Sudbury home designed to weather more intense storms

Ontario's first safer living home, designed to withstand winds of 200 km/hour, was completed in Greater Sudbury Feb. 19.    

The safer living home program is a partnership between the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) and the Canadian insurance industry. The construction of the home to "better than building code" standards, which involved special building material and methods from the foundation to the roof.

"The cost of damage from natural disasters has doubled every five to seven years since the 1960s, and more and more people are living in vulnerable areas. This is an alarming trend that is not sustainable and must be confronted," said Kathy Bardswick, president and CEO of The Co-operators in a news release. The Co-operators funded the construction of the home.

The house had to be rebuilt from the ground up after a fire destroyed the home. The new house was designed to withstand the most hazardous weather conditions in the area: wind storms and extreme winter weather.

Special construction features include:

-  Impact-resistant windows rated for high wind pressures.
-  5/8" thick steel rods that anchor the floors together, including between the first floor to the foundation.
-  Steel "hurricane clips" and bracing to secure the trusses to the framing, and braced gable ends to withstand high winds.
-  Special shingles designed to meet 170 km/h standards, installed using additional nails and cement.
-  Ice and water shield over the entire roof.
-  Water-resistant sealing around windows and doors.

In the months and years to come, additional safer living homes will be rebuilt in various regions of Canada. The homes will be designed to be resilient to the weather perils in that area, which may include earthquakes, prairie wildfire, tornadoes and hail storms.