Homes that are built in areas where hurricanes occur on a yearly basis must be able to withstand extreme weather elements. Hurricanes bring high winds, lots of rain, and flying objects into contact with your home. The materials utilized during the construction process in hurricane-prone areas must be fabricated to withstand these extreme elements. The ties that are utilized to connect wall tops to studs and framing members to top wall plates must be durable enough to retain their strength in the face of uplift and lateral forces. There are some key considerations to keep in mind as you select and install hurricane ties and fasteners for your home.
1. Determine the Demand Load
Before you can install the right hurricane ties to protect your home, you need to know the demand load of your roofing system as a whole. Most roof trusses will advertise their uplift force at each end. You can use this information as a baseline for the selection of hurricane ties. Never utilize ties that have a lower capacity than the published uplift of your roof trusses. You want the hurricane ties to be stronger than the potential uplift forces so that they can maintain a secure connection between the framing components of your home.
2. Measure the Dimensions of Your Framing Materials
Hurricane fasteners come in a variety of shapes and sizes. This diversity ensures that homeowners will be able to find hurricane ties that are fabricated to meet their connecting needs. If you are using a one-sided hurricane tie to secure the frame of your home, you won't have to worry as much about the dimensions of the framing materials. If you want the added protection of a double-sided hurricane tie, you will need to ensure you purchase ties with a U-shaped opening that fits snugly around roofing trusses and beams.
3. Maintain Fastener Consistency
Hurricane ties must be paired with hurricane fasteners to ensure maximum protection for your home. Hurricane fasteners are specialized nails and screws that are manufactured to withstand shearing caused by uplift and lateral forces. Different models of hurricane ties can require the use of different types of fasteners. It's important that you limit your selection of ties to models that all use the same fasteners. Fastener consistency streamlines the installation process and helps to eliminate installation mistakes that might compromise the performance of your hurricane fasteners and ties in the future.
