These 3 important upgrades can go a long way to strengthening your home.
Make your home stronger against hurricanes and other severe storms with a few well-researched upgrades that are designed to keep water and extreme temperatures where they belong―outside your home. If you are already considering a renovation or need to replace windows or your roof, the cost of weather-related upgrades may be less than you think.
1. Upgrade to impact-resistant skylights
While you might love the natural light and air circulation that skylights provide, aging skylights may leak during rain or create air leaks. Replace existing skylights with impact-resistant versions to reduce the likelihood of damage from a storm. With advances in wind and water resistance, the latest models have been designed to better protect your home.
2. Upgrade to impact-rated windows
Stronger windows can better withstand high winds and flying debris. Some even remove or reduce the need for hurricane shutters or other pre-storm preventative efforts. Look for windows labeled as impact resistant and consider their potential usefulness for your home.
3. Install a FORTIFIED Roof™
Your roof is your home’s first line of defense against the weather. When severe weather strikes, a FORTIFIED Roof keeps the wind and rain out, preventing a cascade of damage that can destroy your home and belongings.
Our research has found three vulnerable areas of a roof that should be a focus during replacement. No, contrary to popular belief, the most important elements of your new roof are not color, material, and cost! While those are important considerations for the visual appeal and feasibility of your project, you’ll want to ask your roofing professional to guide you through those decisions and strengthening those vulnerabilities. They can be addressed using the following FORTIFIED building methods for installation:
Instead of common smooth nails, 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, our research shows using ring-shank nails nearly doubles the strength of your roof against the forces of high winds.
If wind rips off your roof covering―such as shingles, metal panels or tiles―this exposes the wood beneath and allows water to pass through the gaps and enter your home. FORTIFIED requires roofs to be sealed to prevent this type of water damage.
Roof damage often begins when wind gets underneath the roof edge and begins ripping it away from the home. To help protect this vulnerable area, the FORTIFIED building standards require specific materials and installation methods including a wider drip edge and a fully adhered starter strip that when used together create a stronger system. When used together, these important details make a large impact on the overall strength of your roof.
Severe weather can strike any time, and these updates are just some of the ways you can better protect your home against severe weather. Find a building professional in our provider database to explore these projects in more detail.
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!