John J Chando Jr Inc. - Design/Build Blog

How to build a waterfront home on the Jersey Shore (Concrete vs. Wood)

Posted by Ryan Chando on Thu, Nov 13, 2014 @ 02:13 PM

Concrete_vs_Wood_How_ICF_Can_Work_For_YouThe benefits of building a house out of stone as opposed to wood has been engrained into most peoples heads since childhood thanks to those 3 little pigs and their run-in with a wolf. But these days home owners at the Jersey Shore have bigger problems than bacon hungry wolves. As we are now into the fall and approach the harsh winter months homeowners have hurricanes, nor’easterns and snowstorms to worry about. To get through these extreme weather conditions it’s a necessity to have a strong house.

Time Magazine named Ocean County, NJ the most dangerous place to live in the United States, basing this claim to the frequency of Natural Disasters. “Tidal surges and storms like Hurricane Sandy make this oceanfront county vulnerable”, they say in their “Answers Issue” which hit newsstands last month..

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Topics: build services, Hurricane Proof Home, Concrete Building

Hurricane Proof Home [Part 3] - Building a House out of Concrete

Posted by Ryan Chando on Sat, Aug 2, 2014 @ 09:00 AM

It’s been almost 2 years since Superstorm Sandy forever changed the Jersey Shore, and as more and more families start renovating or rebuilding their homes, you’re starting to see more homes being built with concrete foundations.  Some homeowners take it a step further and build their entire house out of concrete; walls, floors and all! If you truly want your new home to be a “Hurricane Proof Home” we bring you Part 3 of our ongoing series on building a Hurricane Proof Home using Insulated Concrete Forms or “ICF” building techniques.

Below we show you what some of the later stages of building a house entirely out of concrete looks like.  The previous house had a very low elevation before Superstorm Sandy and when the new FEMA flood zone maps were released (before they foolishly changed them back) the house was rebuilt to comply with the strict V-Zone requirements, having the first floor at elevation 14 feet. 

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Topics: build services, Hurricane Proof Home

Hurricane Proof Home [Part 2] NJ Coastal Construction Breakaway Walls & ICF Lite-Deck

Posted by Justin Chando on Wed, Jul 17, 2013 @ 10:00 AM

ICF Coastal ConstructionWe are currently undergoing construction in Normandy Beach using some innovative construction techniques. We’re calling this type of construction “Hurricane Proof”, for good reason.  This particular home is being constructed to the strict FEMA V-Zone flood construction requirements and is extremely strong.

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Topics: build services, Hurricane Proof Home

Building a Hurricane Proof Home [Part 1] Coastal Waterfront ICF Construction

Posted by Justin Chando on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 @ 08:00 AM

hurricane proof home with ICF FormsWe have just broke ground on a new home located in Normandy Beach, NJ. The previous house had a very low elevation and had 6ft of water inside after Hurricane Sandy. So, we are extremely excited to be rebuilding this house. The property restoration design concept was created with the new FEMA flood zone maps that told us this location is located inside the V-zone, which means we needed to be at elevation 14 ft and have breakaway walls underneath the structure in order to be compliant. With this house, the design is set to have lots of storage area and a full four-car garage underneath the first floor. We actually like this design in that we can make lots of use of this “unlivable space”.

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Topics: build services, Hurricane Proof Home