As Indiana homeowners, we don’t like the environmental extremes that nature is capable of sending our way. Regardless, each day in the midwest brings the possibility of severe weather and other occurrences that are capable of inflicting major damage. You may believe that you are helpless when it comes to facing weather and other onslaughts, but the truth is that substantial steps can be taken to make your home less vulnerable. We’ve compiled a list of some of the ways that you can fortify your home; as much as we enjoy writing the best and most affordable policies in Indiana home insurance, we’d rather you never have to use it.

A “fortified home” is a residence with special construction features that make it more likely to survive danger in its area, such as violent storms/winds, quakes, brushfires and floods. There is nothing exotic or complicated about the features that include the following:

Window shutters that are impact-resistant.

Nails with rough or ringed shafts, which have much more holding power.  Avoid using smooth nails.

Roofing materials that are fire and wind-resistive.

Sealing the seams of the plywood roof deck with asphalt tape before installing roof shingles.

Attaching the home’s frame directly to its foundation with metal strapping.

A risk management, anti-fire tactic of keeping a home at least 30 feet away from underbrush.

Generosity with nails. The more nails used to secure joints, the sturdier the home. Using more nails to secure a roof’s decking is particularly helpful.

Additional bracing and supports to increase structural strength.

Maximizing the use of non-combustible materials.

Double-paned, tempered glass in windows, doors and skylights.

A private institute devoted to the construction of safer homes has found that building a home using all of these construction modifications adds a 5% (maximum) increase in total costs. While it is easiest and more cost-efficient to use the building tips during new construction, some elements can be added to existing homes (called retro-fitting). Hopefully these and other precautions can help your home withstand some of the environmental extremes that Indiana homeowners face.

COPYRIGHT: Insurance Publishing Plus, Inc. 2011
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