There are six components of a proper wind mitigation inspection: 1. Roof geometry. Is the roof hip or non hip. 2. Age of roof. 3.Roof to wall connection. 4. Roof deck attachment. 5. Secondary water resistance. 6. Are the windows and doors protected?
In the Garage Inspection by Kenton Shepard, he stressed the importance of taking a close look at the roof system, specifically the trusses and how they are attached. Any alterations or mods to the trusses themselves are a big no-no unless approval by a structural engineer is given.
Here is a pic of an entry door,original to the home in 1990. This glazed opening is unprotected, with no labels and undocumented by homeowner. In the Opening Protection Level Chart, under glazed openings, row X would be selected- No Windborne Debris Protection
Attached find a photo of a garage door label that attests to MDC impact rating. It clearly states the door has been tested in accordance w/ “ASTM test E330, Large Missile Impact/ Cyclic test” This is one of the types of garage door labels, sometimes they look like a grid.
I chose the article on ladder safety, as a ladder is one of the necessary tools to complete a wind mitigation.
It reminded me to be careful about setting up the ladder, make sure not to over reach, and that it is set up on a level surface with good support.
Hurricane clips are installed where a truss sits on the top plate of a exterior wall. There should be at least 3 nails in the top portion of the clip. Attic space above the garage area is normally the easiest place to see this clips.
Glass doors and windows should be replaced with impact-resistant glass. They should be structurally attached to the building in order to prevent the entire window from popping out of its frame. Sliding glass doors are especially vulnerable to flying debris due to their large expanse. Once an opening is created during a windstorm, the pressure within the house can rise high enough to cause the roof to fail in areas of low pressure.
This is a single wrap for roof to wall connection. The two nails required on the front side and the nail required on the wrap over side are all visible there is a picture of the other side but this one shows a properly installed single wrap.
15 tools every homeowner should have. Plunger, Combo wrench, channel locks, adjustable wrench, Caulking Gun, flashlight, tape measure, hack saw, level, claw hammer, safety glasses, screw driver, wire cutters, safety mask and duct tape. All of these tools are needed to maintain a home.
I read the article Wind Mitigation. I learned that in 2006 Citizens insurance requested at 45% rate increase for wind insurance. I also learned that around 70% of the insurance premium is for covering wind damage to the home. With the correct wind protection, the home owner can get discounts on their insurance premiums.
This is a photo of a single truss strap. This strap has two nails on the front (and Im assuming at least one nail on the back). This strap is oriented straight up and down and appears to be a correct installation.
The photo shows what would be classified as toe nailing. Though there is a strap present it does not meet the nailing requirements to be considered a hurricane clip or strap. It is nailed on only one side and nailed just two times. A minimum of three nails into the trust/rafter is required to be a clip. Hurricane straps require the strap to wrap over the top of trust/rafter and have a minimum of two nails on front and one nail on back.
I chose to write about the stamps and stickers required to verify an object to be hurricane/impact rated. All windows sold in Florida at this point are “hurricane” proof. This just means that they are rated for high winds, upwards of 120mph. In order to be considered impact rated the windows need to have been tested and verified to establish at what weight and velocity and object would break the window. Stickers should be found on doors, windows and garage doors. On garage doors stickers are typically on the inside of a panel. For entrance doors stickers are typically in the door jams. Windows will either have a sticker somewhere in the sill or have an etching in bottom corner of window pane. Stamps or etchings will typically be on metal sheets that are used to cover an opening ahead of a hurricane. It is important to locate these stamps, stickers and etchings to provide accurate information to the home owner and insurance.
Upon inspection of the garage door opening of a house residing in the 110 mph wind borne debris zone, a label was observed by the pink sticker stating that the door has been tested per ASTM E330 standards. However, no certification number can be found. Testing does not guarantee that the door has passed any of the required certifications for large missile impacts. Upon further inspection the door has stronger joint hinges, vertical and horizontal bracing and has 5 track brackets on each side. For question 7 of the wind mitigation form a non-glazed opening garage door would be marked in row D.
In the article Collar Ties Vs. Rafter Ties, I learned that both forms of ties are tension members of roofing construction. Collar ties also known as collar beams are installed in the upper one third of the rafters. Collar ties help maintain the structural integrity of the ridge beam and rafters under unbalanced loads. Collar ties are not always required to be installed but when they are used they must be a minimum of 1x4 and spaced 4 on center.
Rafter Ties are in the lower one third of the roofing construction. Rafter ties help reduce wall separation by reducing the spreading effects of a low slope roof on the walls. The lower the slope the greater the force placed on the walls becomes. The opposite is true for roofs with a higher slope. Rafter ties should be a minimum of 2x4 and properly secured to the rafters. If Ceiling joists are to be used as rafter ties they should be properly secured to the bearing wall. When the two tension members work they spread the load force from the roof and any other factors as evenly as possible across the entire structure.
The attached photo is a clip with more than 3 nails on the top side. This is the required number of nails for a clip in the uniform wind mitigation standards. If a clips has only 2 nails on the top showing how do you know that it does not have at least one to the top plate which would count as three total?
The AFCI testers will test the AFCI breakers for proper operation. The tester will give a signal that indicates a possible arc in the circuit and the breaker will open to prevent possible fire hazard. Other research and breaker manufacturers indicate that if there is a load on the circuit while testing with a tester this will shorten the life of the breaker by half.
On the picture we can appreciate the gable shape of the roof. The covering on top of the roof is metal. The door on the side is not impact rated and there is not shutter protection in front of it.
I always try to recommend to all my costumers how to save energy. Many times adding insulation in the attic. Changing the appliances for the energy efficient units. Modern A/C units also save a lot of money in the electricity bill and replace all the lights for LED bulbs.
From initial observation, this home appears to have a HIP style roof. However, the qualified Inspector would need to walk the perimeter to ensure this. If s/he noted any gable style features, they would have to be factored in to make sure those features fell under the 10% total perimeter length for this roof to qualify as a HIP roof.
