North Texas is located in Tornado Alley. Despite how often tornadoes and high winds occur, building codes in Tornado Alley have not required strengthened roofs and more secure connections between the building and its foundation. A hurricane clip or strap is used to help make a home more resistant to high winds. These clips provide a load transfer path from the top of a building to its foundation, helping to protect buildings from damage resulting from high winds, tornados or hurricanes.
Hurricane clips are often overlooked by most builders because it is not a required by code in areas outside of Hurricane zones. For the average size house, it will cost less than $200 to purchase and install hurricane clips. Sounds like a small price to pay for an additional piece of mind. We have thousands of wind storms every year in Texas that wreak havoc on property. A small price to pay to avoid the devastation of high winds.
Tags: Custom homes, Hurricane resistant, Texas