How can an average homeowner prepare for the upcoming hurricane season? You must do more than glance at your roof from the yard and pronounce it perfect. You need a three-pronged approach of inspection, code compliance, and reroofing or repair.
Inspect
Preparing for hurricane season starts by having your roof inspected. Never attempt to navigate your roof on your own. Roofs are dangerous and slippery, even on dry days. Leave roof inspection to trained professionals equipped with proper safety gear.
A residential roofer can check all the elements of your home’s roof:
- Starter and field shingles
- Tiles
- Metal panels
- Ridge vents
- Flashing
- Rubber boots
- Caulking
- Drip edge
With access to your attic, the roofer can inspect sheathing and ensure your roof is water-resistant. The answers gleaned from one inspection can secure your roof against high winds, heavy rains, and damaging debris flung by hurricane-force gusts.
Without an inspection, you cannot know your roof is ready. You may have intact metal roofing, or you may be ignoring corrosion and loose fasteners. You may have a terrific tile roof, or you may have terrible cracks in those tiles.
Code
Florida has some of the strictest hurricane codes in the world. Inviting your residential roofer into your home to examine your roof is an excellent start toward ensuring compliance with applicable codes. Not every neighborhood in Florida must meet the Florida high-velocity hurricane zone requirements. Your home may need to meet them; your helpful, local roofer is your best resource for this information.
Building codes change, too, and hurricane clips may now be necessary to keep your roof attached to your home’s structure. Many roofs fail due to a difference in air pressure, not from strong winds tearing them apart. Hurricane clips can prevent uplift.
Reroof
A roof inspection may reveal your roof cannot sustain the next hard blow. Repairs may be needed just to increase your chances of outlasting a hurricane. Or, you may have to consider reroofing your home for maximum protection.
Select a roofing material with a high wind rating and hurricane-resistant features. Discuss your options with your nearby roofer. Whether metal roofing, concrete tile, or shingles, hurricane-hardened roofing is available. Please contact us today at Alan’s Roofing so we can help prepare your house for hurricane season. We are your residential roofing resource in Central Florida.
