On the one-year anniversary of Hurricane, and with more than two months left in the 2018 Hurricane season, London Bay Homes looks ahead with confidence and a reassurance of its homes’ quality structural design and durability against major storms.
In a private, lakefront neighborhood in Mediterra, Rick Cantor and his family patiently awaited Hurricane Irma. While many Southwest Florida residents evacuated the hurricane, Cantor was confident his home would be fine.
Having already been through Hurricane Sandy in 2012, one of the deadliest and destructive Atlantic hurricanes, Cantor knew the circumstances and structural quality of his London Bay home in Naples were far different than those surrounding the New Jersey hurricane.
“I had all the confidence in the world that our London Bay home in Mediterra would be completely fine and safe,” said Cantor. “My daughter and her family were evacuated from Sanibel and came to our home to hunker down,” said Cantor. “We all gathered in the living room while the grandkids played; we could see the heavy wind and rain all around us but couldn’t hear a thing because of the sound barrier structure, which also precludes the need for shutters. We felt comfortable.”
The Cantors’ home exemplifies the standards London Bay Homes put in place a number of years ago to ensure sustainability against any hurricane. Each home built by London Bay Homes is designed with the highest structural standards and a defined list of hurricane-resistant features. One of the key aspects of a London Bay home are impact-resistant windows and glass doors that won’t shatter from high winds. Withstanding winds of up to 150 miles per hour, the impact-resistant windows also act as an additional buffer – windows may break but not shatter, preventing flying debris to enter into the home or an influx of wind pressure that can result in excess pressure on the roof and separation of the trusses.
In addition to roofs built to the newest building code and home reinforcement standards, London Bay incorporates oversized truss hangers to keep roof systems anchored to walls, which include cement blocking and multiple construction ties to the floor system for structural stability and wind damage prevention.
The day after Hurricane Irma, London Bay Homes’ President Mark Wilson drove into the Mediterra community to check the damage. “While there were numerous trees and debris scattered about, there was virtually no damage to our homes in the community,” said Wilson, whose company manages all new home construction sales and marketing for Mediterra. “It was a testament to the quality and fortress-like structural, as well as architectural integrity of our homes.”
London Bay Homes combines top-quality building science practices with numerous diagnostic testing measure to assess waterproofing, intrusion and prevention, as well as air-quality. Performance checks and ongoing monitoring are also conducted to ensure all homes not only meet hurricane code standards, but exceed them.
“London Bay has always been committed to building advancements and incorporating the best materials to improve our homes,” said Alain Filiault, vice president of construction for London Bay Homes. “Florida’s rainy season and high humidity create many challenges for builders. We have specialized materials designed to withstand strong winds and hurricanes, as well as incorporated a barrier system to protect the interior building frame against water and air intrusion and mold growth.”
London Bay Homes has also implemented post-storm recovery response efforts and maintenance checks and repairs to quickly resolve any issues that may arise.
Following Hurricane Irma, staff spread out throughout town to check on some of their previous builds and single-site homes throughout downtown Naples, as well as in Miromar Lakes and found the results to be the same as the Cantor’s home in Mediterra.
“While you can never predict exactly what will happen when a hurricane approaches,” said Wilson, “I’m confident that the quality design and construction of our London Bay homes will be prepared to handle it.”
