Hi Steve,
Steve Gib wrote:was wondering if a home in florida, 2 story, as where the the 1st. floor is concrete block, the 2nd floor is 2x4 wood frame with sheeting, and both floors are finished on the exterior with stucco is considered a "TRUE" CBS constructed home ?
Depends on how you define "TRUE" concrete block home.
If you mean "Is SOME of the home a "TRUE" concrete block home?", the answer is "Yes, SOME of the structure is "TRUE" concrete block.
However, if you mean "Is ALL of the home a "TRUE" concrete block home?", the answer is "No, because not all of the exterior structural and wind resisting force walls are concrete block.
If you are asking because a builder advertised a house as being "concrete block" and then the second floor is not concrete block, the builder would could be considered to be putting out false advertising. Keep in mind, though, that the builder may have put an asterisk* next to the "concrete block" and ...
*first floor is concrete block, second floor is wood frame unless the full concrete block option is selected
... may have pulled something like that.
does such require a different building permit compared to a standard or all cbs home ?
The permit is the same, what would be submitted would be different, what would be approved would be different, and what was covered on the permit would be different - but the permit itself would be the same.
and would home owners insurance have a different rate for this type off home compared to all concrete block ?
Probably, yes.
And the wood frame structure is more susceptible to construction errors which could undermine the structural integrity of the wood frame structure.
Theoretically ... "theoretically" ... if a structure is designed, engineered, the drawings signed and sealed, AND ... the critical "AND" part ... AND the construction is done in strict accordance with the plans and drawings, the wood frame structure will survive a "design event" based on the design loads it was designed to withstand. It is just that wood frame structures require more connectors and the connectors require more fasteners, and each and every fastener and connector is more critical than in a concrete block structure.