Six of the Country’s Most Weather-Resistant Homes

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Courtesy Cubicco USA

Cubicco USA's tightly built, compact structures can withstand wi… Read More Cubicco USA's tightly built, compact structures can withstand winds up to 180 mph, equal to a Category 5 storm such as Hurricane Katrina.

Courtesy ForeverHome

ForeverHome looks like a typical New Orleans shotgun, but its ma… Read More ForeverHome looks like a typical New Orleans shotgun, but its maker says it will withstand up to 200-mile-per-hour winds.

For coastal communities, houses are placed on pilings as high as… Read More For coastal communities, houses are placed on pilings as high as 9 feet off the ground to meet elevation requirements. Many homeowners choose to use this space for parking.

Courtesy Alvarez New Concepts

The detached two-car garage holds a second-floor bedroom and bat… Read More The detached two-car garage holds a second-floor bedroom and bathroom. The home’s Pella Architect series low-E windows feature HurricaneShield glass, which can withstand an impact equivalent to a 2×4 traveling at 50 feet per second, the company says.

RM Design

The house will be open for tours during Greenbuild from Oct. 22 … Read More The house will be open for tours during Greenbuild from Oct. 22 to 24.

Built to be sustainable and strong, the Silo home boasts R-value… Read More Built to be sustainable and strong, the Silo home boasts R-values of 28 for the walls and 60 for the roof, and can withstand winds of more than 200 mph. 

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated homes along the Gulf Coast with its severe winds and unprecedented flooding. In light of the 10-year anniversary of this historic storm, BUILDER editors have pulled together a roundup of some of the toughest, most resilient homes in the country. These dwellings are built to withstand extreme weather, from hurricanes and floods to tornadoes and wildfires. Many of them have additional features such as energy efficiency, modular construction, or in-demand design touches.

Click through to get the lowdown on these durable projects.

• ICYMI: Modular Hurricane-Proof House Is Ideal for Coastal Areas and Beyond

  A new line of factory-built houses meets the country's most stringent hurricane codes.

  

• Modular Building Goes Mainstream in Storm-Ravaged Areas

  Factory-built homes engineered for coastal conditions are taking off in towns devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

  

• A Hurricane-Proof Concrete House with a Designer’s Touch

  This 1,200-square-foot home will withstand up to 200-mile-per-hour winds.

  

• Case Study: Tampa House Built to Sustainable and Storm-Resistant Standards

  High-performance Florida home meets requirements of the National Green Building Standard and the Florida Green Building Coalition, as well as achieving a Fortified for Safer Living designation.

  

• Greenbuild LivingHome Brings Together an All-Star Team

  The demonstration home's team of experts brings modular design and construction to the LEED Platinum, Cradle To Cradle-inspired LivingHomes model.

  

• Case Study: Tornado-Resistant Silo Home Debuts in Greensburg, Kan.

  Despite the slumping construction market, Greensburg’s first Eco-Home opens to tourists from around the world.

  

• How to Build Fire-Proof Homes

  When wildfire swept through Bob Heath's neighborhood in Napa, Calif., a lot of other homes in the fire's path burned to the ground. In recent years, as many as 2,000 homes (annually) have been destroyed by wildfire, a loss inflated by drought conditions in both eastern and western states, along with steady encroachment of development onto "frontier" lands.Jim Smalley, manager of wildland fire protection for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), notes that some home builders have taken an active role in fire prevention–often getting some perks in the process.