When considering the possibilities of constructing a concrete roof to protect against storm winds, it's nearly impossible not to think of "The Three Little Pigs." The classic fairytale tells the story of three porcine homeowners and their attempts to barricade themselves against an evil wolf who happens to possess hurricane-force lungs.
The wolf makes short work of the houses constructed from straw and wood, but is unable to blow down the house made of brick.
An increasing number of builders have followed the third pig's example by using greater quantities of concrete in home construction.
Wood may stand the test of time under normal conditions, but it can easily fail if subjected to additional loads or uplift forces from high winds -- wolf-generated or otherwise
A concrete roof is exactly what it sounds like: a solid slab of concrete capping the top of your house. Exact specifications vary, but most concrete roofs are several inches thick. For example, the Florida-based company Hurricane Proof Systems offers a 7-inch (18-centimeter) slab of concrete in three layers.
To install such a roof, a crew first builds a framework for the intended roof. These frames can either be removable concrete forms or stay-in-place insulating concrete forms, which simply become a part of the finished roof. Then a concrete mixture is poured, spread through the framework and reinforced with steel bars, which serve as a kind of skeleton for the cured concrete. While flat roofs are the easiest to create out of concrete, complex sloping roofs are also possible.
These options allow concrete roofs to fit virtually any desired housing style, though sloped roofs require a great deal more engineering and design. Contractors can cover the roof with any manner of finish, tiles or shingles to help give it the desired look.
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