While there are many great things about owning a home in Florida, the looming threat of hurricanes each year is not one of them. And you’re never reminded of that possibility more than when you’re paying your homeowner’s insurance bill. But did you know there are ways to protect your home from hurricane-force winds and to save money at the same time? Here’s what you need to know:
Wind Mitigation Inspection
A wind mitigation inspection can be completed by any licensed home inspection professional. Once they have completed the inspection, they’ll give you a report on which areas you do and don’t qualify for discounts on the windstorm coverage aspect of your homeowner’s insurance. You can show this to your insurance carrier to get the discounts that apply.
The inspection will cover seven areas: building code based on the date the home was constructed, the roof installation date, roof deck attachment, roof to wall attachment, roof geometry, secondary water resistance barrier compliance, and opening protection compliance.
What This Means for You
When it comes to the date of the home construction and roof installation, they’ll be looking at whether it was completed before or after March 2002. Obviously, there’s not much you can do about your house, but you can replace the roof with one that meets modern requirements.
In the area of roof deck attachment, the inspector will determine how well your roof deck is secured to the rafters. They’ll look at the length of the nails – 8d will be ideal -and whether they’re within six inches of each other. The roof-to-wall attachment area refers to how well your roof is attached to the walls. The ideal connection is a double wrap, which features metal connectors that attach to the wall frame and wrap over the top of the truss.
There’s not much you can do about your roof geometry. But if you have a HIP roof – one that slopes down on all sides – you’ll be happy to hear you qualify for a major discount as this is the most wind-resistant roof design. Meanwhile, the secondary water resistance barrier aspect of the inspection determines whether or not your home has a protective layer under the primary layer of your roof to protect your home from excess water entering if there’s wind damage to the shingles or primary layer.
Your openings protection refers to the impact resistance of your windows, other glass openings, entry doors, and garage doors. The inspector will be looking for shatterproof windows, hurricane-rated doors, and storm shutters, and bracing on the garage door.
Get Your Wind Mitigation Inspection
Now that you know how to best prepare your home for hurricane-force winds and save money on your insurance doing it, it’s time to schedule an inspection. Here at Young Home Inspections, we’ve been conducting wind mitigation inspections for decades. Schedule an appointment today!
