Deltec Homes, an Asheville, North Carolina-based builder of prefabricated, round houses, says its designs can withstand the extreme wind loads associated with a Category 5 hurricane.
CEO Meg Gore said the company’s circular footprint and roof system reduce pressure points that can lead to structural failure in high-wind events.
“Round really works with nature, instead of fighting against it,” Gore told The Builder’s Daily. “The wind flows around the home, instead of building pressure on one flat wall. Also, we have a radial truss system that disperses energy evenly throughout the structure. It doesn’t rely on a single critical failure point.”
Building for high winds
Deltec’s approach centers on reinforcing key connections throughout the building envelope, including roof-to-wall and wall-to-floor transitions. The company uses continuous strapping intended to tie the roof system to the foundation.
The builder also uses larger inverted truss hangers on every truss instead of smaller traditional hangers, a choice that Gore said improves resistance to uplift and lateral forces.
Deltec’s standard homes are designed to withstand winds up to 130 mph, the company said. Upgraded packages – which can include additional components and stronger or larger truss plates – are designed for winds up to about 190 mph.
Deltec says its homes have a 99.9% survival rate in major hurricanes over the past three decades.
One oft-cited example came in 2018, when Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm with peak winds around 160 mph, struck the Florida Panhandle. A Deltec home in Mexico Beach, Florida, remained standing in an area that saw widespread destruction.
The push for hurricane-resilient design is becoming more urgent as insured and uninsured losses mount. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coastal Management reported that hurricanes accounted for nearly $150 billion in damages annually, on average, from 2020 through 2024.
A factory-built model
Deltec’s factory is about 100,000 square feet and is designed to produce more than 100 homes per year, the company said. The plant builds panelized components, trusses and related assemblies that are shipped to job sites.
The company, founded in 1968, ships to all 50 states and more than 30 countries. Deltec said demand is strongest in the Southeast and the Caribbean, but interest is geographically varied.
A unique aesthetic
Gore said the company’s appeal goes beyond storm performance. She pointed to the layout’s “panoramic” effect and the ability to incorporate large amounts of glazing.
“With the way our homes are constructed, we actually have a panoramic window wall,” Gore said. “With all of our homes and the strength of them all at the top, you can have multiple windows. You definitely have that panoramic living that also brings in a lot of natural light. The curve geometry allows more light in, and it kind of brings that indoor-outdoor feeling.”
Deltec sells homes from about 300 to more than 2,500 square feet and recently introduced a new generation of accessory dwelling units. Gore said the round form factor can make small-footprint units feel bigger.
“They feel larger because of their vaulted ceilings,” Gore said. “They also feel very natural being in your yard, and it’s very aesthetically pleasing, because you’re looking at this round, almost gazebo-like, organic structure.”
What it means for builders
For builders and residential developers working in coastal and high-wind markets, Deltec’s message highlights a broader shift: buyers, insurers, and local officials are increasingly assessing homes based on how they perform after a storm, not just how they look initially.
A high-wind package can introduce three practical tradeoffs for production and semi-custom builders:
- Cost and specification discipline: More robust load paths and upgraded connectors usually add material and labor costs. Builders may need to decide whether to standardize a higher baseline specification across a community or offer resilience as an upgrade tied to premiums and buyer demand.
- Schedule and labor planning: Panelized components can shorten on-site framing time, but the model also demands tighter upfront coordination — from foundation tolerances to crane scheduling and sequencing of subs. In labor-constrained markets, off-site fabrication can shift work to a factory, allowing crews to focus on site assembly and finishes.
- Design, product, and code strategy: Nontraditional footprints can complicate plan standardization, purchasing, and repeatable trade scopes. Builders considering resilience upgrades in conventional plans might first focus on the same “weak links” Deltec emphasizes — roof-to-wall and wall-to-foundation connections — while aligning with local wind-speed maps and inspection requirements.
For operators, the immediate question is whether storm-resilient specifications can be translated into a repeatable scope of work that reduces warranty exposure, enhances insurability, and supports pricing in markets where hurricane risk is influencing buyer behavior.
