Wind Mitigations look into the construction of your home to determine the number of qualifying wind resistive features. Seven particular questions are included in the form which correlates to the seven potential discounts a home owner could receive. Let’s jump right into it.

Question 1- When was your home built?

We begin our inspection before we arrive to your property. By reviewing the Property Appraiser website we are able to verify when your home was first built. This determines the standards to which the contractor was held to when building your home. For the Central Florida area we are concerned with the 2001 Florida Building Code (FBC). Homes built on or after 03/01/2002 receive the first discount on the Wind Mitigation.

Question 2- When was your roof replaced?

While we perform our public record search to determine the age of the home, we also perform a permit search to identify when the roof was originally installed or subsequently replaced. Having your roof installed or replaced after 03/01/2002 with a finished permit will qualify you for second discount on the form.

Question 3- How is your decking attached to your trusses?

Now that we have verified the age of the home and roof, we send a qualified inspector out to your property and into your attic. We go inside the attic to see the construction methods used in securing the roof together. The first question asks how your roof decking is attached to the trusses. Your roof decking is the wood that the Shingles, Tile, Metal, etc. lay upon. The trusses in your home are the structural framework of the roof, giving your roof its shape. If your roof deck is secured to your trusses with nails measuring 2.5 inches and spaced at no more than 6 inches, you would qualify for this discount. 

Question 4- How are your trusses attached to the walls?

After determining how your decking connects to the trusses, we look into how your trusses get anchored to your walls. This connection is crucial as it’s the main point holding your roof to the walls of your home. This discount calls for metal connectors called Hurricane Clips or Straps to be used throughout the roof. The clips and straps are held to two standards to qualify. 

• The connectors must have at least 3 nails, and a specific nailing requirement for straps.
• The connectors must be anchored or embedded in your wall within 1/2 inch of the truss it’s securing.

Question 5- Do you have a predominate hip roof shape?

Your roofs shape plays a critical role in how your home handles high wind loads. Here we are checking if your roof is what we call a “Hip Roof”. The best way to picture a hip roof is to think of a pyramid. Sloping down on all sides allows wind to travel over your roof without causing large amount of uplift, a damaging force caused by fast moving winds pulling on your roof. To qualify for this discount at least 90% of your total roof shape would have to be determined as a hip roof.

Question 6- Was there a secondary water resistance installed on the entire roof?

Here we look at the material placed between the decking and the outer layer of your roof. Having a Secondary Water Resistance also known as SWR, SWB (Secondary water barrier), or Peel-n-stick is designed to be an extra layer of protection against water intrusion. This rubber membrane is different from standard underlayments like felt and synthetic felt. Furthermore it must be used across the entirety of the roof to qualify. 

Question 7- Are there impact rated openings or shutters protecting all Glazed and subsequent non-glazed openings?

This last discount verifies your homes protection against flying wind debris. This could either be through having impact rated openings or hurricane shutters. This discount is staggered with all glazed openings needing to be protected first, and an extra discount being applied if non-glazed openings are also protected.

• Glazed openings (windows, doors with glass, skylights, glass block)
• Non-Glazed openings (Solid entry and garage doors)

Now that you learned what we look for in a Wind Mitigation, it’s time to see how many discounts you qualify for. Booking your appointment is quick and simple and one of the easiest ways to likely lower your insurance rate.