The New American Home 2005 Weathered Florida's Hurricanes

Try as they might, the hurricanes that huffed and puffed and hammered Central Florida this past hurricane season couldn’t knock the wind out of The New American Home® 2005.

The home, now in the final stages of construction in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, will be open for tours during the International Builders' Show on Jan. 13–16.

Beautiful — and Hurricane Resistant

The luxurious 9,036-square-foot Mediterranean-design New American Home was built in accordance with the 2001 Florida Building Code, which was adopted after Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida in 1992. The absence of damage to the New American Home attests to the effectiveness of the code.

Some of the code standards and their roles in helping the home weather the hurricanes include:

• The tile roof is a composite system that utilize a foam adhesive process so no nails or wires penetrate the tile.
• Icynene insulation was applied directly to the roof sheathing eliminating positive and negative pressure on the roof.
• All structural columns were formed and poured concrete, and the beams were all double solid filled lintels.
• Structural dowels were located at four feet on center and at each side of all openings.
• The first floor is 8-inch cmu (concrete masonry units), and the second floor is 2x8 wood construction.
• The roof trusses are metal.
• The exterior Tyvek wrap eliminates water intrusion issues at doors and windows.
• Proper flashing at all balconies and exterior spaces creates a watertight system.

According to architect of the home, Ed Binkley of Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects and Planners, Inc., having a conscientious builder responsible for seeing that the code is followed in its entirety and subcontractors who are focused on doing the job right is the best way to make a home hurricane resistant.

Blending Mediterranean Splendor with Universal Design

This two-story showcase home works in harmony with the outdoor environment and was designed to accommodate the evolving lifestyle of its owners. Targeting a move-up family with one to three children, the house integrates home automation, new technology, energy efficiency and healthy home construction techniques.

Handicapped-accessible and designed and built following universal design and aging-in-place principles, the home includes a master suite, four bedrooms, a library, a game room, a spacious three-car garage and a dramatic private courtyard with a pool. The front entry overlooks a meandering waterway traversed by a pedestrian bridge. About two-thirds of the home is air conditioned.

New Standards in Efficiency and Technology

Pittsburgh-based IBACOS: Integrated Building and Construction Solutions, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program, provided design and engineering support to ensure maximum, innovative energy efficiency.

The home will use 47% less energy for heating and cooling and 64% less energy for water heating than a traditionally constructed house of a similar size in the same climate. The home will be Energy Star® rated with a multitude of temperature and humidity sensors monitored for one year by IBACOS to gauge efficiency.

Home owners will be able to program lights, control shades, monitor the front door, activate the sprinkler system, turn on the central vacuum and chlorinate the swimming pool from anywhere in the house via touch-screen keypads and remotes. Technology will link a dozen televisions throughout the house with telephones, computers, lights and security and audio systems. LCD (liquid-crystal display) monitors will allow interchangeable television and computer use.

To View Plans Now ...

To view photos and floor plans of the home, visit NCHI on the International Builders' Show Web site.

... and Tour the New American Home During IBS

Registered attendees at the 2005 International Builders’ Show can tour the New American Home from Thursday, Jan. 13, through Sunday, Jan. 16, during show hours via free shuttle buses —  tickets are required. The buses depart every half hour from the Orange County Convention Center. The show home is 17 miles from the convention center, and the tour takes approximately three hours including travel time.

Free shuttle bus tickets can be picked up during show hours at the home's booth in Transportation Central in the C Hall Lobby of the West Building.

For more information, contact Tucker Bernard, NCHI senior director, at 800-368-5242 x8519.

About the New American Home

Since its inception in 1984, the New American Home has had the distinction of being both a show house and a for-sale product, balancing architectural freedom with the bottom line. As conceived, the New American Home is a collection of ideas for the industry to take away — in large pieces or bit-by bit — to be incorporated into millions of new and remodeled homes across the country each year. The National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI) — the Supplier 100 of NAHB, cosponsors the show home along with Builder magazine, which features the home’s products, technologies and design ideas in its January 2005 issue. [ return to top ]