Build Resilience to Your Budget
Homeowners should prepare for the next storm and it’s possible at any budget
Severe weather can’t be stopped but its impact on your home and belongings can be reduced. Severe convective storms are the leading cause of insured losses, but research by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) shows much of this damage can be prevented by strengthening vulnerable areas of your home. IBHS says the three most important things you can do to lower your home’s risk of damage are upgrading to a FORTIFIED™ Roof, installing a garage door with a wind rating appropriate for your location and protecting your windows from flying debris. However, if these investments are outside of your budget this year, there are other steps you can take to prepare your home for storm season.
Identify mitigation steps from IBHS’s Thunderstorm Ready guide that meet your budget. As you increase your investment over time, you’ll build your home’s resilience based on decades of IBHS science.
Budget-Conscious Prep – Under $100
- Check & clear your gutters and downspouts. Clean all gutters, downspouts, and drains so they are free of tree debris and vegetation that may restrict proper flow.
Cost: $0 - Organize your garage. Tidy up your garage so you can easily park vehicles under cover when severe weather, especially hail, is imminent.
Cost: $0 - Straighten your yard. When high wind is on the way, debris around your yard can become projectiles that can puncture your home. Take time to store items like ladders and toys indoors to prevent damage during the next storm.
Cost: $0 - Seal gaps and cracks on your home’s exterior. Caulk and seal any cracks or gaps on your home’s exterior using a tube of silicone caulk.
Cost: $20-50
Moderate Investment – $100-$500
- Inspect your roof. Be mindful of signs of aging over time, such as curling or loose shingles and cracked tile. Have your roof inspected by a trusted and licensed roofing company who will look at roof cover condition, vents, skylights, chimney and roof valleys/seams. They can seal cracks around vents and chimneys, reseal loose shingles, make minor repairs and consult about roof replacement, if necessary.
Cost: $150-350 - Service your garage door annually. Ensure your garage door – one of the biggest openings in your home – is prepared for the next storm.
Cost: $150-450 - Install protective screens around HVAC units. Install protective screens or hail guard netting around your air conditioning unit to reduce the chance of damage.
Cost: $150-250 - Invest in hurricane shutters. High winds make homes vulnerable to flying debris that can puncture a hole in the home’s windows or walls. Broken windows allow rain, wind and pressure to enter a home, putting it at risk of cascading damage. Missile Level D tested hurricane shutters, when installed properly, can minimize this risk.
Cost: $12-$50 per square foot of opening - Keep all tree limbs trimmed away from your house, where safe to do so. If necessary, hire an arborist to remove branches that overhang the house and remove any dead, dying, or diseased trees.
Cost: $0 if you DIY; around $300-$800 for an arborist
Level Up – Above $1,000
- Re-roof to FORTIFIED. When it’s time to re-roof, upgrade to FORTIFIED Roof™. What sets a FORTIFIED Roof apart from one typically constructed is the science-backed collection of construction upgrades based on decades of IBHS research.
Cost: An estimated additional $1,000-$3,000 for a 2,000-square foot roof, depending on product selection and availability, when re-roofing to common roof systems - Install a wind-rated garage door. A garage door is one of the most vulnerable areas of your home, so consult your local building code department or a local garage door dealer to find out the wind rating required for garage doors in your area. When building to FORTIFIED, adhere to the design pressure specified in the standard or the local code – whichever sets a higher requirement.
Cost: $900-$10,000 depending on the door size, material and rating - Upgrade to impact-rated windows and doors. High winds can lead to flying debris creating a hole in the home’s wall or break a window. Like hurricane shutters, tested window protection systems, such as impact resistant windows, can minimize this risk.
Cost: $120-$140 per square foot with installation - Invest in a whole-home generator to keep your power on, regardless of the weather.
Cost: $5,090 to $19,050
Homeowners are not powerless against Mother Nature and can use science-backed mitigations to minimize damage before spring severe storm season and when severe weather is on the way with guidance from IBHS.
Top Protection
FORTIFIED targets the common sequence of damage roofs experience during high wind events, addressing key vulnerabilities to strengthen your home:
- Stronger Edges: Roof damage often starts when wind tucks underneath its edge and starts to pull up, ripping the roof cover off. FORTIFIED requires a wider drip edge and a fully adhered starter strip along a roof’s edge to protect this vulnerable area.
- Sealed Roof Deck: Research shows winds as low as 50 mph can tear off your roof cover – such as shingles, metal panels or tiles – exposing the wood roof deck underneath. Wood roof decks have gaps to allow for natural expansion and contraction during varying temperatures. While an essential aspect of roof installation, it’s also a vulnerability if your roof covering and underlayment come off, as those gaps can allow water to pass through during a storm and enter your home. FORTIFIED requires roof decks to be sealed to prevent this type of water damage.
- Better Attachment: In severe weather, high winds can remove the roof covering and underlayment leaving the roof deck as the home’s only protection from the elements, so it needs to stay in place to prevent a cascade of damage. FORTIFIED requires ring-shank nails installed in an enhanced pattern, to help keep the roof deck attached to your home in high winds. In fact, using ring-shank nails nearly doubles the strength of your roof against the forces of winds.
- Got Hail? In hail-prone areas, homeowners are encouraged to opt for the Hail Supplement to their FORTIFIED designation. To achieve this added level of protection, shingles must score Good or Excellent on the IBHS Hail Impact Ratings. These outperform typical Class 4 shingles when tested against realistic hailstones and will better protect your home from hail up to 2” in diameter.
Read more of our tips and ideas in the Homeowner Resources section.
Stay In The Know
Do you want to keep up with the latest resiliency research? Would you like timely tips and reminders to keep your home safe from Mother Nature? Are you interested in the science behind the FORTIFIED standard? Then sign up for the FORTIFIED Update, today!