Homebuilders in South Carolina may be eligible for insurancediscounts if construction of their homes adheres to fortifiedconstruction techniques.

The Institute for Business and Home Safety, a national nonprofitgroup backed by the insurance industry, recently introduced ahome-designation program called “Fortified … for safer living.”IBHS recommends that damage-prone areas, such as window openings,be reinforced with heavy-duty frames and vinyl-coated glass, andstronger connections be made between the roof, walls, andfoundation by using insulated concrete. These techniques andmaterials have a higher disaster-resistance level than homes builtfollowing existing code, which enables them to better sustain theimpact of hurricanes and other disasters.

Using the Fortified guidelines reportedly adds up to 10 percentto the cost of construction. However, some insurance companies aregiving discounts for the increased disaster resistance. SouthCarolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance, one of the largest domesticproperty and casualty insurers in the state, offers a five percentdiscount on a homeowner's policy if the home is fortified,according to Susan Merrill, a spokeswoman for the company.