LaHouse open house is July 18

BATON ROUGE — With the 2015 hurricane season officially underway, discover a range of ways to make your home a more “resilient home” at the Summer Saturday Open House at the LSU AgCenter LaHouse from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 18.
The LaHouse Home and Landscape Resource Center will highlight a variety of resilient home solutions that can protect homeowners’ investments by minimizing damages from high winds, flooding and other natural hazards, said LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel.
LSU construction management staff will be on hand to demonstrate their recent study’s findings about the cost-effectiveness of specific damage-resistant features. In addition, they will display a flood map portal where visitors can find out if their homes are in a flood-hazard risk zone, the base flood elevation in their zones that are used to determine flood insurance rates and the ground elevation of individual home sites.
“Homes built or improved to be ‘resilient’ before a storm or flood can make your life so much easier and less expensive after the event,” Reichel said. “A home protected from wind and water damages can also help you avoid the health hazard and hassle of mold and other contaminants.”
Some of the resilient home features on display at LaHouse include three roofing systems that can withstand hurricanes, four building systems fortified to 130 mph wind resistance, a variety of window protections that are both attractive and impact-rated, a reinforced garage door, a low-cost storm shelter closet and others.
Visitors can also pick up a fact sheet about “The 5 Best Hurricane Prep Projects,” speak with AgCenter housing specialists, tour the demonstration home’s other exhibits, view cutaways and videos, and visit the resource library.
LaHouse Resource Center is located at 2858 Gourrier Ave. across from the LSU Alex Box Baseball Stadium in Baton Rouge. A suggested donation of $5 per adult is requested to help support its educational programming and exhibits.
Learn more at www.LSUAg Center.com/LaHouse.
--By RICK BOGREN
LSU AgCenter