Posted on 08/18/2024 12:23:38 PM PDT by Mean Daddy
Hello Freepers that live in Hurricane areas. I live in the Midwest and we've experienced high winds this year to the point where I had some ridge shingles taken off. Assuming I'll have to replace my roof in the near future, looking for recommendations on what folks use if they're in the hurricane areas as you sustain high winds for prolonged periods of times.
I live in a neighborhood where we can't use shake/fake shake type of roofing material. Maybe metal with an asphalt look to it but for the most part, everyone has to use the architectural asphalt shingles.
Metal Baby. Metal.
Galvalumn metal roof. Mine is of the external fastener variety, 100 year roof, 160 mph gusts during Irma, and Ian hit after that. Stay away fro any kind of tile roof. They are the worst.
Properly fastened Architectural shingles can withstand winds up to 130MPH
I say this as a licensed, insured, certified and bonded roof and wind mitigation inspector(among a pile of other certifications).
You are more likely to have your roof just toe-nailed to the wall which will let go before architectural shingles do.
If you’re going to get re-roofed, pay for hurricane straps or clips to be added during the re-roof. You can probably get a discount if your insurance provider gives credit for wind mitigation.
1) tile looks wonderful, hurricanes love to destroy it
2) metal looks like oversized trailer, hurricanes hate it
3) I’ve lived in the same house in central FL for 36 years, replaced the roof twice. If you use good enough wood and long nails, the shingles will hold through a cat 3, and anything above that is going to ruin your house anyway. I’ve lost a few shingles in cat 3s, easy to replace, no leaks except through the air vents.
In short, metal is 100% safe, shingles are probably good enough if they’re installed well.
Ditto the message above mine, clips are a good choice
i live in suwannee county florida... took a direct hit from hurricane idalia (3+ category storm) last year... and just took a direct hit from hurricane debby (category 1 storm) that slowed down and dumped over 24 inches of rain in my area... the metal roofs on my house and my 2400 square foot steel automotive shop remain intact unscathed... lost a couple of shingles on the other outbuildings...
Metal shingles made to look like asphalt tiles have VERY HIGH resistance to wind damage, but here’s the catch - a well-installed roof costs just about two to three times as much as an asphalt-shingle roof. Now the roof is held in place with screws, not staples, but there is a forty-year guarantee on the integrity of the roof, and it is unheard of for any asphalt shingle roof system to offer more than 20 years and that is pro-rated in many instances.
Mere reliance on any kind of roofing material is not the determining factor in withstanding hurricane weather, it is an overall approach in the roof design itself, present as few as possible upright walls to the thrust of the storm. For this reason cantilevered or steep roof designs are avoided, as in high winds they simply shear off and sail away. The wall construction is also of concrete block with ties to the slab on which it is built going up the hollow in the concrete blocks, and tied to the rafters of the roof, then the column where the rebar ties pass through are poured full of concrete. A bulldozer would have trouble knocking that sort of wall down. The rafters are of truss design, with screwed-in metal plates at every juncture of the trusses.
Check with your insurance agent. Seriously they can tell you how long it will be before they demand a new roof covering based on material used. The other consideration is whether you live where wildfires are common.
Asphalt shingles are fine in high wind areas what matters is the nailing pattern and the sheathing. The adopted building code will specify the wind and uplift loads the roofing material must meet. You can require your roofer to meet stricter criteria.
If you want long lasting roofing that insurance companies realllly like go with a metal roof.
This, exactly this.
Can’t beat metal.
I have hurricane clips on half the rafters in my roof, but not all of them, so I guess I will add them to the rest of the rafters after this season is over. I should have the money for it then.
To each his own. I’ve been through three hurricanes in Florida.
Some exotic frog landed in my state and it was native to a couple of small islands in the Caribbean. I live in Maine.
Asphalt shingles, if done right, are fine. My sister and BIL were living in Panama City FL, house near St. Andrews Bay when Cat 5 Michael hit about 20 miles to the east in 2018. Their shingles were ok, roof ok. Their house was finished in 2017 and up to code. I don’t think they had to replace any shingles at all.
Same with my nephew a few miles away in Lynn Haven FL, shingles ok, roof ok. My dad built the house in 1989 and used twice as many hurricane straps as code required.
Second Malsua’s comments, and would add to the concept of nailed to wall shingles will not last:
If getting a complete re-roof (strip off old everything), there is something from the post Hurricane Andrew time, called “Dade County Code” underlayment. It is a tough fiber woven rubberized underlayment that is glued to the (at least in FL) marine grade plywood, to which properly affixed shingles are attached, ideally with a glue to the underlayment. This is not inexpensive however.
In sustained 130 mph winds (like Andrew CAT 5 did in certain areas) the shingles may come off but underneath the underlayment maintains the roof integrity.
If you are talking about tornadoes— the clips mentioned are essential strengthening- otherwise the roof itself can blow completely off (poorly stick built and how the rafters/trusses are installed critical as well).
From experience- Carribean life with intense hurricane impact. For recent review- see: Fort Meyers Beach,FL— incredible.
Florida here. Last time I got the house re-roofed, I got a quote for singles that met county standards (we are 30 miles inland). Then I found out that the shingles were only rated for sustained winds of like 75 mph and gusts of like 105. I checked on “Dade County” (Hurricane Andrew”) standard shingles. The sustained wind rate went to 125 mph, and was rated for higher gusts. I got a quote on those and it was literally ONLY $600 more. That was 2009. Beat $600 I ever spent. I don’t know about metal roofs but I have heard they are a lot more costly.
Brick, concrete and steel. Holds up better than flimsy sheet metal.
Not to hijack the thread, but when we lived in Guam you could not get homeowners insurance for any shingle or metal roof. To get insurance you had to have a concrete roof at least 8 inches thick.
Our house had 125 mph wind-rated window glass AND mollies in the outside wall to fasten 3/4 inch plywood for typhoon shutters that were kept in the shed. The walls were reinforced cinder block construction with a poured concrete roof 8 inches thick. All floors were ceramic so minor flooding was not an issue.
The house looked like a machinegun bunker but I felt safe in a typhoon
>>hurricane clips on half the rafters in my roof<<
They aren’t that expensive, just a pain in the rear to install when the roof is on and the soffit is intact.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.