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Bettesworth Construction
Building Envelope

How to Choose Durable Materials for Retail Construction in a Coastal Climate

Coastal durability depends on matching complete assemblies and their installation and upkeep to site-specific salt, moisture, wind, rain and flood exposure.

By Bettesworth Construction Team 9 min read
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Choose coastal retail materials by matching the complete building assembly—not just individual products—to the site’s combined exposure to salt, moisture, wind, wind-driven rain and, where applicable, flooding. Compare documented assembly performance, corrosion protection, drainage and drying, installation quality, inspection access, repairability and maintenance needs. No material is universally best for every coastal site; the right specification depends on local conditions, adopted codes, the building’s use and project-specific engineering.

Start with the site, not a material shortlist

“Coastal” describes a range of exposures, not one uniform environment. Corrosion severity can vary with humidity, wind direction and speed, distance from shore, building orientation, rainfall rinsing, shelter and airflow. Conditions can also differ around one building: a sheltered connection, a rain-washed façade and a location where water collects may expose components differently.

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Before comparing products, establish the hazards that matter at the site and where each hazard acts on the building. A retail project may have distinct requirements for its roof, exterior walls, storefront openings, service doors, loading areas, structural connections and interior areas exposed to floodwater. The building’s occupancy and operations also affect what damage, downtime and repair disruption are acceptable.

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Build an exposure profile

  • Salt and corrosion: Record the site’s proximity to the shore and consider wind direction, speed, shelter and airflow. Do not assume every metal part on the project will experience the same exposure.
  • Rain and moisture: Identify where wind-driven rain can reach the walls, roof edges, openings, joints and penetrations, and where water might be trapped rather than drained or dried.
  • Wind: Establish the applicable wind design criteria with the project’s design team. Wind pressure and wind-driven rain are related exposure concerns, but a product name alone does not establish that an assembly meets the project’s requirements.
  • Flooding: Determine whether the site is subject to floodplain requirements and identify the applicable flood elevations. Confirm local rules and occupancy constraints rather than relying on a general coastal guideline.
  • Maintenance access: Note which façades, roof areas, joints and service locations can be inspected and repaired, and how those tasks can be completed without unreasonable disruption to retail operations.

FEMA’s coastal construction guidance treats flood and wind damage, wind-driven rain, corrosion, moisture and decay as screening concerns. Use those hazards to organize the project’s investigation; then have the design team establish the criteria that apply to the actual site and building.

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Compare assemblies, not isolated material names

A wall, roof or storefront is a system of materials, connections, transitions and workmanship. Water can enter at walls, windows, doors, penetrations and sealant joints. A material that performs well in one location does not, by itself, show that the transitions around it will resist water intrusion or that the assembly will drain and dry as intended.

ASTM E2266-22 is a guide addressing water-intrusion considerations for low-rise frame wall systems. It can inform design discussions about walls and related components, but it is not a substitute for project-specific code compliance, engineering or evidence for the proposed assembly. Ask the project team to assess the complete wall or roof system and its interfaces, not just the central field material.

Use the same comparison questions for each option

Evaluation area What to establish Why it matters
Site exposure Flood, wind, salt, humidity and wind-driven rain conditions for the particular building locations. Coastal exposure varies by site and by component; a generic “coastal grade” label is not a site assessment.
Water resistance Documented performance of the complete assembly, including joints, transitions, openings and penetrations. Water can bypass otherwise suitable materials at interfaces and openings.
Corrosion protection Protection for metals and reinforcement, including cut ends, joints and places where water can collect. Exposure and detailing affect vulnerable parts as well as visible surfaces.
Moisture management How the assembly sheds or drains water, limits moisture entry and permits drying. Water entry, retention and slow drying can threaten moisture-sensitive materials.
Construction and upkeep Required installation skill, inspection access, repairability, expected maintenance and replacement implications. Installation or maintenance shortcomings can undermine the intended performance.
Project requirements Applicable local code, floodplain rules, specifications and engineering evidence. Guides and general definitions do not establish compliance for a particular project.

Use this framework to compare the project’s actual candidate systems. The cited guidance does not rank material families or establish universal performance values, so do not treat an unsupported material ranking as a substitute for assembly documentation and design review.

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Make water control a continuous design task

Water management is not solved by selecting a single water-resistant surface. The team needs to consider the path water could take through or behind the assembly, how it is directed away, and whether materials can dry if they become wet. Pay particular attention to the interfaces where assemblies change, such as wall-to-opening and roof-to-wall conditions, as well as the places where mechanical, electrical or other services penetrate an enclosure.

Review the vulnerable interfaces

  • Windows and doors: Check the opening, surrounding wall assembly and junctions as a coordinated detail. Do not assume that the window or door product alone demonstrates the water performance of its installed interface.
  • Sealant joints: Include joints in the assembly review. Their placement and execution matter because they are among the possible routes for water entry.
  • Penetrations: Identify each penetration and verify that its detail is coordinated with the surrounding enclosure rather than handled as an afterthought.
  • Transitions: Review changes between wall, roof, opening and other components for continuity of the intended water-management approach.
  • Drainage and drying: Ask where water goes if it passes the exterior layer, whether it can drain, and whether the design allows wet materials to dry. The answer should be specific to the proposed assembly.

ASTM E2266-22 can serve as a design reference for low-rise frame wall systems and related components, but the project team still needs to apply its own code, engineering and documentation requirements. Ask for the details and supporting evidence that correspond to the proposed construction; a general reference to a guide is not proof that a particular wall or opening has been designed or installed correctly.

Specify corrosion protection for the actual exposure

Salt-laden moisture can affect metal components, and exposure differs with location, orientation, shelter, airflow and rainfall rinsing. A specification should therefore identify the relevant components and their exposure rather than relying on an unqualified claim that a building material is “corrosion resistant.” The review should include connections and concealed or difficult-to-reach parts, not only exposed finishes.

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FEMA’s coastal guidance warns that salt-laden moisture entering cracks or inadequate cover can corrode reinforcement and contribute to spalling. In its discussion of masonry, FEMA recommends hot-dip galvanized horizontal joint reinforcement and other metal accessories. That is a context-specific recommendation for the masonry details discussed there; it should not be extended to every metal component, building system or exposure without project-specific specification.

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What to include in the review

  • List the metal and reinforcement components used in each relevant assembly.
  • Ask how corrosion protection applies at cut ends, joints and connections, and at locations where moisture could collect.
  • Check that details protect reinforcement against moisture entry and provide the cover required by the project design.
  • For masonry accessories, consider FEMA’s stated hot-dip galvanizing recommendation in the context it addresses, then confirm the project specification and exposure requirements with the design team.
  • Confirm that installation instructions preserve the specified protection; do not assume the specified treatment remains effective if components are modified or installed contrary to the project documents.

These checks help turn a broad corrosion concern into component-level questions. They do not establish a service life, a corrosion rating or a universal coating choice; the source guidance supplied here does not provide those values for retail projects.

Address flood exposure and interior materials separately

Where flooding applies, identify the project’s flood elevations and the parts of the building that may be exposed. FEMA’s Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction, Technical Fact Sheet No. 1.7 (2010), reproduces the National Flood Insurance Program definition of a flood damage-resistant material: “any building material capable of withstanding direct and prolonged contact (i.e., at least 72 hours) with floodwaters without sustaining significant damage (i.e., requires more than cosmetic repair).”

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The 72-hour figure is part of that definition, not a prediction that a coastal retail building will be flooded for that duration. FEMA P-499 states that materials below the Base Flood Elevation must be flood damage-resistant under the guidance it describes. Because the fact sheet dates to 2010, confirm current adopted codes, local floodplain requirements, project flood elevations and retail occupancy constraints before using it to make a specification decision.

Retail buildings may have operational requirements that differ from the residential context of FEMA P-499. The project team should determine where flood damage-resistant materials are required and how the building’s intended use affects those choices. Do not extend the definition to make unsupported claims about all materials, all elevations or every coastal property.

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Account for roof drainage and structural design

Roof drainage belongs in a durability discussion because accumulated water creates a structural load as well as a moisture-management concern. FEMA’s coastal construction manual states that each inch of accumulated rainfall on a roof produces approximately 5 pounds per square foot of downward load. The publication date is not established in the cited search result, so confirm the applicable source edition and have the project’s structural design team validate any use of that figure for a specific roof.

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This is a ponding-load figure, not a material durability rating. It does not establish how much water a proposed roof can safely support, nor does it replace project calculations or drainage design. The practical question for the team is whether the roof assembly and its drainage strategy are appropriate to the project’s design conditions and supported by engineering.

Make installation, inspection and maintenance part of the specification

Material selection cannot compensate for poor installation. FEMA’s coastal guidance notes that correct material choice can be undermined by improper installation, and that coastal buildings require maintenance and repairs. ASTM E241-26 likewise frames moisture risk across design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance. Together, these references support treating durability as a lifecycle responsibility rather than a purchasing decision made once.

Before construction

  • Put the intended assembly, relevant exposure and project-specific performance requirements in the construction documents.
  • Coordinate details at openings, joints, penetrations and transitions so that the enclosure’s water-management approach is clear to the people installing it.
  • Identify installation requirements that need qualified workmanship or inspection, and decide how the project team will verify that completed work matches the specification.

During construction and commissioning

  • Inspect the details that can interrupt water control or corrosion protection, including joints, connections and penetrations.
  • Resolve discrepancies between the specified assembly and installed work before they are concealed or become difficult to access.
  • Record the installed products and assembly details so facility staff can identify what was built when future inspection or repair is needed.

During operation

  • Plan inspection and repair access for exposed and concealed components where practical.
  • Maintain the enclosure and address damage or failed details rather than assuming the original material choice eliminates future upkeep.
  • Consider repair disruption and replacement implications when comparing systems, especially in locations that affect retail operations.

The cited material does not prescribe a universal inspection interval or maintenance schedule for every retail building. Set those requirements for the project and its exposure, materials, access and operating needs.

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Use a documented decision process

A disciplined process keeps the team from comparing a product’s marketing description with another system’s engineering documentation. It also makes uncertainty visible before it becomes a field decision.

  1. Document the site conditions. Record relevant flood, wind, salt, humidity and wind-driven rain exposure, along with differences among building locations and components.
  2. Set the project requirements. Confirm applicable local code, floodplain rules, wind criteria, occupancy needs and project specifications with the design team and authorities responsible for requirements.
  3. Define each complete candidate assembly. Include materials, joints, transitions, openings, penetrations, connections and the intended approach to drainage and drying.
  4. Request relevant evidence. Ask for documentation that addresses the proposed assembly and project conditions. A guide such as ASTM E2266-22 may inform design, but does not itself verify project compliance or prove the performance of an undocumented assembly.
  5. Review vulnerable components. Check corrosion protection for metals and reinforcement, including cut ends, joints and water-collecting locations, and apply FEMA’s masonry guidance only in the context it addresses.
  6. Evaluate construction and operation. Compare installation skill, inspection access, repairability, maintenance needs and replacement consequences, not only initial material selection.
  7. Resolve gaps before approval. If the evidence does not establish performance for a transition, exposure or requirement, ask the project team to resolve it through design, documentation or an appropriate project-specific evaluation rather than assuming equivalence.

The outcome should be a project-specific specification and review record that explains why the selected assembly fits the site and how it will be installed and maintained. The cited sources do not provide a universal material ranking, a product test for this project or a fixed service-life comparison.

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