[Red Rose]

We’ve lived in our frame home for almost 18 years and it’s very well insulated against noise. Also, a hurricane or tornado doesn’t care if the home is frame or block. Your roof is the first thing to go and if it goes, your home is done. Also, the 2007 tornado destroyed both frame and block houses in our area. I think block houses are prettier, but Mother Nature doesn’t care. Just buy what you like.

[margaretmattson]

Tornado Village of Mallory 2007

[huge-pigeons]

There is a big difference in tornado damages vs hurricane or fire damages.
Tornados are very narrow and short lived. Hurricanes are hundreds of miles wide, travel hundreds if not thousands of miles, can be 150mph, usually involves storm surge, flooding, wind, and tornados. Damage usually involves boats, businesses, roads, homes, and lives. Fires also have a long/wide path and are long in duration.

[Villagesgal]

Either withstands hurricane winds here in Central Florida the same. I've been here 20+ years and have seen block homes torn apart just like stick built. Stick built is built with steel framing inside and outside walls. We upgraded at build to R36 insulation and our heat and ac bills are much lower than neighbors with block homes. Noise? We live on a championship golfcourse and inside hear nothing. We also opted for double pained insulated glass windows and sliders. Siding still looks great, no repainting costs. We came from an area with mostly brick stucco homes, so love the look of our stick built home. Go by what look appeals to you. It's your home. Buy what you want to look at for the rest of your retirement.

[Karmanng]

Originally Posted by chrisinva

Currently live in a block constructed home, built 2018, with stucco surface. I'm considering a frame constructed , per the TV advertisement, home in Citrus Grove. The frame house has siding. I didn't know the developer still made frame homes.

Being from the north, I've heard & believe that block construction is better than frame for withstanding hurricanes. Your opinions? Thanks!

I have had both in AZ. Believe it or not I had bad termites with the block home that were visiable inside the home and the frame one only had them on the foundation. The cement blocks over time do disintergrate and start to crumble and flake and you do need to paint quite often as the paint will peel.......both on a wall and on the home here in AZ....at least with siding you dont have the need to paint every few years and that should be done at least every 5 or less being it rains much more there than here in AZ......we just get the heat.........Also stucco will still crack as will the cement precast ones....with the precast homes you are not able to say add a electrical outlet or move a wall from what I understand.......I bought in TV and wanted a block but I ended up with the frame and stucco. The renter that I had in there was a builder in Indiana and said that the house was made very well from what he could see and tell me

[Karmanng]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

Tornado Village of Mallory 2007

When did this all happen?

[Karmanng]

my area I never saw anything wrong with the siding nor is my home like what you described and it is already 4 year old area!!!!!!

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by Karmanng

When did this all happen?

The source of at least one of the posted photos, was the *************.

Most of the damage was around the Cane Garden CC, Sunset Pointe, Sabal & Mallory.

https://www.**************.com/2017/...h-devastation/

https://www.**************.com/2019/...and-lady-lake/

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by rwcw

Google up “tornado in the villages” and look closely at the photos of the houses. We were here visiting a few days after the storm and saw it ourselves. The block homes were tunnels with everything blown out .you can see the damage done to the frame houses. Not much difference. Catastrophic damage to both with 150 mph winds

I was in the midst of the 2/2/07 tornado, here are two homes, next door neighbors, block vs frame, I'll take the block.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by RICH1

BLOCK …. Unless you want noise and high AC bills

Your comment is very misleading and incorrect. To my way of thinking you forgot two of the most important things . . .

1. What kind and how much insulation in the walls, and

2. The windows. Yes, the windows! We had new Andersen windows installed and we hear almost NOTHING from the outside The windows are far more important than block or wood construction. Regarding your A/C bills, quality windows keep out the transfer of heat and cold in combination to what you have as insulation in the walls.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by chrisinva

Currently live in a block constructed home, built 2018, with stucco surface. I'm considering a frame constructed , per the TV advertisement, home in Citrus Grove. The frame house has siding. I didn't know the developer still made frame homes.

Being from the north, I've heard & believe that block construction is better than frame for withstanding hurricanes. Your opinions? Thanks!

As far as hurricanes go, the roof is the weak spot, not the walls. So, whatever the walls, the roof needs to be held down by straps or some other mechanism.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by chrisinva

Currently live in a block constructed home, built 2018, with stucco surface. I'm considering a frame constructed , per the TV advertisement, home in Citrus Grove. The frame house has siding. I didn't know the developer still made frame homes.

Being from the north, I've heard & believe that block construction is better than frame for withstanding hurricanes. Your opinions? Thanks!

I had a blockhouse near Tampa that always felt cold in the winter. My wood house here in the Villages seems warmer. When I touched the walls, I could feel the difference in the winter. I suppose a good test would be to wait for a day in Dec or Jan and then put your hand on an inside wall and see if there is any difference between the 2 types of construction. I guess you could take a thermometer to several open houses. Also, the concrete-block house might have more insulation than the wood.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by rustyp

I would not let fear of hurricanes drive your decision here in TV. The Villages is in a very low hurricane risk zone. There are manufactured homes built in the 60's in TV that are still standing - 50+ years old.

Conditions are changing as the water around Florida has been warming up for the last 10 years as the CO2 effect has reflected earth's heat. Likely, hurricanes will be bigger and more frequent than in the past.

[kkingston57]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Block is better, but there is really nothing wrong with buying a frame house. In my opinion, the main drawbacks for a frame house are the appearance and the possibility that the vinyl siding can be damaged.

Less likely to have problems with termites in a block home. Block home is definitely better in a bad storm/hurricane. Very little frame construction in hurricane prone areas.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Dotneko

Also remember the value of a vinyl vs block. When we built, our original model was 20,000 more as a block vs a vinyl.
Went with block because I looked up snakes in exterior vinyl walls...

Personally, for $20,000, I could tolerate a lot of snakes. I guess "Snakes on an Airplane" is NOT a favorite movie. MAYBE a screen on the toilet bowl would be in order?