mortar which is good for breathing but not so good with water and softens ,perhaps modern cement with a couple of inches of lime mortar could get around the problem but i expect it will fall out?

over to a builder.

 

there were floods several years ago in france a several of my bosses gaeden wall were washed away ,on examination they were built straight on the earth and used ground stone not sand (both silica so i doupt it makes much difference?) to his horror he found the whole house was built on the earth despite the natural rock being 3 feet under it ,its a wonder some houses exist! in the end he brought in a team of english builders who did the work to his satisfaction and they survived a similar flood the next year ,even the drain covers across the road (to stop it running along the road down to the house) never actually had a drain under them the pipes either side were just poked in a foot either side ,perhaps bad builders perhaps lazyness perhaps a dislike of english people but hopefully our french friends dont do it as a norm ,the roofs were very shoddy indeed

Edited December 4, 2008 by chesters1

[merlino bill]

OI OI,

What about those poor sod's in the south where the mississippi burst it's levvy & almost destroyed the whole town because it was built below the river the richest country in the world & people are still homeless is it cos dey black folk & i know it's true cos i whatch ty pennington in exstream makeover & he told us. so it must be true in it !!!!!!!!!!

 

 

shame on you U.S.A.

[Newt]

I was raised in a section of Arkansas (immediately north of Mississippi) in the mostly pre-levy days.

 

We knew that almost every year in Spring, the Mississippi River would get above flood stage which would force water to back up in our local feeder rivers and the area would flood.

 

Folks who lived in the flood prone areas had their houses on stilts and high enough to be above the high water mark at full flood conditions. They left their autos parked on high ground and had boats if they needed to travel. No problem and great fun for kids.

 

In these post-levy days, the same areas occasionally flood when the levies either give way or aren't high enough and the more recently arrived folks in those same areas who made fun of the houses on stilts are surprised. Dingbats. How do they think the land got to be so good for farming?

 

The local highways and railroads are elevated. The only town of any size (5000 people or so) is built on the only bit of high ground in the area. I think that anyone who couldn't see that and figure that 'here there be floods' deserves what they get.

[merlino bill]

OI OI,

W O W no sympathy there then newt !!!