Monday, August 18, 2014


Classic Offers
FORTIFIED® Homes

The onset of hurricane season (June 1 - November 30), and our recent brush with Arthur, the season’s first, has brought increased attention to the extreme weather events facing homes in our coastal region, and the importance of building techniques that enhance a home’s disaster resistance. No builder understands the process better than we do. 
In 2005, we (Classic) became the first builder in South Carolina to build to the FORTIFIED for Safer Living® standards.  Partnering with the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, IBHS, and many leading manufacturers, we brought new homeowners the FORTIFIED® option which specifies code-plus protection measures to increase a home’s disaster resistance to natural weather hazards.
What makes a FORTIFIED home different?
 FORTIFIED® homes have greater wall, window and door protection and stronger connections between the roof, walls and foundation. This results in a greater resistance to the force of high winds and earthquakes. The FORTIFIED® building process is a real plus for those living here along the coast.
Two of the storm-ready features of a FORTIFIED® home are impact-resistant windows and doors which combine heavy-duty aluminum or vinyl frames with crash resistant laminated glass. Upon the force of wind or flying debris, laminated glass may crack, but the debris will not penetrate the plastic interlayer, keeping the glass intact within the frame, and the opening protected. With the building’s envelope sealed, a structure is guarded from wind-borne debris and the destruction caused by hurricane-force winds.
The Grand Strand got its first glance of this process in 2005 when we hosted a press conference during which a batter from the Myrtle Beach Pelicans shattered, but didn’t break, the specially built window of a FORTIFIED® home.  The bat used during that press conference still hangs in our lobby as testimony to the window’s strength and durability.
One of the major differences in a FORTIFIED® home is in its construction which may consist of wood framing or Insulated Concrete Forms. 
What are the benefits?
In addition to beauty and durability, a FORTIFIED® home offers homeowners discounts on insurance premiums from many of the major carriers.
 As a nation, and as South Carolinians, we have witnessed many natural disasters and we have seen their effects on those individuals who call these hard-hit areas home.  The threat of hurricanes and natural disasters is real, no matter where we live.  If you’re in the process of building, think about the benefits of a FORTIFIED® home.

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