BUILDING A HOUSE IN THE "SNOW BELT"

Aside from the concerns mentioned here, make sure you have a solid foundation that can support the house AND all the extra weight of heavy snow. It's not uncommon for places in Alaska like Valdez and Whittier to get that much snow.

This may be left over from a different thread but how much snow load is common as a building code number?

Around here they require 80.

[QUOTE=stanb999]I kind figure that they built them as best they could years ago. But to say they were better built is false. But if you go see the ones that are still standing then they are the "better" built ones. If they weren't then they fell in years ago.


I only said "more suited to the weather". Believe me, I grew up in a hundred year old house. The wind blew straight through it and a fuse blew every time someone made toast!

__________________
Melissa
Reformed hoyden. Please forgive me if I relapse.

During WWII, overhangs were not common on houses as to save money and material. The trend continued for a number of years thereafter - our house did not have them. The seller (an educated fool IMHO), did not add them to the house. Rotted the windows but all he did was caulk. Mounded up dirt higher the than brick ledge. Needless to say, basement leaked in various places, especially the front door area. Still debating whether to take him to court over this (his statement no water in basement and that they "never used the front door", we know why. Plus his undisclosed fire...). So overhangs (we have a 9 pitch), gutters, and good landscaping are a must. Don't scimp on the foundation, backfill and grading. And believe it or not, we get people building houses with flat/dang near flat roofs in my area too.

__________________
Beware of radical christians: http://listverse.com/2015/03/22/10-p...e-for-america/