Jun 23 2005
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, according to Joseph Schlenk, Director of Sales and Marketing at Deltec Homes.
"We would emphasize that there is no such thing as a hurricane proof home, but we know that our design performs far better in adverse conditions than conventional homes," said Schlenk.
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," stated Schlenk.
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. "We receive a lot of calls from people in hurricane prone areas even though we don't market Deltec as a hurricane proof house. Many call in after seeing our houses still standing in areas that were devastated by high winds," stated Schlenk. 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.