building sites, then lifted by cranes to be set in place on permanent foundations, All American’s systems-built homes by necessity use more building materials than site-built homes. More lumber, nails, fasteners and adhesives greatly increase our homes’ overall strength,” says Steve Kerr, All American Homes president.

“Our exterior walls are built with 2"-by-6" wall studs on 16" centers, giving them more rigidity than the 2"-by-4" studs used in most stick-built homes. Our floor joists are 2"-by-10" on 16" centers, also much sturdier than the joists normally found in site-built homes. And even in high winds, the expandable foam bonding the ceiling wallboard to the framing offers tremendous holding power.”

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report on building performance during 1992’s Hurricane Andrew noted that modular homes withstood the ravages of that storm’s Category 4 winds of 131–155 mph far better than site-built housing. FEMA states these homes “provided an inherently rigid system that performed much better than conventional residential framing.”

Engineered Strength
Kerr says the homes All American builds for Florida must adhere to that state’s strict wind zone regulations so that they’re strong enough to offer protection during a hurricane. The zones vary throughout the state, with the highest along the coastal regions. “Florida has wind zones that start at 90 mph, but we take extra steps to go ahead and wind-build our homes for at least 130 mph so that we know they’re strong—we even build some of our homes strong enough to withstand 160 mph winds,” explains Kerr. “To meet those wind zone standards, we increase the amount of nails and screws we use to secure our roof sheathing to the rafters. We only use DP50-rated windows that are engineered to withstand hurricane force winds and protect against flying debris. We also increase the number of metal fabricated straps we use to connect floor joists, walls and floors so that the homes are even stronger.”

Several neighbors watched Relick set his home last year, which he had built to the 160 mph wind zone standard, so they saw firsthand the extra strength built in. After safely riding out one hurricane, some of his neighbors asked to stay with the Relicks again when the warning came that Vero Beach was in the path of Jeanne. Despite Jeanne’s 120 mph winds, the home remained undamaged. “One neighbor was a veteran of nine hurricanes. She slept soundly all night in my son’s room upstairs, and says she never felt so secure in a home during a hurricane,” says Relick.

Kerr points out that building in a controlled environment gives All American Homes an advantage in producing strong homes. “Before they even leave our facility, we have every aspect of the homes inspected by an independent third party to ensure they meet Florida’s wind zone standards. Even the metal straps we use are verified by outside engineers as meeting the required standards. We actually overbuild our homes to ensure they’re strong, but building the way we do allows us to keep costs reasonable because we have so much more construction and quality control over the building process.”

That building process helped homes built by A.J. Builders in Brandon, FL, to withstand two hurricanes and not suffer any significant damage, according to owner Jim Helmich. “We had a home that was 99% complete in Myakka City, where the winds were over 135 mph from Hurricane Charley. It didn’t lose so much as a shingle. Frances hit this area hard, too, and still all we lost were a few shingles. There was no structural damage at all.”

Several builders contrasted the strength of All American’s systems-built homes to another type of home construction popular in Florida. “Since it’s a hard material, some people assume masonry block construction is stronger, but that’s not necessarily the case. While there’s reinforced steel every 4 feet, the rest is mortar and those mortar joints may crack in very high winds,” says Lee Jolicoeur of Homes by Jolicoeur (Okeechobee, FL). Jolicoeur had 29 All American homes that survived the fury of both Frances and Jeanne without any structural damage.

Fail-Proof System
In Naples, Mark Johnson of Florida Custom Homes says although masonry block homes are strong, since they’re all one piece, hurricane-force winds can damage the entire structure. “Systems-built homes are built in sections, so the impact of high winds is spread out and dissipated.”

All American Homes that Johnson built in Lehigh Acres, where Hurricane Charley ravaged the landscape, “just lost a few shingles. They held up well during the hurricanes and several tornadoes, which caused extensive roof damage on homes throughout the area.”

Referring to Florida’s strict hurricane wind zone regulations, Johnson says, “I’ve always done well by building All American Homes, because they already exceeded the state hurricane design standards.”

All American Homes has production facilities in Decatur, IN; Dyersville, IA; Milliken, CO; Osage City, KS; Rutherfordton, NC; Springfield, TN; and Zanesville, OH. Mod-U-Kraf Homes, a division of All American Homes, is located in Rocky Mount, VA.