Stronger Homes Help Coastal Resort Brace for Hurricane Season

9/18/2002

From: Jim Niehoff of the Portland Cement Association, 847-972-9108, jniehoff@cement.org

SKOKIE, Ill., Sept. 18 -- Hurricanes are just part of life in the seaside resort community of Myrtle Beach, SC. But now, residents are resting easier thanks to concrete homes built to withstand high winds and flying debris.

Seacoast Communities introduced a new building system to the area in its 73-home Brittany Park subdivision. Known as insulating concrete forms or ICFs, the construction method combines polystyrene insulation with solid concrete to build the exterior walls of a home.

Seacoast Communities successfully marketed the hurricane resistance and energy efficiency of the homes, and other builders took notice. Today, concrete homes are an option in most new developments, and three other area firms-Classic Homes, Carrell Homes, and Seacoast Custom Homes-offer concrete exterior walls as a standard feature.

"It's part of a national trend," says Jim Niehoff, who heads residential concrete promotion for the Portland Cement Association (PCA), a national trade association based in Skokie, Illinois. As part of its regional builder program, PCA worked with Seacoast Communities and local concrete interests to introduce concrete homes to Myrtle Beach.

"Concrete wall systems began in the luxury custom home market, where move up buyers were attracted by their safety, energy efficiency, and soundproofing qualities. Now, we're seeing them in more mainstream homes and subdivisions, especially in areas where hurricanes are a concern."

PCA market research shows that concrete homes now account for 14 percent of all new homes built in the United States, up from a 3 percent market share just five years ago.

"We used to count individual houses," says PCA's Niehoff. "Now we measure success in terms of entire subdivisions and communities."

ICF construction starts with hollow foam blocks or panels, which are stacked into the shape of the exterior walls. The forms are then filled with concrete. The resulting wall is six inches of solid reinforced concrete with foam insulation on both sides. The walls are finished like any conventional walls: sheetrock or plaster on the interior, and siding, brick, or stucco on the exterior.

For more information, photos, or concrete homebuilders in other parts of the country, contact Jim Niehoff at the Portland Cement Association (847.972.9108; jniehoff@cement.org) or visit www.concretehomes.com