The Institute for Business and Home Safety is blowing houses apart to learn better ways to build them.
A new research center in Chester County is putting building codes to the test by letting the winds blow.
The Institute for Business and Home Safety is blowing houses apart to learn better ways to build them.
Julie Rochman is the president of IBHS. "What we see every year here in South Carolina and around the country is storms roar through, property is damaged, it's repaired in the same way and in the same places. Storms roar through again, property again. It is a cycle we have to break."
The IBHS's mission is to identify, evaluate, and promote effective methods of property loss reduction and prevention. And it's the only research center of its kind in the world. Rochman explains, "We can do, unlike most other labs that test in smaller scales or sections of houses, we can test the entire building and engulf it in the wind, water, fire, and hail that we will be putting together."
When we visited on Tuesday, the facility tested how two structurally different homes held up against winds in a category two hurricane. On the outside, both houses looked the same, but the fortified house had high wind rated siding and roof covering, a front door that opened out instead of in, a secondary water barrier on the roof, and shank nails instead of staples.
These few changes made all the difference.
Winds that commonly occur in a thunderstorm started to tear away the siding and shingles. Once the wind reached category two hurricane status, with winds of 97mph, disaster struck. "What we have here is two houses, well one house, there were two houses here awhile ago, the price difference between them, between the one that is now gone and is a pile of debris and the one that is standing, is a couple of thousand dollars," Rochman said.
And while it may cost a little more in the beginning, IBHS Director of Research Anne Cope said, in the long run it can save you money and possibly even save your life. "Our hope for this is a win for all parties: homeowners, business owners, people who go to work, people who have insurance, people who pay their deductibles, insurance companies. All of these people benefit when homes and businesses are stronger and safer."
The research center is located in Richburg, South Carolina because it was a remote area with plenty of land, and it's close to a major airport.
