Fortified Homes Program
The Fortified Homes Program is a way to build or remodel a home to perform better during hurricane type weather.
While the home is being built or upgrades are being performed, the work must be verified. That is where we come in. We are certified to perform Fortified Evaluations. We can evaluate your new roof while it is being installed so you can achieve the Fortified designation.
After the Fortified Evaluation is approved by IBHS, you will receive a certificate that you can give to your insurance provider to save on the wind portion of your homeowner’s insurance.
Fortified Roof
Many people will choose to get a Fortified Roof when it is time to replace the roof. The extra expense is marginally more than installing a roof to the current code for the average home. But there is a list of requirements you must adhere to. These are just some of the requirements:
- The roof decking must be a minimum of 7/16”
- The new roof cannot be installed on top of an old roof
- The wood decking must be installed with ring-shank nails at a specific spacing
- The joints in the wood decking must be sealed with an approved material
- Proper flashing and drip edge must be installed new and to specifications
- Vents for the roof must be rated to not let water in during heavy winds
There are two additional levels of the Fortified Home program; Silver and Gold. Silver pertains mostly to covering openings like doors and windows to protect from high winds and keep the house internal pressures in balance. Gold level, which is nearly impossible to do except on new construction, builds on the Roof and Silver programs and add a continuous load path. Think of it like large straps of metal that anchor the roof framing to the walls, the walls to the foundation.
Each level of improvements warrants a different level of savings on your insurance. We, as third-party evaluators, do not perform the construction work, we merely verify that the contractor performs the work properly. After the property is initially Fortified, it will need reverification every five years.
Inspect Mobile LLC, is prepared to handle these evaluations as well.
A Free Roof?
Alabama, in the past and possibly in the future, has a program called Strengthen Alabama Homes. This program is a grant from the state department of insurance of up to $10,000 (historically) to do Fortified improvements. Most people used it to get a new roof, sometimes new windows. This program, while it uses Fortified guidelines, is separate from the Fortified Homes Program. The protocols are stricter where you must choose a roofer from their list and you do not get to keep the surplus money. Strengthen Alabama Homes has limited founding and may get a waiting list.
