Wind Mitigation Flashcards
Question 1: The Buildcode used for the structure.
What year was your home built? Homes built prior to 2001 were not held to the same building standards as those circa 2002 to the present. If your home is older, you might need to do some upgrades to strengthen your home against hurricane winds. Doing so could help you lower your homeowners insurance costs. Miami-Dade and Broward counties have their own set of guidelines (HVHZ or High-Velocity Hurricane Zones) because they are closest to the eye of the storm.
**Building Code: **Was the structure built in compliance with the Florida Building Code (FBC 2001 or later) OR for homes located in the HVHZ (Miami-Dade or Broward counties), South Florida Building Code (SFBC-94)?
A. Built in compliance with the FBC: Year Built _________. For homes built in 2002/2003 provide a permit application with a date after 3/1/2002: Building Permit Application Date (MM/DD/YYYY
B. For the HVHZ Only: Built in compliance with the SFBC-94: Year Built . For homes built in 1994, 1995, and 1996 provide a permit application with a date after 9/1/1994: Building Permit Application Date
C. Unknown or does not meet the requirements of Answer “A” or “B”
Question 2: Roof covering
The material your roof is made of helps determine how resilient it is to wind and water damage. The most common materials for roofs are often asphalt/fiberglass shingle, concrete/clay tile, and metal. Insurance companies will consider what your roof consists of and how old those materials are to determine what wind mitigation discounts your home is eligible for. Newer materials are typically built to stronger building code equivalent standards.
- Roof Covering: Select all roof covering types in use. Provide the permit application date OR FBC/MDC (Miami Dade County) Product Approval number OR Year of Original Installation/Replacement OR indicate that no information was available to verify compliance for each roof covering identified.
2.1 Roof Covering Type:
1. Asphalt/Fiberglass Shingle
2. Concrete/Clay Tile
3. Metal
4. Built Up
5. Membrane
6. Other
Please check one:
A. All roof coverings listed above meet the FBC with a FBC or Miami-Dade Product Approval listing current at time of installation OR have a roofing permit application date on or after 3/1/02 OR the roof is original and built in 2004 or later.
B. All roof coverings have a Miami-Dade Product Approval listing current at time of installation OR (for the HVHZ only) a roofing permit application after 9/1/1994 and before 3/1/2002 OR the roof is original and built in 1997 or later.
C. One or more roof coverings do not meet the requirements of Answer “A” or “B”.
D. No roof coverings meet the requirements of Answer “A” or “B”.
Question 3. Roof-deck attachment
This measures on a scale of 1 (weakest) to 3 (strongest) how well your roof is attached to the rafters of the frame on your home. To qualify for wind mitigation credits, it’s essential to have a roof that has the proper amount of nails with the proper length and design to withstand the most wind. All homes built 2002 to present fall into Category C, which is the best option.
For the overachievers out there, that means plywood/OSB roof sheathing with a minimum thickness of 7/16 inch attached to the roof truss/rafter.
- Roof Deck Attachment: What is the weakest form of roof deck attachment?
A. Plywood/Oriented strand board (OSB) roof sheathing attached to the roof truss/rafter (spaced a maximum of 24” inches o.c.) by staples or 6d nails spaced at 6” along the edge and 12” in the field. -OR- Batten decking supporting wood shakes or wood shingles. -OR- Any system of screws, nails, adhesives, other deck fastening system or truss/rafter spacing that has an equivalent mean uplift less than that required for Options B or C below.
B. Plywood/OSB roof sheathing with a minimum thickness of 7/16”inch attached to the roof truss/rafter (spaced a maximum of 24”inches o.c.) by 8d common nails spaced a maximum of 12” inches in the field.-OR- Any system of screws, nails, adhesives, other deck fastening system or truss/rafter spacing that is shown to have an equivalent or greater resistance 8d nails spaced a maximum of 12 inches in the field or has a mean uplift resistance of at least 103 psf.
C. Plywood/OSB roof sheathing with a minimum thickness of 7/16”inch attached to the roof truss/rafter (spaced a maximum of 24”inches o.c.) by 8d common nails spaced a maximum of 6” inches in the field. -OR- Dimensional lumber/Tongue & Groove decking with a minimum of 2 nails per board (or 1 nail per board if each board is equal to or less than 6 inches in width). -OR- Any system of screws, nails, adhesives, other deck fastening system or truss/rafter spacing that is shown to have an equivalent
- Roof-to-wall attachment
How well is your roof attached to the walls? This is quantified on the form by eight options:
Toenails. Clips. Single wraps. Double wraps. Anchor bolt. Other. Unknown. No attic access.
Double wraps are considered the strongest, whereas toenails provide the least protection. Companies are unable to provide discounts when there is no attic access to determine the roof-to-wall attachment. If the attachment type is unknown or falls into the other category, your company should be able to assess the photographs in the inspection to determine whether or not you qualify for a credit.
- Roof to Wall Attachment: What is the WEAKEST roof to wall connection? (Do not include attachment of hip/valley jacks within 5 feet of the inside or outside corner of the roof in determination of WEAKEST type)
A. Toe Nails
Truss/rafter anchored to top plate of wall using nails driven at an angle through the truss/rafter and attached to the top plate of the wall, or Metal connectors that do not meet the minimal conditions or requirements of B, C, or D
Minimal conditions to qualify for categories B, C, or D. All visible metal connectors are:
Secured to truss/rafter with a minimum of three (3) nails, and
Attached to the wall top plate of the wall framing, or embedded in the bond beam, with less than a ½” gap from the blocking or truss/rafter and blocked no more than 1.5” of the truss/rafter, and free of visible severe corrosion.
B. Clips
Metal connectors that do not wrap over the top of the truss/rafter, or
Metal connectors with a minimum of 1 strap that wraps over the top of the truss/rafter and does not meet the nail position requirements of C or D, but is secured with a minimum of 3 nails.
C. Single Wraps
Metal connectors consisting of a single strap that wraps over the top of the truss/rafter and is secured with a minimum of 2 nails on the front side and a minimum of 1 nail on the opposing side.
D. Double Wraps
Metal Connectors consisting of 2 separate straps that are attached to the wall frame, or embedded in the bond beam, on either side of the truss/rafter where each strap wraps over the top of the truss/rafter and is secured with a minimum of 2 nails on the front side, and a minimum of 1 nail on the opposing side, or
Metal connectors consisting of a single strap that wraps over the top of the truss/rafter, is secured to the wall on both sides, and is secured to the top plate with a minimum of three nails on each side.
E. Structural Anchor bolts structurally connected or reinforced concrete roof.
F. Other:
G. Unknown or unidentified
H. No attic access
- Roof geometry
This is another way to say, “What is your roof shape?” The options on the form are:
Hip roof. Flat roof. Other.
A hip roof is ideal, as all sides slope downward to aid in resisting clashes with hurricane winds. A flat roof has one or more sides with a vertical angle, a straight dropdown. This provides a strong path of resistance for high winds and can prompt more forceful direct impact, so insurance folks frown on flat roofs.
- Roof Geometry: What is the roof shape? (Do not consider roofs of porches or carports that are attached only to the fascia or wall of the host structure over unenclosed space in the determination of roof perimeter or roof area for roof geometry classification).
A. Hip Roof Hip roof with no other roof shapes greater than 10% of the total roof system perimeter. Total length of non-hip features: feet; Total roof system perimeter: feet
B. Flat Roof Roof on a building with 5 or more units where at least 90% of the main roof area has a roof slope of less than 2:12. Roof area with slope less than 2:12 sq ft; Total roof area sq ft
C. Other Roof Any roof that does not qualify as either (A) or (B) above.
Question 6. Secondary water resistance
This is essentially an additional layer put onto homes post 2001 that provides additional water protection and is attached under the shingles. You either have it or you don’t. Secondary water resistance is not something folks usually invest in unless they’re installing a new roof.
- Secondary Water Resistance (SWR): (standard underlayments or hot-mopped felts do not qualify as an SWR)
A. SWR (also called Sealed Roof Deck) Self-adhering polymer modified-bitumen roofing underlayment applied directly to the sheathing or foam adhesive SWR barrier (not foamed-on insulation) applied as a supplemental means to protect the dwelling from water intrusion in the event of roof covering loss.
B. No SWR.
C. Unknown or undetermined.
Question 7 Opening protection
This part of a wind mitigation inspection focuses on “glazed openings” (glass) and “non-glazed openings” (entry and garage doors). You want to have impact-resistant windows, preferably with hurricane shutters or tempered glass to reduce the chances for flying debris breaking through and compromising the entire pressure barrier of your home.
This portion of the inspection basically wants to know if you have impact-rated materials installed on every glass unit in the home (skylights and glass blocks included), if your entry doors have the proper sealing, and if every attachment is properly secured.
- Opening Protection: What is the weakest form of wind borne debris protection installed on the structure? First, use the table to determine the weakest form of protection for each category of opening. Second, (a) check one answer below (A, B, C, N, or X) based upon the lowest protection level for ALL Glazed openings and (b) check the protection level for all Non-Glazed openings (.1,
.2, or .3) as applicable.
Opening Protection Level Chart
Place an “X” in each row to identify all forms of protection in use for each opening type. Check only one answer below (A thru X), based on the weakest form of protection (lowest row) for any of the Glazed openings and indicate the weakest form of protection (lowest row) for Non?Glazed openings.Glazed OpeningsNon?Glazed OpeningsWindows or Entry Doors
Garage Doors
Skylights
Glass Block
Entry Doors
Garage DoorsN/ANot Applicable? there are no openings of this type on the structureAVerified cyclic pressure & large missile (9?lb for windows doors/4.5 lb for skylights)BVerified cyclic pressure & large missile (4?8 lb for windows doors/2 lb for skylights)CVerified plywood/OSB meeting Table 1609.1.2 of the FBC 2007DVerified Non?Glazed Entry or Garage doors indicating compliance with ASTM E
330, ANSI/DASMA 108, or PA/TAS 202 for wind pressure resistance
NOpening Protection products that appear to be A or B but are not verifiedOther protective coverings that cannot be identified as A, B, or CXNo Windborne Debris Protection? A. Exterior Openings Cyclic Pressure and 9-lb Large Missile (4.5 lb for skylights only) All Glazed openings are protected at a minimum, with impact resistant coverings or products listed as wind borne debris protection devices in the product approval system of the State of Florida or Miami-Dade County and meet the requirements of one of the following for “Cyclic Pressure and Large Missile Impact” (Level A in the table above).
* Miami-Dade County PA 201, 202, and 203
* Florida Building Code Testing Application Standard (TAS) 201, 202, and 203
* American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E 1886 and ASTM E 1996
* Southern Standards Technical Document (SSTD) 12
* For Skylights Only: ASTM E 1886 and ASTM E 1996
* For Garage Doors Only: ANSI/DASMA 115
? A.1 All Non-Glazed openings classified as A in the table above, or no Non-Glazed openings exist
? A.2 One or More Non-Glazed openings classified as Level D in the table above, and no Non-Glazed openings classified as Level B, C, N, or X in the table above
? A.3 One or More Non-Glazed Openings is classified as Level B, C, N, or X in the table above
? B. Exterior Opening Protection- Cyclic Pressure and 4 to 8-lb Large Missile (2-4.5 lb for skylights only) All Glazed openings are protected, at a minimum, with impact resistant coverings or products listed as windborne debris protection devices in the product approval system of the State of Florida or Miami-Dade County and meet the requirements of one of the following for “Cyclic Pressure and Large Missile Impact” (Level B in the table above):
* ASTM E 1886 and ASTM E 1996 (Large Missile – 4.5 lb.)
* SSTD 12 (Large Missile – 4 lb. to 8 lb.)
* For Skylights Only: ASTM E 1886 and ASTM E 1996 (Large Missile - 2 to 4.5 lb.)
? B.1 All Non-Glazed openings classified as A or B in the table above, or no Non-Glazed openings exist
? B.2 One or More Non-Glazed openings classified as Level D in the table above, and no Non-Glazed openings classified as Level C, N, or X in the table above
? B.3 One or More Non-Glazed openings is classified as Level C, N, or X in the table above
? C. Exterior Opening Protection- Wood Structural Panels meeting FBC 2007 All Glazed openings are covered with plywood/OSB meeting the requirements of Table 1609.1.2 of the FBC 2007 (Level C in the table above).
? C.1 All Non-Glazed openings classified as A, B, or C in the table above, or no Non-Glazed openings exist
? C.2 One or More Non-Glazed openings classified as Level D in the table above, and no Non-Glazed openings classified as Level N or X in the table above
? C.3 One or More Non-Glazed openings is classified as Level N or X in the table above
? N. Exterior Opening Protection (unverified shutter systems with no documentation) All Glazed openings are protected with protective coverings not meeting the requirements of Answer “A”, “B”, or C” or systems that appear to meet Answer “A” or “B” with no documentation of compliance (Level N in the table above).
? N.1 All Non-Glazed openings classified as Level A, B, C, or N in the table above, or no Non-Glazed openings exist
? N.2 One or More Non-Glazed openings classified as Level D in the table above, and no Non-Glazed openings classified as Level X in the table above
? N.3 One or More Non-Glazed openings is classified as Level X in the table above
? X. None or Some Glazed Openings One or more Glazed openings classified and Level X in the table above.
