Royal Concrete Concepts announced the delivery of two Category 5 hurricane resistant homes that can protect new homeowners from rising insurance rates, not just rising sea levels.

“Because the homes are built of steel-reinforced concrete walls, floors and roofs that were tested to resist hurricane force winds, we’re seeing property insurance rates lower for homeowners buying Royal’s products in comparison to buyers of traditional ‘stick-and-brick’ homes,” said Anna Niehaus, RCC’s director of residential business development.

The Hutchinson Keys models were purchased by a Royal Concrete Concepts’ certified distributor, Windzone Homes, for two customers in Tavernier in the Upper Florida Keys.

The homes were shipped to Tavernier by truck November 10 in four parts, to help the trucks comply with Florida Keys’ bridge weight restrictions. The components were then set on pilings on the properties within hours after arriving.

The Hutchinson Keys model is built on 10- and 12-foot pilings, has 1,160 square feet of living space under 10 foot high ceilings with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The homes’ flat roofs allow for upgrading to solar power, for refuge from storm-related power outages and energy cost savings year round.

The homes were engineered to withstand 175 mph winds, which are much stronger than required by the stringent Miami-Dade Building Code. The windows are impact resistant and the flat roofs aids in preventing wind uplift. The steel reinforcing rebar, insulation and concrete wall, floor and roof systems provide a 100-year lifecycle.