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The Old World look of Alys Beach townhouses belies their modern, highly storm-resistant construction.
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By Richard Wall
Big-damage hurricanes and rising wind-damage insurance rates may have pushed some coastal builders out of the market, but others are staying and taking a "build it better" approach. Nowhere is that more evident than at Alys Beach (pronounced 'Alice') near Panama City, Fla., where elegant stucco homes with fortified features are designed to withstand hurricanes, wildfires and floods.
Developer EBSCO Gulf Coast Development, Inc. has completed 16 high-end, individually designed townhouses. When the entire 700-unit development of homes, townhouses and condos is completed in the next several years, Alys Beach will be the first whole community in the world to earn the Institute for Business and Home Safety's "Fortified . . .for safer living" designation.
IBHS, an insurance industry group that promotes stronger, safer buildings, sets minimum requirements for their "Fortified . . .for saver living" certification that are higher than Florida's toughest codes. These requirements include:
- Structural elements capable of withstanding at least 130 mph winds
- Better connections tying the roof, walls and foundation together
- Roofing systems and materials that resist water penetration, high wind and wildfire
- High-pressure-rated windows and doors with all openings protected from impact
- Fire-resistant exterior building materials
- Buildings positioned to reduce exposure of windows to high winds.
Immovable tanks
"You could say these homes are built like tanks or bunkers," says Tim Fidler, vice president of development and construction for Alys Beach Construction. "They will stand up to whatever Mother Nature can put to us."
Alys Beach homes are made of concrete block, with poured concrete in the block cells and steel reinforced rebar. The entire development is thoroughly green, focusing as much on energy-saving and environment-friendly features as on its structural strength.
Flooding isn't an issue because the majority of the property is elevated above the flood plain, except for the section on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. "We brought in tens of thousands of tons of white beach sand to restore that sand dune," says Fidler. "So our ocean-front structure of approximately 65-units will sit on top of that knoll at 32 feet above sea level."
Roofs are made of concrete tiles secured to an underlayment with foam adhesive, individually screwed down, then covered with a coat of slurry and three coats of paint. The tiered gable roofs look like an extension of the thick exterior walls, with seamless tiles that are resistant to being blown off.
That's important, because debris is a major cause of hurricane damage. Fidler says that limiting sources of wind-borne debris can help keep insurance rates low. Even so, insurers are currently so shy of coastal areas that in August, Chubb Insurance stopped its arrangement with Alys Beach to offer wind coverage on new properties. Homeowners will have to get wind coverage from the more expensive, state-supported Citizens Insurance, just like everyone else on Florida's coasts and high-wind areas.
Tough trend
While the current 16 town homes of Alys Beach are about $2 million or more per unit, affordable fortified homes are going up in other hurricane-prone areas. Tarpon Coast Development is building only fortified homes in Charlotte County on Florida's west coast. Fortified homes are being built by dozens of builders in central Florida; in Beaumont, Texas; on the Bolivar Peninsula in Mobile, Ala.; and in other places on the southern coast of the United States.
"I believe coastal building from Texas down to Miami-Dade is going in the fortified direction, whether that's a $150,000 home or one of ours," says Fidler. "This is smart building that offers the potential for lower insurance rates and the peace of mind of not worrying about your home. We believe fortified is a good selling point, particularly at the level of these homes."
Standing out among the various "traditional neighborhood developments" along Highway 30A is no small feat. This stretch of ocean side is thick with second homes in exclusive developments, with the now-venerable Seaside being the most famous.
But when a hurricane rips off the screen porches, wood construction and conventional roofs of the older homes down the road, Alys Beach residents should be sitting high and dry.
Richard Wall lives and writes in an un-fortified home close to the Atlantic Ocean in St. Augustine, Fla.
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