Buyer's Guide to Resilient Homes

Buyer's Guide to

Resilient Homes

Disaster-Specific Checklists

Earthquake

Earthquake

Review these considerations with your real estate agent, home inspector, contractor, or other trusted advisor if the home is likely to experience an earthquake.

Location Checklist

  • Is the home in an earthquake-prone region? See USGS Earthquake Hazards. YES NO
    • Earthquake hazard maps identify seismic design categories (SDCs) that show the likelihood of different intensity shaking and provide insights into earthquake risk.
  • Is the home in an earthquake fault zone? YES NO
    • Avoid homes in an earthquake fault zone, homes at risk of liquefaction or moving like a liquid during earthquake shaking (including homes built on filled land), or homes at risk of a landslide from an earthquake.
  • Is the home in tsunami inundation, hazard, or evacuation zones? YES NO

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, speak with a qualified, licensed engineer, inspector, or local code official to determine the best course of action to protect your home from disasters OR consider another home location.

Construction Checklist

Home shape and design are critical for earthquake resilience. Use the checklist below to determine if your home is built to be resilient to potential disasters.

  • The home is not located on a hillside or at the base of a hillside.
    • Homes on hillsides, including those at the base of hillsides, are highly vulnerable to earthquake-related damage.
  • The home is located on hard rock as opposed to soft, loose soil which may shake with more intensity.
  • The house is constructed with regular wall design.
    • Irregular wall design or shapes can result in more damage during an earthquake.
  • Living areas over garages (soft stories) are properly supported.
  • The foundation sill plate is anchored adequately.
  • Cripple walls supporting the home above grade and/or the basement are built and braced properly.
  • Pier-and-post foundations are braced.

Check these wall features:

  • Hold-down connectors secure the wall’s base to the floor and foundations.
    • For wood-frame or light gauge steel construction, structural panels for sheathing with a proper attachment pattern provide important protection from earthquake shaking.
  • For masonry walls, all cells with rebar reinforcement should be grouted and consolidated.
  • Concrete, masonry walls, and insulated concrete forms are reinforced with reinforcing steel.
  • Wall coverings like masonry, brick, and stone that add weight to a home are anchored correctly.
  • Homes made of wood have sheer walls or a moment-resistant frame.
  • Masonry is reinforced to be resistant to earthquake shaking.

Check the roof-to-wall and wall-to-foundation connections to ensure they are:

  • Made using the correct product
  • Adequately spaced
  • Properly installed

Check masonry and stone veneers:

  • Masonry or stone veneers above four feet tall, such as those on fireplaces or exterior facades, are reinforced and resilient to earthquake damage.
    • Masonry or the flue liner may be cracked from an earthquake even without signs of damage.

Evaluate external structures:

  • Balconies and decks have been evaluated by an engineer to identify strengthening retrofits if needed.
    • Balconies and decks increase the earthquake load on the home and can lead to damage.

Check roof features:

  • Roof sheathing and coverings are properly installed.
    • Properly installed roof sheathing and coverings can help avoid damage during earthquake shaking. Improperly installed roof coverings, especially heavy types like slate and tile, could fall during an earthquake and cause injury.

Depending on the age of the home, you may want to undertake certain structural retrofits and upgrades at the time of purchase. Earthquake-specific options include:

  • Reinforcing exterior unreinforced masonry walls.
  • Strengthening soft and weak story construction.
  • Reinforcing cripple walls.
  • Upgrading foundation connections.
  • Reinforcing brick and masonry chimneys.
  • Reinforcing crawl spaces.
  • Bracing the water heater.
  • Installing an automatic gas shut-off valve.

Maintain your home to keep it ready for an earthquake by:

  • Securing heavy objects that could fall and cause injury during an earthquake.
  • Installing latches on cabinet doors to help prevent the contents from falling out.
  • Installing bracing or a thin wire across the front of shelves to keep contents in place.
  • Securing major appliances and electronics.
  • Securing heavy furniture and electronics with flexible fasteners to prevent them from falling in living or sleeping areas or blocking exits.
  • Installing flexible connectors on gas appliances to help avoid detached gas lines in earthquake shaking.
  • Locating the gas shut-off valve, familiarizing yourself with how to use it, and keeping a gas valve wrench accessible.

Ensure all items hanging on walls are secure by:

  • Ensuring heavy items are not hung above places where people are seated or sleeping.
  • Using closed hooks or earthquake putty to hang items.
  • Ensuring eyehooks penetrate the wall and the studs.
  • Using two hooks to provide more stability for large pictures and mirrors.
  • Ensuring mounting hardware is securely fastened to the frame.
Flood

Flood

Review these considerations with your real estate agent, home inspector, contractor, or other trusted advisor if the home is likely to experience a flood.

Location Checklist

  • Is the home likely to flood? See FEMA Flood Service MapsYES NO
  • Is the home in a FEMA-designated flood zone? YES NO
    • Zones beginning with V or A indicate the highest level of risk. Zones B, C, and X have a moderate- to-low-risk, but be aware that these designations may change and that flood zone designations do not capture the full potential of flood risk in a given location.
  • Is there a flood history of your potential home and homes nearby?YES NO
  • Was the location once a floodplain, swamp, filled creek, riverbed, lake, or part of the sea or ocean? YES NO
  • Is the home located near a dam, levee, or other water defense infrastructure whose failure or malfunction could result in flooding? YES NO
  • Is the home located near a tsunami inundation, hazard, or evacuation zone? YES NO

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, speak with a qualified, licensed engineer, inspector, or local code official to determine the best course of action to protect your home from disasters OR consider a home in another location.

Construction Checklist

Determine the flood zone of the home and note that homes outside of a flood zone can still flood, especially in hurricanes. The best flood preparedness plan includes structural mitigation, as well as flood insurance.

  • Hydrostatic flood vents are installed.
    • A home’s elevation certificate will provide information like the number and location of vents and the total amount of vented space.
  • You have an elevation certificate that reflects the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) or expected flood level for the property.
    • If you don’t have this information, you may be able to secure it from local floodplain officials, the planning and zoning office, or the builder; or you can hire a licensed surveyor to prepare one.
  • The home is built on an elevated foundation.
    • If so, is it a pile, pier, or another type of foundation?  YES NO
  • Appliances, including the water heater, air conditioning unit, and furnace, above the projected level of flooding for the location.
  • Receptacles, lights, and switches elevated above the base flood evaluation (BFE) or expected flood level.
  • There is a backflow valve to prevent sewage from coming back into the home in case the municipal system fails due to flooding.

Depending on the age of the home, you may want to undertake certain structural retrofits and upgrades at the time of purchase. Flood-specific options include:

  • Elevating the lowest floor.
  • Providing flood protection for utilities and mechanical equipment.
  • Installing backflow preventers.
  • Installing flood vents.
  • Anchoring fuel tanks.
  • Adding a sump pump with backup power.
  • Improving the basement/foundation wall drainage.

Maintain your home to keep it ready for a flood by:

  • Checking the water flow around the property after a storm to ensure proper rainwater flow and drainage away from the home.
  • Cleaning gutters and positioning downspouts to allow water to flow away from your home’s foundation.
  • Securing any loose items in your yard as they can become water-borne debris during flooding from storm surge or rising water.
  • Anchoring fuel tanks and other outside appliances or placing them on platforms as they can detach, float, and spill hazardous waste.
Hurricane

Hurricane

Review these considerations with your real estate agent, home inspector, contractor, or other trusted advisor if the home is likely to experience a hurricane.

Location Checklist

  • Is the home in an area that has experienced or is predicted to experience hurricanes? YES NO
  • Is the home located in a storm surge evacuation zone? YES NO

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, speak with a qualified, licensed engineer, inspector, or local code official to determine the best course of action to protect your home from disasters OR consider a home in another location.

Construction Checklist

  • The windows, doors, and garage doors are rated for design pressure or impact.
    • Impact-rated means that they can withstand debris (trees, building materials, etc.) traveling at high speeds.
    • If there are no impact-resistant windows or impact-rated doors, you can choose from a wide variety of
      tested and approved hurricane shutters and panels to protect openings.

You can strengthen the garage door and system by:

  • Ensuring that the tracks are secure and rollers are not loose.
  • Inspecting the mounting around the door for loose or missing screws.
  • Having a certified garage door installation company inspect and upgrade the door for high wind, or replace it with one designed for impact and cyclic pressure.

Check to see if the roof was constructed with high winds in mind:

  • The roof coverings (shingles, metal, or tile) are rated for high winds or impact.
  • The roof decking was properly installed with a dense nailing pattern.
  • The roof is it in good condition with no signs of moisture or rotten wood visible from inside the attic.
  • A secondary water barrier was installed, such as an ice and water shield or a fully adhered roof deck membrane.
  • The roof is hip style, not gable style.
    • Hip is more aerodynamic than a gable-style roof and better resists uplift from high wind.
  • The attic ventilation openings (soffit vents, ridge vents, off-ridge vents, gable rake vents, turbines) are rated to withstand water intrusion in high winds.
  • The soffits are in good condition and are fastened to the home or to nailing strips at an appropriate interval.
  • Porches and patio roofs are properly anchored and attached to the main structure.
    • Improperly anchored porch columns can cause building weakness and lead to failure when high winds lift them.

Make sure the home components are connected and adequately tied together by ensuring:

  • The roof deck is adequately attached to the framing.
    • Check inside the attic for “shiners,” or rows of nails that missed the framing. Shiners may mean that the deck needs reinforcing with closed cell spray foam applied to the underside of the deck.
  • The roof is connected to the wall with closely spaced metal connectors that are properly installed per the manufacturer’s specifications.
  • The walls are connected to the foundation using anchor bolts or other embedded anchors as opposed to “cut” nails.

Consider wall features and material types:

  • The wall coverings are constructed from a material that can withstand hurricane-force winds.
    • Common residential wall covering options include brick, fiber cement siding, stucco, vinyl, and wood.
  • Finishes inside and out are solidly backed and installed over continuous concrete or concrete masonry substrate, which enhances structural integrity while reducing gaps, seams, and the potential for air infiltration.
    •  Using concrete systems can eliminate the need for separate sheathing and framing components, reduce complexity, and simplify the required labor.
  • Any masonry or concrete block walls are constructed with reinforced steel.
  • Wood-frame construction has plywood or OSB sheathing to provide added wind resistance.

Is the home prepared for potential flooding? Review the flood checklist. YES NO

Depending on the age of the home, you may want to undertake certain structural retrofits and upgrades at the time of purchase. Hurricane-specific options include:

  • Bracing gable-end walls.
  • Bracing soffit covers.
  • Upgrading to a wind-resistant roof covering.
  • Purchasing window protection like tested and approved hurricane shutters or temporary emergency panels.
  • Replacing the garage door with an impact-rated product or install an after-market bracing kit.
  • Strengthening the roof deck connection.
  • Strengthening the roof-to-wall connections by installing hurricane clips or straps.
  • Installing a secondary water barrier,
  • Improving anchorage of attached roof structures on carports and porches.

Maintain your home to keep it ready for a hurricane by:

  • Trimming tree limbs back from extending over your home. Hire a professional arborist if trees pose a risk to the home or if trimming requires professional equipment and assistance.
  • Using lightweight mulch instead of rock or gravel in landscaping and using fire-resistant materials if you live in both a hurricane and wildfire risk area.
  • Strengthening your soffits by applying a bead of polyurethane sealant between the wall and the trim where soffit panels are installed.
  • Cleaning gutters and downspouts to allow water to flow away from your home’s foundation.
  • Checking your roof for damaged, missing, or loose shingles or tiles, using binoculars to safely make observations from the ground. Make sure shingles are not curled, broken, or slightly lifted.
  • Securing loose items in your yard ahead of expected severe weather.
  • Checking the operation and maintenance of the impact shutter systems. If the shutters are removable, verify all hardware is available. Ensure that the anchoring systems are free of corrosion or damage.
Tornado

Tornado

Review these considerations with your real estate agent, home inspector, contractor, or other trusted advisor if the home is likely to experience a tornado.

Location Checklist

  • Is the home in an area that frequently experiences tornadoes? YES NO

If you answered yes to the above question, speak with a qualified, licensed engineer, inspector, or local code official to determine the best course of action to protect your home from disasters OR consider a home in another location.

Construction Checklist

  • The home has a safe room or storm shelter conforming to FEMA P-320 or P-361, or ICC 500.
  • The windows, doors, and garage doors are rated for design pressure or impact.
    • Impact-rated means that they can withstand debris (trees, building materials, etc.) traveling at high speeds.

You can strengthen the garage door and system by:

  • Ensuring that the tracks are secure, and rollers are not loose.
  • Inspecting the mounting around the door for loose or missing screws.
  • Having a certified garage door installation company inspect the door and upgrade the door for high wind or replace the door with one designed for impact and cyclic pressure.

Check to see if the the roof was constructed with high winds in mind:

  • The roof coverings (shingles, metal, or tile) are high-wind-rated or impact-rated.
  • The roof decking was properly installed with a dense nailing pattern.
  • The roof is in good condition with no signs of moisture or rotten wood visible from inside the attic.
  • A secondary water barrier was installed, such as an ice and water shield or a fully adhered roof deck membrane.
  • The roof is hip-style.
    • Hip is more aerodynamic than a gable-style roof and better resists uplift from high wind.
  • The attic ventilation openings (soffit vents, ridge vents, off-ridge vents, gable rake vents, turbines) are rated to withstand water intrusion in high winds.
  • The soffits are in good condition. They are fastened to the home or to nailing strips at an appropriate interval.
  • Porch and patio roofs are properly anchored and attached to the main structure.
    • Improperly anchored porch columns can cause building weakness and lead to failure when high winds lift them.

Check to see if the home components connected and adequately tied together:

  • The roof deck is adequately attached to the framing.
    • Check inside the attic and look for “shiners,” or rows of nails that missed the framing. Shiners may indicate that the deck needs reinforcing with closed cell spray foam applied to the underside of the deck.
  • The roof is connected to the wall with closely spaced metal connectors that are properly installed per the manufacturer’s specifications.
  • The walls connected to the foundation using anchor bolts or other embedded anchors as opposed to “cut” nails.

Consider wall features and material types:

  • Wall coverings can withstand high winds.
    • Common residential wall coverings options include brick, fiber cement siding, stucco, vinyl, and wood.
  • Finishes inside and out are solidly backed and more easily installed over continuous concrete or concrete masonry substrate, which enhances structural integrity while reducing gaps, seams, and the potential for air infiltration.
    • Using concrete systems can eliminate the need for separate sheathing and framing components, reduce complexity, and simplify the required labor.
  • Ensure any masonry or concrete block walls are constructed with reinforced steel.
  • Wood-frame construction has plywood or OSB sheathing to provide added wind resistance.

Depending on the age of the home, you may want to undertake certain structural retrofits and upgrades at the time of  purchase. Tornado-specific options include:

  • Installing a tornado safe room complying to FEMA P-320, or purchasing and installing a storm shelter that meets the ICC 500 criteria.
  • Replacing windows and doors with impact-rated products.
  • Installing a high-pressure-rated garage door.
  • Strengthening roof-to-wall connections.
  • Strengthening roof sheathing connections.
  • Reinforcing brick masonry chimneys with continuous reinforced steel bracing and framing anchors.
  • Improving anchorage of attached roof structures on carports and porches.

Maintain your home to keep it ready for a tornado by:

  • Trimming tree limbs back from extending over your home. Hire a professional arborist if trees pose a home risk or if trimming requires professional equipment and assistance.
  • Using lightweight mulch instead of rock or gravel.
  • Strengthening your soffits by applying a bead of polyurethane sealant between the wall and the trim where soffit panels are inserted.
  • Checking your roof for damaged, missing, or loose shingles or tiles, using binoculars to safely make observations from the ground. Make sure shingles are not curled, broken, or slightly lifted.
  • Securing loose items in your yard ahead of expected severe weather.
  • Checking the operation and maintenance of the impact shutter systems. If the shutters are removable, verify all of the hardware is available. Ensure that the anchoring systems are free of corrosion or damage.
Wildfire

Wildfire

Review these considerations with your real estate agent, home inspector, contractor, or other trusted advisor if the home is likely to experience a wildfire.

Location Checklist

  • Is the home subject to building codes or land use ordinances that incorporate wildfire safety measures? YES NO
  • Is the home located in or near a forest or an area with dense vegetation? YES NO
  • Has the home experienced wildfires in the past? YES NO
  • Is the home on a slope where fire travels faster? YES NO
  • Are the neighboring homes fire-resistant? YES NO
  • Does the community have the infrastructure (including roads and water supplies that can be used by firefighters) to respond to a wildfire? YES NO

If you answered yes to questions 1-4 or no to questions 5 and 6, speak with a qualified, licensed engineer, inspector, or local code official to determine the best course of action to protect your home from disasters OR consider a home in another location.

Construction Checklist

  • The construction materials used on the home (e.g., roof coverings, siding, and fencing) are made of noncombustible or fire-resistant materials.
    • Concrete, fiber-cement panels or sidling, stucco, masonry, metal, and fire-retardant-treated wood siding or panels are recommended for the exterior walls.
    • The most fire-resistant roof coverings include asphalt fiberglass composition shingles, concrete and flat/barrel-shaped tiles (Class A).
    • Shutters should be fire-resistant.
    • Multi-pane windows or tempered safety glass are good options compared to annealed, ceramic, and plastic.
    • Metal window frames are recommended over wood.
    • Exterior doors should be metal or solid wood with an adequate fire rating.
    • Avoid using a wooden garage door, especially if it does not have a solid core.
  • Decks, porches, and fences are made of non-combustible or fire-resistant materials.
  • There is a spark arrestor in each chimney or stovepipe to prevent large embers from escaping (or entering).
  • Eaves, soffits, and vents are protected from wildfire?
  • There are no overhangs or minimal overhangs, as this can mitigate soffit fire risks and the potential for trapping embers and hot gasses.
  • There is fire-resistant and non-combustible landscaping and defensible space within 100 feet of the home.
    • Immediate Zone (0-5 feet from the home)
    • Intermediate Zone (5-30 feet from the home)
    • Extended Zone (30-100 feet from the home)
  • Utility and equipment connections are underground.
    • If utility and equipment connections aren’t underground, gaps and penetrations in exterior walls and roofs are sealed with fire-resistant materials.
  • The home has residential fire sprinklers.
    • If so, ask your insurance professional to see if you qualify for a discount.

Depending on the age of the home, you may want to undertake certain structural retrofits and upgrades at the time of purchase. Wildfire-specific options include:

  • Installing a fire-resistive roof covering.
  • Replacing non-metal vent materials.
  • Covering attic vents, crawl space vents, vents in enclosures below decks, and chimneys with wire mesh.
  • Installing non-combustible (metal) leaf guards over gutters.
  • Upgrading to noncombustible siding.
  • Upgrading to residential fire sprinklers.
  • Ensuring fuel storage vessels are adequately distanced from the home.
  • Protecting eaves, overhangs, and soffits with fire-resistive materials.
  • Upgrading to heat- and flame-resistant windows.

Maintain your home to keep it ready for a wildfire by creating a defensible space of up to 100 feet around the home by:

  • Immediate Zone (0-5 feet from the home)
    • Cleaning roofs and gutters of dead leaves, debris, and pine needles.
    • Replacing or repairing any loose or missing shingles, or roof tiles.
    • Reducing embers that could pass through vents in the eaves by installing 1/8 inch metal mesh screening.
    • Cleaning debris from exterior attic vents, and installing 1/8 inch metal mesh screening to reduce embers.
    • Covering the underside of decks and crawl spaces with non-combustible materials or metal mesh to prevent the accumulation of combustible debris and slow the entry of embers, especially if your home is elevated above grade.
    • Repairing or replacing damaged or loose window screens and any broken windows.
    • Moving any flammable material away from wall exteriors (e.g., mulch, flammable plants, leaves and needles, firewood piles, etc.) and removing anything stored underneath decks or porches.
      • Do not store propane grills, propane cylinders, or other flammable liquids next to your home.
  • Intermediate Zone (5-30 feet from the home)
    • Clearing vegetation from under large stationary propane tanks.
    • Creating fuel breaks with driveways, walkways/paths, patios, and decks.
    • Keeping lawns and native grasses mowed to a height of four inches.
    • Removing ladder fuels (vegetation under trees) so a surface fire cannot reach the crowns.
    • Pruning trees up to 6–10 feet from the ground.
      • For shorter trees, don’t exceed 1/3 of the overall tree height.
    • Spacing trees with minimum 18 feet between crowns, increasing the distance with the percentage of slope.
    • Planning tree placement to ensure the mature canopy is no closer than 10 feet from the edge of the home.
    • Limiting trees and shrubs to small clusters of a few each to break up the continuity of the vegetation across the landscape.
  • Extended Zone (30-100 feet from the home)
    • Disposing of heavy accumulations of ground litter or debris.
    • Removing dead plant and tree materials.
    • Removing small conifers growing between mature trees.
    • Removing vegetation next to storage sheds or other outbuildings within this area.
      • Trees 30 to 60 feet from the home should have at least 12 feet between canopy tops; trees 60 to 100 feet from the home should have at least 6 feet between the canopy tops.
      • The distances listed for crown spacing are suggested based on NFPA 1144. However, the crown spacing needed to reduce crown fire potential could be significantly greater due to slope, the species of trees involved, and other site-specific conditions. Check with your local forestry professional to get advice on what is appropriate for your property.