New Materials For
A Disaster-Proof Home

The four hurricanes that have devastated homes and businesses in Florida -- along with significant hailstorms and wildfires elsewhere -- are fueling growth in a niche building industry: products designed to minimize damage during natural disasters.

Though many Americans may not realize it, nearly 75% of the nation's homes are in areas that experience flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes and hail, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Such catastrophes have been a boon for the "disaster-proofing industry" by prompting local governments to enforce stricter building codes. It has also spurred insurers to offer discounts for consumers who take steps to protect their homes.

The upshot is a widening array of protective building materials on the market, from impact-resistant roofs, glass and garage doors, to flood vents and safe rooms. Roofing has been a particularly active area, including efforts to make high-impact roofing -- generally made of metal or asphalt -- look better. Decra Roofing Systems, for example, recently introduced a metal-based high-impact shingle that is supposed to look like cedar. CertainTeed Corp., a unit of French-based Saint-Gobain Corp., entered the high-impact market this year with an asphalt-based shingle that mimics traditional wood shingles known as "shake."

There are also options for protecting windows beyond the heavy plywood and metal coverings that have become sadly familiar scenes in Florida and elsewhere in recent weeks. Earlier this year, Wayne-Dalton Corp. began selling a covering made from light-weight plastic-coated cloth that aims to be easier to install and remove. The panels, called Fabric Shield, cost $5-$8 per square foot, including installation, through certified dealers in Florida and Georgia. Pensacola, Fla., contractor Jay Lunt says he has installed the shields on about 75 homes in recent months.

Also, window can be made of an impact-resistant glass called SentryGlas, from DuPont Inc., that is supposed to withstand the impact of a 2x4 at 100 miles per hour. Prices vary according to size and style, but the glass is available from a wide range of manufacturers. Building-products retailer Home Depot says it just introduced a line of impact-resistant windows from Anderson Windows & Doors.

In Texas, Florida and Oklahoma City, DuPont is test-marketing a safe-room kit made of Kevlar, a material used in bullet-proof vests. Using special straps, the kits are bolted to a home's foundation, creating a haven within the home where a family could ride out a tornado or hurricane -- for $5,000 to $9,000, including installation.

While some of these steps may seem pricey, some disaster experts say even a safe room for several thousand dollars can be cost-effective. Homeowners living in a region where tornados can race by at 250 miles an hour would do better investing in a safe room than building or retrofitting an entire house to withstand such winds, says Leslie Chapman-Henderson, chief executive of the Tallahassee, Fla.-based Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, a nonprofit.

Behind all this activity is a major push by insurers and local governments to improve the structural quality of homes and prevent or reduce the need for rebuilding. Since Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992, causing $16 billion in insured damage, a growing number of regions have adopted strict building codes that required roofing to withstand the pressure and debris kicked up by 110-mile-an-hour winds, among other things. About 30 states now have such codes. Several more states are considering following suit. "It's the codes that are driving the market," says Mark Hudoba, director of new business at Wayne-Dalton, based in Mount Hope, Ohio.

Meanwhile, insurance companies began offering incentives to promote safer building products. After a brutal hail storm hit Texas in 1995 and many insurers dropped out of the state or raised premiums, the Texas Department of Insurance required insurers to reduce rates by as much as 35% if homeowners installed roofs that passed an impact test. Today, State Farm Insurance Cos., for instance, offers such discounts in 21 states.

Decra Roofing, which makes a range of high-impact roofing products, targeted hail-prone markets after insurance companies started offering discounts in the late 1990s. Sales have doubled since 1999, the company says. Decra, based in Corona, Calif., is a unit of New Zealand-based Fletcher Building.

Weathering the Storm

A sampling of disaster-resistant building products

The Storm Room

PRODUCT: The Storm Room (DuPont)
COMMENT: The rooms are intended to protect people during tornados and hurricanes.
BUYING: Priced at $5,000-$9,000. Call 800-448-9835 or see stormroom.dupont.com.

SentryGlas

PRODUCT: SentryGlas (DuPont)
COMMENT: The impact-resistant material is used by manufacturers including Anderson, PGT Industries and Marvin Windows & Doors.
BUYING: Prices vary. To find dealers, see pgtindustries.com, andersenwindows.com, marvin.com.

Fabric Shield

PRODUCT: Fabric Shield (Wayne-Dalton)
COMMENT: The fabric-like product claims to offer the same protection to windows and doors as heavier plywood and metal shutters.
BUYING: Costs $5-$8 a square foot, installed. Call 850-475-6019 or ask a local shutter or window dealer.

Decra Shake Shingles

PRODUCT: Decra Shake Shingles (Decra Roofing Systems)
COMMENT: This metal-based roof looks like wood shake and is impact resistant.
BUYING: Cost is $350-$400 per 100 sq. ft., installed. Retail dealers include Menards in the Midwest, JEH Eagle Supply in the Southwest and ABC Supply nationwide.

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