Library notes use the label Hurricane for this hazard.
This guide is not written. No score is published, and no technology is ranked on this page.
Compare technologies on wind. That comparison is a draft pending expert review.
Related drafts
Filed notes
SCIP
Not scored
A foam core with welded steel mesh on both faces, sprayed with shotcrete on site. Walls, roof, and floors can be the same system. Crews and shotcrete workmanship decide whether it is the right shell.
ICF
Not scored
Reinforced concrete poured inside a stay-in-place foam form. Mass, continuity, and continuous insulation in one wall. It costs more than frame up front, and crew familiarity varies by region.
ICCF
Not scored
Stay-in-place forms that are not all-foam, filled with concrete. The form material varies by manufacturer. This note does not prefer a product line.
SIP
Not scored
A foam core bonded between structural facings, often wood. Fast to crane into place. Wind, wetting, and insects are the questions a finished note has to answer with sources, not adjectives.
Precast
Not scored
Concrete panels cast off site and joined in the field. Joints, lifting hardware, and the connection to the foundation decide the wall. The concrete itself is not the whole argument.
Shotcrete
Not scored
Concrete sprayed onto reinforcement in place, rather than cast in a form or onto a panel. Used as its own wall and as the faces of a SCIP shell. Nozzle skill is part of the system.
FORTIFIED frame
Not scored
Wood or light-frame construction built and verified to an IBHS FORTIFIED designation: Roof, Silver, or Gold. A standard for a conventional house, not a product we sell. Insurer recognition varies by state and carrier.
Steel frame
Not scored
Light-gauge steel studs and joists in place of wood framing. Termites do not eat it. Thermal bridging and corrosion detailing are the trade-offs a note has to specify.
CMU + foam
Not scored
Concrete block with a continuous insulation layer, usually outside the block, so the masonry is not a thermal bridge. Openings and the attachment of the foam still have to be detailed.
Reinforced masonry
Not scored
Block or brick with steel and grout where the engineer calls for it. Unreinforced masonry is a different wall. The note has to say which one is being discussed.
Brick veneer
Not scored
A non-structural brick wythe with an air space, weep path, and ties back to the real structure. The brick is cladding. Water that gets past it needs a way out.
FORTIFIED Roof
Not scored
The roof-only IBHS designation: a sealed deck, locked edges, and a rated covering, inspected to the standard. It can sit on more than one kind of house. It is not, by itself, a whole-house designation.
Sealed roof deck
Not scored
A deck closed against water that gets under the shingles or panels. Tape, a membrane, or a closed soffit-to-ridge path are different details. The note has to name which one.
Hip roof
Not scored
A roof that slopes on all sides, without a tall gable end facing the wind. Shape is not a substitute for connections, but it changes the wind load the connections have to take.
Metal roof
Not scored
Steel or aluminum panels or shingles, fastened to a deck or battens. The panel is not the assembly. Clip spacing, underlayment, and the edge detail are the assembly.
Secondary water barrier
Not scored
A layer under the roof covering that still sheds water if the covering is damaged. It is a component of several wind standards. Name the product type and the standard before treating it as met.
Impact glazing
Not scored
Laminated glass in a reinforced frame, tested for missile impact and cyclic pressure. Code requires opening protection in wind-borne debris regions. The insurance credit is for every opening protected.
Impact shutters
Not scored
Panels or rolling shutters installed over openings before a storm. They only work if they are on the house, rated for the opening, and someone is there to deploy the ones that do not stay closed.
Piles
Not scored
The house sits on piles, with the lowest floor above the flood requirement and the water free to pass underneath. Pile type, embedment, and the bracing are an engineer’s design, not a wall-system choice.
Grade beam
Not scored
A reinforced concrete beam tying piles or piers together at or below grade. It is a foundation element, often paired with an elevated floor. It is not a wall system.
Rainscreen
Not scored
Cladding held off a drainage plane so water that gets past the face can dry. The gap, the flashing, and the plane behind it are the system. The siding brand is not.
Safe room
Not scored
A room sized and built to a refuge standard, often ICC 500 for wind and debris, sometimes discussed for wildfire shelter. It protects occupants for a defined event. It is not a way to make the rest of the house stronger.