Protecting Your Castle
Written: Mar 20 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Straightforward and clear.
Cons: Didn't find any.
The Bottom Line: Clearly written, easily digested material.
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| linotype's Full Review: John Banta - Extreme Weather Hits Home: Protecting... |
So you don't believe that melting icebergs, record heat waves, drought, disappearing species or rising sea levels are evidence of human-caused global warming. That's okay.
Just think of the investment you have in your house and then read "Extreme Weather Hits Home: Protecting Your Buildings From Climate Change," by John C. Banta.
He predicates that owners need to pay attention, whatever their political beliefs, because climate change can be subtle and still devastating.
Two of his warnings:
Nearly 50 percent of North America has a potential for structural damage from shifting moisture in expansive clay soils
Northern regions are going to become much more humid at certain times of the year
Banta doesn't discount major climate crises; quite the contrary. Instead, he tries to bring the problem down to a level where individuals can see the potential problem and take action to head some of it off.
He explains what a good building needs, comparing it to a human body: good framing and fasteners to serve as the skeleton, the skin, a good exterior to repel all kinds of bad weather, and insulation, the equivalent of fat.
What he wants us to know is that a lot of American homes are built with less than ideal wood to stand up to trapped moisture and warns us that, as climates change, more and more buildings are vulnerable to problems because they aren't built to accommodate the changes.
Worse, many homes in the U.S. are built on expansive clay soil, meaning that, as ground dries up, the homes resting on that soil will be in danger.
Here's what he says: "Climate change is not resulting in a steady, even warming of the planet. The changes are occurring gradually but with a great deal of pendulum-like extremes. Although the climate in general is warming, the weather is demonstrating greater variability."
And our homes aren't ready for that. He notes the increase in hurricane force, increasing numbers of tornadoes and, with more thunderstorms, more lightning and problems with increased force or damage from windstorms, hail, flooding, rising temperatures, drought and desertification, heat waves and fire and a lot of other problems. We are, he believes, not prepared.
But, with planning and rethinking, Banta says, we can avert some of these problems. We can, for example, take steps now to reduce problems with trapped moisture; we can properly insulate; we can insulate plumbing to prevent freezing and broken pipes; we can make sure we don't have large trees growing near the foundations of our homes, sucking moisture from the soil and allowing the foundations to weaken.
This is a very readable book, with a few charts that help explain the threats. For example, he includes an explanation of a hurricane rating system, detailing how much damage is caused by what level of hurricane. There's another that outlines the size and speed of hail and the damage resulting from each.
Banta makes no political statement here; he is solely interested in making clear what we have already begun to experience and point out that we need to ramp up our thinking to adapt to it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
linotype
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Location: Nu Yawk
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 1 member
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