Hurricane Straps

One very important thing to look for on new construction, pre-drywall inspections are hurricane straps. Also called "hurricane ties" or "twist straps," let's keep it simple for the post and call them hurricane straps.

A simple piece of engineering, a hurricane strap is a single piece of metal with a half twist.

There are pre-drilled holes for nails to anchor the straps to roof rafter ends.

In modern construction, every roof truss rafter that rests on an exterior wall is to be strapped. The only exception is the truss rafter at the very edge of a townhouse, which is itself anchored to the house beside.

My house was built in 1998, and these straps were not required by code. Some builders used them, but mine did not. I begged my builder to install the straps, or allow me to nail them on. They refused me saying that others would see them and want them on their houses! Their use is code now.

Certainly this rafter is missing one!

There was another too.

And this house already has had the County inspection allowing for the installation of drywall.

They must have missed this.

This photo shows something else I had a problem with. The framing over the window is such that it contributes to the sagging of the top frame of the window.

Done differently, there would be no sagging.

But that should be in another post!

It's a simple matter to put on another strap and get things right.

My recommendation: don't skip the pre-drywall inspection. Even things that are small and simple can get overlooked. Unless, that is, you have a home inspector on the job.