Behold, the ultimate safe houses

The devastation that super storm Sandy brought to the East Coast has stepped up disaster preparation efforts from all sectors, including homebuilding. In fact, even before Sandy barreled its way to residential areas in the East Coast, some owners were fortifying their homes against possible calamities, from hurricanes to nuclear attack, reports The Wall Street Journal. These homeowners are testing materials and technology that could change how home building is being done by the likes of Jeff Rutt.

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An example of this, as shown in the article mentioned, is the Hollywood Hills home of the Corbi family. The house may look like any modern home in the area, but it has been built to withstand nearly every type of disaster imaginable, from storms to high-magnitude earthquakes and wildfires. The wine cellar in the basement doubles as an underground bunker, while the rooftop helipad allows for a last-ditch emergency exit if all security measures fail.

Then there’s also the “hurricane-resistant home” in South Florida, which is outfitted with 12-inch thick reinforced concrete walls covered by a rubberized material for added waterproofing and clad in 2-inch stone.

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Meanwhile, a 70,000-square-foot chateau-style home in Christian County, Missouri, is being touted as the ultimate tornado-proof home. It has 12-inch thick walls and ballistic-proof windows that have been tested to resist the equivalent of a two-by-four board traveling at 40 miles an hour, which is roughly the speed at which debris can be hurtled during a big storm.

Indeed, some homeowners are splurging on materials and technologies to make their homes ready for any disaster. After all, a house is a great deal of investment, and for some homeowners, such investment should be safeguarded at all times.

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