WHO COULD HAVE KNOWN THAT this year's 2005 New Urban Challenge (NUC) show home project, co-sponsored by Home and BUILDER magazines, would be wind tested so soon? The three homes, nearing completion in Baldwin Park, Fla., a savvy new mixed-use development, stood up to 110 mph winds this fall. But along with that testament of strength, they show off the latest and greatest in walkable, new urban community design.
Fortunately, the crews and trades who work with the project's builder, David Weekley Homes, in this area know how to accommodate the strict building standards without losing profitability. They were the right team to take on the job of building three adjacent homes for the project. And they have met every construction challenge, even the unusual ones—steep roof pitches and high stem walls—that occur when three homes are designed by three different architects.
“We stayed within the basic Florida building technique,” notes Randy Braiden, regional president of David Weekley Homes in Orlando, “[even though] we knew we were going to use some unusual sidings for the area, such as James Hardie's Hardiplank and Hardishake. Those products are much easier to apply over wood framing, but the market here is 90 percent block [concrete masonry units], so we decided to stay with that.”
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