WKRN Channel 2 News story

http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12223631#

(video on website)

GALLATIN, Tenn. - A Gallatin company has designed a system that may keep homes in one piece during high winds.
Cable-Tite installs high tension cables within the walls of new construction homes. The cables are anchored in the foundation and tied to the roof.
"What we're trying to do is hold the roof to the foundation," Cable-Tite's Dale Richardson explained. "We want to keep the square of the top plate and the bottom plate and the walls as a cube and hold it together."
The science behind Cable-Tite is that if the home is kept squared, with the roof intact, the construction can withstand higher sustained winds and wind gusts.
Richardson said, "When you have high winds, it's trying to push the roof off the top of the house and when the roof goes up, then the walls fall over."
Cable-Tite has only been in business for two years and has done most of its work so far along the Gulf Coast and in Houston, Texas.
As for costs, according to Richardson, in "most houses, it's going to be maybe 1% of the total cost, if you're talking a $200,000 home, maybe $1,200 to $1,500."
Gallatin builder Fred Yates told News 2 he wouldn't think of building another house without Cable-Tite.
He's currently including the system in a massive upper-scale home on Old Hickory Lake.
"Anytime [the wind] starts whipping up, you can see it can get under that roof and lift it up," he said. "If you don't have something holding it down, it can tear it right off."
Yates said he can see the system gaining popularity quickly among other builders who build upscale homes, and once others see the benefit, the cable system will be in demand in mid-priced houses.
"This system will probably not withstand a Category 5 [Hurricane], but nothing will, but the peripheral winds, the ones that are 60, 70, 90 miles per hour, you don't have a problem," he said. "It'll hold it down.
Richardson said the system has been lab tested to withstand winds of up to 90 miles per hour, but so far, none of the homes where the system has been installed have been tested by Mother Nature's highest winds.

Fred Yate's home

A few days ago I re-visited Fred Yates home on Lake Park Drive. You might remember that we installed over 60 Cable-Tite in his new home in April. For whatever reason, he was just now closing the walls, which worked to our advantage. The Cable-Tite product had been installed approx 4 1/2 months. And every cable was still "cable-tight".

There's a lot of talk in the industry about accumulated compression. Cable-Tite does not have an issue with this problem. First of all, the cables were installed in his house about a month after framing, which we suggest for best results. But even so, accumulated compression will continue for 3-6 months after framing. There was no noticeable change in the pretensioned cables.

It confirmed our claim that there is no need for adjustment after installation. As you know, metal hurricane clips bend, bow, or loosen during accumulated compression. This issue is exaggerated by installing the clips the next day after framing, when there is no accumulated compression. Typical compression is between 1/4 and 3/8 per story. In a two-story house the metal clips at the sil plate could be bent as much as 1/2 inch. If so, the clips have lost much of their hold-down value. Threaded rods can be a better alternative, but they require an adjustment in the attic 4-6 months later, and maybe again a year later.

After my visit to Fred Yate's house I'm even more "sold" that Cable-Tite is the best high-wind and hurricane tie-down system available for uplift protection. And did I mention.....easy to install.

Look at the porch now!!!

I thought you'd like to see the progress that's been made in last few weeks on the porch. Remember I blogged earlier about the telajack posts and Cable-tite working together. The Telajack is holding the porch up, and the Cable-Tite is holding it down. They work together inside the columns.

The columns are finished now and look terrific. The Telajack and Cable-Tite are totally enclosed so you never see them again. But Fred Yates knows they are there when the storm's high winds come across the lake, and he's glad they are there. They are securely anchored.

I have a ton of photos showing the column construction. This is not only necessary to hold the roof up and down, but cost effective and easy. Try it on your next project!

WZTV Fox Channel 17 broadcast

WZTV FOX 17 Nashville produced an EXCELLENT news story on Cable-Tite for Monday night's 9 PM newscast. Erika Lathon did a good job of understanding our company and then telling middle Tennessee about it. She told about our hurricane tie-down system and how it protected against high-wind uplift.

She interviewed Fred Yates, who offered an excellent testimonial about Cable-tite. You can click on this link and see the news clip.

http://www.fox17.com/newsroom/top_stories/mywx_vid_5912.shtml

"this device could help save you home" Learn more at 6

THANKS!!!!!! to WSMV Channel 4 for their report on Cabletite for the 6 o'clock news today, June 2. We were very excited that Mr. Alan Frio and Josh Winstead took the time to interview me and Andrew for the NEWS. This report will air at 6 on Nashville Channel 4. In a few days we will have the video on our website. They came to Fred Yates home which has 70 cabletite's installedHe asked me about the benefits of Cable-tite and the uplift protection that the tie-downs provide.

Building Site Lunch HUGE success!

May 19, 2009 - The lunch open house at 931 Lake Park Drive hosted by Cable-Tite and Fred Yates Homes was a HUGE success. It was attended by other builders, architects, designers, inspectors, and community leaders. The purpose of this lunch was to aquaint the local community of builders and home owners with our Cable-Tite system. It is a tie-down system that attaches to the anchor bolt and the top plate. It's designed to secure the house from high-wind uplift caused by straight line winds or hurricane force winds in high-wind regions.

The house has 61 Cable-Tite systems installed in the walls and everyone enjoyed walking around and seeing them first hand. And "twang-ing" the cables. It's easy to see how this eliminates the need for all those time consuming and labor intensive hurricane clips and tie-downs other anchor systems require.

The house also has 38 Telajack posts, featured in the basement and on the deck. Cable-Tite and Telajack work together inside columns because one is holding the roof up and the other holding it down.

Above photo shows the Cable-Tite boys in yellow and Mr. Fred Yates. Everyone has profited in the partnership.

The house is still available for inspection for a couple more weeks, for anyone that missed our event and has a desire to see it. Please don't drop in....call me or Fred first. Call me 451-9080 I'm happy to give you a tour, but sorry....no strawberry pie! (you really missed something there)

May 19th

NEW DATE!
A new date has been set for the open house at Fred Yates custom built home. It is May 19, 2009 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at 931 Lake Park Drive, Gallatin, TN http://www.mapquest.com/

Cable-Tite is launching the robust hold-down cable system at this house. It secures the top plate to the foundation and offers high wind uplift protection. This adds peace of mind in an area of strong shear winds.

This house has 61 Cable-Tite tie down systems in it. The walls are open so you can see the installation. You will see how easy it is to install from the anchors to the vises, cables, and top plate.

There will be engineers at the site this day to explain our system and answer any questions.

A nice lunch is planned, FREE, but....please.....call us an let us know if you plan to attend so we can have plenty of food.

We all look forward to meeting you.

APRIL 30 - Circle that date!!!! We are currently working to complete the Cable-Tite system for our Lake Park Drive test house. Mr. Fred Yates has agreed to open his house to builders, contractors, and inspectors to show the robust hurricane tie down system we've installed in his house. And the best part.......lunch is provided.

If you'd like to see this exciting new anchoring system, then you'd be welcome to attend. Please let us know so we can "throw another cup of water in the soup" Thursday, April 30 11:30AM-1:00 PM

Beta House

Mr. Fred Yates of Fred Yates Home has agreed to a beta test for the new home he's constructing for himself on Lake View Dr, Gallatin. We will keep you posted on the developments of the house. Here's today's look. The first step for installing our hurricane tie-down system is to screw the anchor nut to the existing anchor bolt. It can be done now to secure the sill plate, or later when installing the complete system. Even though Gallatin Tennessee isn't in the hurricane zone, Mr. Yates home is on the lake which in prone to high winds. This high wind uplift protection will add less than 1/2 of one percent to the cost of his home.