I receive many phone calls about using Cable-Tite to"retro-fit" for wind storm protection. It seems that homeowners are keenly aware that their homes were not adequately constructed 10, 15, 20, 30 yrs ago. They currently have no high wind uplift protection from hurricanes or other straight-line winds. So, they call me....
First of all, I am thrilled that they have watched the Cable-Tite video, read the Cable-Tite information, and want the best, most robust tie-down system available. The question is about the possibility of retro-fitting their current home. Cable-Tite is designed for new home construction. However, if the home owner is willing to make the effort, then, yes, Cable-Tite can be used for retro-fit.
But, it's a lot of work. You need to have access to the foundation with the anchor bolts and to the top plate, and the area between the studs needs to be open. Cable-Tite is only installed in the outside walls, so there's no need to open the interior walls. Retro-fitting with Cable-Tite is easiest during a remodeling project. Usually the walls are open which gives you easy access to the foundation and top plate and allows you to tighten the cable tightly and properly.
Sometimes the home owners are frustrated with the amount of effort and cost there is to retro-fit for high wind protection. Of the 8 high wind protection systems on the market, all require you to open the walls for proper installation. When you think about what you are trying to do...that is, secure the top plate to the foundation, you realize that you have to have access to both them.
I applaud those home owners who see the need and spend the time and effort to install a secure high-wind protection system, and who realize Cable-Tite is the best and the easiest to install. Remember that your home is only as secure as the system you install.
For any reading this that are contemplating new home construction.....please.....insist on installing Cable-Tite soon after the roof is installed, and while the walls are still open.
If you are considering a retro-fit, call me for advice and tips.
Showing posts with label foundation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foundation. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Tornado in Cleveland TN.
Wednesday afternoon a tornado touched down in Cleveland TN, near my daughter's house. She sent me a photo of damages to a house nearby. I am posting it because this is a classical mistake in building codes, and a mistake that Cable-tite can correct. Look at the close-up on the left of the foundation. Notice that the top block is still attached to the house. This is because the anchor bolts were set in the top row. They held......but what didn't hold was the mortar joint.
The sad part is that this house is built "to codes". At Cable-tite, we have pushed to build "beyond codes". If the builder had installed the anchor bolts into the footers (or slab) and attached Cable-tite to them with extended cable attached to the top plate, this problem would have been avoided. The cost during construction for Cable-tite could have been approximately $1000, and the house would have been secure.
Cable-tite is not considered tornado protection. A heavier wind would have destroyed the house with or without Cable-tite. But in this particular case, it would have saved the house.
For builders reading this.....please.....sink the anchor bolts into the footers, EVEN if you chose not to use our products. There is virtually no cost for doing that. Call me and I'll help guide you in building a more secure home.
Homeowners.....ask for Cable-tite by name. Cable-tite is the leader in hurricane protection and straight line winds that create uplift. This most recent flurry of tornadoes had straight-line winds, some over 100 MPH in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Cable-tite is concerned about your safety.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Brian Harris Homes - block foundations
From time to time we have questions about using Cable-tite as hurricane and high wind tie-down protection with block foundations. There is a little more work to anchor the top plate to the foundation anchor bolts, but it can be done.
I recently worked with Matt Harris at Brian Harris Homes, a new home builder in middle Tennessee. One thing I liked that Harris did was core fill the block to the footer. This offers much better hold down value than blocks with only the top block filled.
After the house was framed and roofed, I went to the crawl space and installed the anchor nut and cap. I drilled a 3/8 hole for the cable, then attached it to the top plate as standard installation. I crawled back under the house and locked the Cable-tite firmly in place.
NOTE: See the small blue electrical wire sticking through the floor above the drill in the photo above? I drilled a small 1/8" hole in the subfloor and used the blue wire to mark my place. Upstairs, I drilled the 3/8" hole for the cable. This is much easier when working in a small crawl space.
In this photo of the finished installation, note that the anchor nut, cap and cable vise are not seen. They are in the crawl space below.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
A better foundation!
Building a better foundation is the philosophy of Matt Harris with Harris Homes, new home builders. Cable-tite is working with him to install our hurricane and high wind tie-down systems in a new home for Tonya and Chaz Jetton.
My big complaint has been that most of the time the anchor bolt is only secured in the top block of the foundation. This makes the weakest part of the tie-downs the mortar joint between the top block and the one below it. As you can see in the right photo above, the mason is filling the entire cell with mortar, all the way to the footer. He also uses an 18" anchor bolt which secures it to the second block. This creates a much better foundation with which to attach the Cable-tite anchor nut. For Cable-tite to work correctly, the elements surrounding installation need to be strong. Harris believes the same, and proves it by filling the block. Thanks! Cable-tite will attach to the anchor bolt then connect to the top plate for the ultimate in uplift protection.
In the left photo you will notice that some of the anchor bolts are not perfectly straight. That is not a problem for Cable-tite because of the flexibility of the cable. It would not work with threaded rods.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Floods in Tennessee - May 1-2
For those reading this blog living in Tennessee, you know all about "The Flood" of 2010. Very difficult to absorb and comprehend. Our hearts go out to those who had losses, and wish them Godspeed in their recovery.
On Saturday afternoon the non-stop broadcast showed a spot on the weather map and told those residents living near there to expect "shear winds" as strong as 100 MPH. The weatherman followed that warning for an hour or so as these high winds traveled across middle Tennessee.
So many new home builders, architects, and engineers say that Cable-Tite is not needed in the "non" wind zones, and so often I say "what if". This weekend that "what if" came true. Winds at 100 MPH are the same as a Category 2 hurricane. Codes in non wind regions do not require tie-downs. Even though this is somewhat rare, what if it were your house in the path shown on that weather map? Wouldn't you be thankful your builder installed Cable-Tite.
Middle Tennessee locals will recall the video of the school portable floating down Interstate 24 near Bell Road. WOW!!!! If they had used Cable-Tite to anchor it to it's foundation, it would not have floated away.
If you are reading this and building outside the high-wind regions of the US, please.....consider Cable-Tite for your safety.
On Saturday afternoon the non-stop broadcast showed a spot on the weather map and told those residents living near there to expect "shear winds" as strong as 100 MPH. The weatherman followed that warning for an hour or so as these high winds traveled across middle Tennessee.
So many new home builders, architects, and engineers say that Cable-Tite is not needed in the "non" wind zones, and so often I say "what if". This weekend that "what if" came true. Winds at 100 MPH are the same as a Category 2 hurricane. Codes in non wind regions do not require tie-downs. Even though this is somewhat rare, what if it were your house in the path shown on that weather map? Wouldn't you be thankful your builder installed Cable-Tite.
Middle Tennessee locals will recall the video of the school portable floating down Interstate 24 near Bell Road. WOW!!!! If they had used Cable-Tite to anchor it to it's foundation, it would not have floated away.
If you are reading this and building outside the high-wind regions of the US, please.....consider Cable-Tite for your safety.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
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.
(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.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
IAPMO Evaluation Report - News Release
IAPMO ISSUES FAVORABLE CABLE-TITE REPORT
Gallatin, TN – On March 1, 2010 the IAPMO Certification Board issued an Evaluation Report which certifies that Cable-Tite meets the International Building Code for residential wood-frame construction in high-wind regions. IAPMO reviewed the certified Smith-Emery Laboratories test results with their engineering staff and determined that Cable-Tite’s claim as a hurricane hold-down system was true. The report, number 0170, is available to read online at www.cabletite.com.
New home builders continue to search for the most robust system for protection from uplift caused by high winds. There is a good, better, and best approach for what they choose. The metal hurricane clips are a good system that allows for minimum protection. The threaded rods offer better protection but are difficult to install. The best system is the “Cable-Tite” system that uses cables to create a continuous path from the roof to the foundation.
“Other current methods are time consuming and expensive. Cable-Tite is an easy system to install, in about half the time, and offers better protection”, says Dale Richardson, Business Development Director at Cable-Tite. “The high-strength steel cable is attached to the top plate and held securely in place with our patented cam locking cap and nut screwed to the concrete embedded anchor bolt.”
With the recent certification, engineers, builders, codes inspectors, and ultimately, home owners can request and use Cable-Tite Tie-Down Systems with confidence.
Gallatin, TN – On March 1, 2010 the IAPMO Certification Board issued an Evaluation Report which certifies that Cable-Tite meets the International Building Code for residential wood-frame construction in high-wind regions. IAPMO reviewed the certified Smith-Emery Laboratories test results with their engineering staff and determined that Cable-Tite’s claim as a hurricane hold-down system was true. The report, number 0170, is available to read online at www.cabletite.com.
New home builders continue to search for the most robust system for protection from uplift caused by high winds. There is a good, better, and best approach for what they choose. The metal hurricane clips are a good system that allows for minimum protection. The threaded rods offer better protection but are difficult to install. The best system is the “Cable-Tite” system that uses cables to create a continuous path from the roof to the foundation.
“Other current methods are time consuming and expensive. Cable-Tite is an easy system to install, in about half the time, and offers better protection”, says Dale Richardson, Business Development Director at Cable-Tite. “The high-strength steel cable is attached to the top plate and held securely in place with our patented cam locking cap and nut screwed to the concrete embedded anchor bolt.”
With the recent certification, engineers, builders, codes inspectors, and ultimately, home owners can request and use Cable-Tite Tie-Down Systems with confidence.
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