bought a new house in Conco Ranch SW, need help (Houston: insurance, buying)

[Ross123]

Bought a new house in Cinco Ranch SW and will close next week. Had the inspection done last week. The inspector said he was surprised that he did not see any high wind strapping on attic framing. It is highly recommended in area where wind speed may exceed 90 mph. We were really scared by Ike when we moved here in early September, so we asked the builder to add it. But when we did the walk through with the builder this morning, he told us they can't do it because it's too late, the house has been built. He seems not sure if it's required or not. Our agent asked him to check Engineer plans and County Regulations about this.

Is it possible that wind speed exceed 90 mph in Cinco Ranch SW area? Is high wind strapping on attic framing important? Is it required in this area?

Any input and suggestions?
Thanks a lot!

[BunBoHue]

Your best bet would be to call the city inspection office and ask about the requirements in your area.

[C5Demon]

"Acts of nature" is always unknown, BUT having lived in Katy the last 25 yrs in my opinion your okay. People that lived in Houston evacuated to Katy in the early 70' & 80's. Katy is to far inland to have sustained winds. You'll be fine.

[Poltracker]

BTW, high wind braces CAN be added after the roof is framed and installed. They cost about .25 each but it is tough and very labor intensive to install. Your builder is full of it.

[Ross123]

Thanks a lot for your responses. They are very helpful.

[Bike4Life]

90 MPH in Cinco Ranch, ha! That would be like an every 1000 years zone.

[sbhubbell]

Wow I'd be pretty upset if my house (in Cinco Ranch) didn't have high wind roof bracing. We had very high sustained winds during Ike and that was only a Cat 2 and we were on the clean side of it. It's certainly possible, if unlikely, to have winds high enough to tear the roof off.

[Houstonkid]

Originally Posted by C5Demon

Katy is to far inland to have sustained winds. You'll be fine.

The complacency of people in this town still amazes me even after a hurricane hits. This map shows an 84mph wind contour (sustained) extending all of the way up to Polk County. I am far from a doomsday believer but people should educate themselves about hurricanes before advising others.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/projects/ike08/images/windmap.JPG (broken link)

[Poltracker]

Originally Posted by sbhubbell

Wow I'd be pretty upset if my house (in Cinco Ranch) didn't have high wind roof bracing. We had very high sustained winds during Ike and that was only a Cat 2 and we were on the clean side of it. It's certainly possible, if unlikely, to have winds high enough to tear the roof off.

By the time Ike hit Houston proper, it was only Cat 1 (and look what that did). Katy could be hit pretty good if we had gotten a substantially stronger storm.

[cla]

Most homes along the gulf coast do not have any type of hurricane straps on roofs, unless it is newer construction, and you don't see roofs flying off on a regular basis. I spent much of my life much closer to the gulf coast than Katy, and never lost anything more than shingles.

That being said, if I were buying a new home, I would expect hurricane ties, whether it was code or not. They aren't expensive and I believe they may reduce your homeowner's insurance - my agent asked if my roof had hurricane straps.

Katy's maximum sustained winds (sustained for 1 minute or more) were in the 48 to 60 mph range. Not very high at all, sbhubbell. (although, I do admit 50 miles per hour or 100 - still pretty scary).