> Those changes spread through the whole southeast and have made wind almost a non-factor
This is great, but ugh, I live along the Gulf Coast and for the life of me I don't understand why more people don't build with concrete (block or poured) walls, instead of stick-framed! Sure, you can build wood to withstand wind up to code, but you can't make it termite-proof, of which this region has an abundance.
Probably would take an engineer to answer this question. It's entirely possible that building the first few floors with wood would be more expensive than steel due to the additional lumber needed for strength.
This is great, but ugh, I live along the Gulf Coast and for the life of me I don't understand why more people don't build with concrete (block or poured) walls, instead of stick-framed! Sure, you can build wood to withstand wind up to code, but you can't make it termite-proof, of which this region has an abundance.