The short answer
A hurricane rated barn is engineered to your county's newest wind code. Across Florida that runs from 120 mph inland up to 170+ mph in higher exposure and coastal zones. Your exact rating is set by your site coordinates, not by a catalog.
Why the rating changes from site to site
The rating is not one number for every barn. An inland site and a coastal or higher exposure site carry different wind loads, and the structure is engineered to the exact wind load at your site. So when a neighbor's barn and yours carry different ratings, that is the engineering doing its job.
Where barns actually fail
Most barns do not fail because the steel was too thin. They fail at the connections: where the roof meets the wall, where the post meets the ground. Wind finds the weak joint and unzips the building from there. That is why the connections have to be engineered as hard as the frame.
The four systems that make a barn hurricane rated
- Commercial hurricane ties. Heavy duty, commercial grade metal connectors tie the roof to the walls and the walls to the frame at every critical joint.
- Uplift resistant roof fastening. A metal roof is only as good as what holds it down, so the fastening is engineered to resist the uplift that strips ordinary roofs off in a storm.
- Deeply anchored foundation piers. Piers are set deep and engineered for the aerodynamic pressures a hurricane puts on a building, anchoring the whole structure to the ground.
- A continuous load path. Every piece connects into one unbroken chain from ridge to footing, so storm loads route into the earth instead of finding a weak link.
The chain, top to bottom
Ridge and roof panels, to uplift resistant fasteners, to commercial hurricane ties, to the wall frame and columns, to anchored foundation piers, and into the ground. Every load, from a gust on the ridge to the weight of the whole structure, has an unbroken route down.
The metal matters too
Our standard 29 gauge panels are economical and weather resistant. For larger builds, coastal wind loads and high traffic structures we step up to heavier 26 gauge panels. Roof, wall and trim metal carries a 40 year manufacturer's material warranty through Mid Florida Metal. See every color on our metal colors page.
Every barn, every type
Every barn we build is hurricane rated, no exceptions. That includes open pole barns with hurricane rated trusses, and barns on AG exempt land that never see a county inspector (see do you need a permit to build a barn in Florida). Every structure is engineered to comply with the Florida Building Code.
What to ask any builder
- What wind rating is my barn engineered for, at my site?
- How is the roof tied to the walls, and the walls to the frame?
- How is the structure anchored to the ground?
- What gauge is the roof and wall metal?
- What does the warranty say about wind above the rated speed?
That last one matters. Our 5 year structural warranty excludes wind exceeding the engineered rating, like any honest warranty, which is why the rating has to be right for your exact site.
The track record
In 18 years of business we have never lost a single barn to a hurricane. It is one of the top reasons customers choose us: owners cite how our barns have weathered Florida's storms, and several reviewers say the storm track record is why they chose Woodys over other builders. Read more on our hurricane rated barns page or in our reviews.
Tell us where you are building and we will engineer to your site. Start a free quote, or look at center aisle barns, pole barns and garages.