I was convinced with the merits of tile roofing in southwestern wildfire areas after seeing an arial photo of an entire town burned to the ground with a few tile-roofed houses standing in the middle. They may collapse from internal fire, but for wild fires seem the best choice.

Florida construction should be galvanized all-steel framing, a roof with little or no overhang to tear off, single story and rounded if possible for a low wind profile, and build on high ground on concrete stilts for flooding.
Probably a good idea to put a ring of I-beams all around so the house dosen't get bashed by the misc debrise.

John:

I would agree for areas without hurricane potential. I would also advocate metal roofing because of its inherent strength (puncture resistant and flexible--won't shatter), light weight, and fire proof properties. However, a nail here and there like most installers use will not do. Adhesive and screws, preferably bronze or stainless!!!!!

The sad thing about tile roofs in strong winds is that they literally depend on their weight to keep them in place. Out here in AZ, they are installed with galvanized nails!! Woo Hoo!! Their weight is both an asset and a liability.

I've heard that in Key West the building permit can cost as much as the building. Anyone think there's any truth in this?

I'm a forensic structural engineer. My company investigates structural building failures (although in Mich/Ohio). I agree with Terry. The damage from the most recent storm did not occur to buildings constructed under the new Building Code. It occurred to poorly built homes and mobile homes. Sanibel Island is a good example - direct hit, yet very minor damage to these better-built homes.

The current Florida Code utilizes "ASCE 7-98 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures". Most areas of the US also use this standard for wind design. The attached map shows the basic design wind speeds in Florida. There are various modifications used to convert these speeds to design wind pressures.

Buildings can be easily designed to withstand hurricanes. Tornados???? That's another ball game ...... F5 is 300MPH+ :eek:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1092880791.jpg