Grande opening: a gulf coast vacation home joins two proud Florida traditions

Custom Home, May-June, 2002 by Bruce D. Snider

RELATED ARTICLE: Details: a finger to the wind.

Ever since Hurricane Andrew blasted through Florida in 1992, builders and architects here have lived with a heightened sense of vulnerability, not only to the whims of nature, but to the well-meaning efforts of government agencies. The problem lies not only in code requirements that make buildings more resistant to storm damage but in keeping track of changing requirements and negotiating the overlapping jurisdictions of regulatory agencies. Custom builder Peter Hayes copes by staying ahead of the regulations. * "The code is about to change again," says Hayes, who anticipates a requirement for laminated safety glass for buildings in exposed areas. But the changes will not force a revision in his practices. "It will bring everybody up to the same level that we've been at for some time," he says. "This house didn't have to have laminated glass. That probably cost $75,000 to $100,000 more than if we had built according to code." Such numbers may keep production builders from sleeping at night, but Hayes finds it easy to sell his clients on the added protection such measures provide. "To invest an extra $100,000 to $200,000 at the level of house we're talking about--it really makes sense."--B.D.S.