Why flat roof calculations are useless the way they are.

The % of total roof is a crap method of predicting damage. Total square footage means not a lot. What matters is how much of the flat roof is tied into the perimeter of a hip or other roof.

Think if you will about a home with a hip roof and a 100’ X 5’ foot Flat Roof attached to it.

Scenario 1: The 100’ long rear of the home has the flat roof attached to hip roof the total length of the wall and extends 5’ out

Scenario 2: The 100’ long rear of the home has the flat roof attached to hip roof only for 5’ then it extends 100’ away from the home.

Same square footage yet totally different damage if the flat area goes.

What should be considered is length of the attachment not the total square footage or % of roof.

I await your responses.

They make this crap way more technical then it needs to be and that is wrong for so many reasons.

Someone please tell me why page one must have the address on it twice? :roll:

because you live in Florida?
Hello?
:slight_smile:

See what happens when you don’t have a Code of Ethics worth a damn, or at all !?!

:)…

Because someone else is making up the rules. Why do most cops not give you a ticket for going 5 miles over the speed limit but will at 6? But if you are in a school zone they ticket you for going 2 miles over the limit. We, homeowners and inspectors, do not control our own destiny on this issue. Until someone challenges it in court that is the way it will be. Get used to it. Stop complaining and either do the inspections the way they want them or stop doing them. Or, challenge them in court and get the system changed.

Sounds good to me Mike, I wonder if any one of us could get our hands on the original study about hurricane damage vs home features which started the whole wind mitigation program. I think it was done after the 04’ and 05’ hurricane seasons. We could look through that and see if your theory has any merit.

Kevin,

It does not matter if it has merit or not. Until the whole system is turned over to people who know the system, know the building codes, and who can run an honest and fair practice, the situation is out of our hands. We have many homes here in Miami that were built in the 40’s and 50’s that are not going anywhere in a hurricane, yet insurance dictates that they replace non leaking older roof systems and they charge more because there are no clips or straps.

I cannot see how it does not make sense. All this calculating crap is nonsense in my opinion. Like when it goes over a magic number bad things happen.

I believe there is an Institute out there that York is a consultant on, that is taking the lead in mitigation factors. I can’t find it at the moment but it’s in here somewhere.

It’s all smoke and mirrors to give the illusion that a quantitative process exists…it doesn’t. The best we can do is fill out the form according to the recognized training available and take photos of each visible attribute as required. Homeowners should get quotes from as many insurance providers as possible, because they are in no way consistent (ask any insurance broker).

As usual, a “well intended” government program aimed at helping consumers improve their homes protection against storm force winds, had unintended consequences and turned into an entitlement program for insurance discounts. The next “well intended” program will be government driven energy audits, sure to be filled with the same vague criteria to guaranteed to confuse the public, real estate sales, and insurance premiums.

Here’s a you tube video of it…

The 21 thousand square-foot test chamber is part of the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) Research Center, which celebrated its official grand opening today.

Read more: http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/10/19/giant-wind-tunnel-tests-full-size-houses/#ixzz1K4jHM1IL

Here it is…

Damn I want to work there, looks like a lot of fun.

What started out as an wind mitigation study…has morphed to encompass all disasters. It could take awhile before they get back to wind mitigations.

Your right though, it does look like a fun place to work.

Haha that’s funny the reason that Florida cops don’t write tickets at 5 mph over is that they can’t… To many state legislators were collecting tickets traveling across I-10 so they changed the law about 15 years ago… but in a school or construction zone they can write for 1 mph over.

Michael, what is the insurance company’s concern with a flat roof and wind anyway, is it uplift caused by wind crossing the roof at variable angles with extreme volicity?

Beats me. Maybe because they are prone to more leaks.

Plenty of reason, Here is a little info —just google your question

http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/nrcc50023/nrcc50023.pdf