If you live along the Texas coast, your home must meet certain building standards if you want to get a windstorm insurance policy through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA). This is something you should keep in mind if you’re making repairs, planning a new construction, or starting a renovation project.
Fourteen counties and parts of Harris County east of Highway 146 have properties that are in a designated catastrophe area. If you have a home in any of these locations, you may not be able to get a private insurance policy that covers windstorm and hail damage. You can, however, purchase a policy through the TWIA. But, before you can buy a policy, your home must have a certificate of compliance proving that the property meets applicable building codes and can survive high winds and hail.
Texas Windstorm Certification
There are a lot of strict rules and regulations with regard to your home’s structural requirements. These regulations are there for a good reason. You don’t want your roof to become a danger to you and your family. And to get a home insurance policy in areas that experience a lot of windstorms, you need to have a windstorm certified roof installed. It must be able to handle gusts of up to 110mph for at least three seconds. And if you live in the Texas Gulf Coast, your home must be able to withstand gusts of up to 128mph. These regulations are there for the safety of you and your family, so you can live in a home that will protect you from these kinds of storms.
A home inspection will help you determine what you need to do to get your home up to par with these regulations. A home inspector will make sure that the roofing material is a least 1/7 of an inch thick and is being used as roof decking. This person will also make sure the roof deck has been nailed properly. The plywood must have nails every four inches along the edge of the roof and every six inches within its center areas. Fasteners must be at least 0.131 x 2.5 inches and must sit flush with the platform.
If you want to have your roof renovated, there must be at least a fifteen-pound layer of new shingles placed on top of the old one. New fasteners are less likely to hold their place if they’re attached to old roofing. If your home already has two layers of preexisting shingles, it will need to be stripped so it can be replaced with a brand new roof. This is done to prevent decay and rot, which can form over time.
Preparing Your Roof for Windstorms
One of the biggest dangers to your roof is strong winds — whether it’s directly or from the effect they can have on trees and other objects. If your roof is already somewhat damaged, your home could be more at risk. But, if it has loose tiles or shingles, even the winds from a summer squall can tear them off. The wind can peel loose or curling shingles. Even if the wind speed isn’t enough to tear the shingles off completely, it can do enough damage to make existing problems even worse. If a shingle gets loose, it can give water a way to seep in (which can continue to do damage throughout the year). During the warmer months, it can cause rot and will eventually result in roof leaks. During the colder parts of the year, water that’s trapped beneath and in between shingles can freeze and expand (which can widen cracks and make leaks even worse).
The best way to prepare your roof for a windstorm is to clear out any possible debris. You also want to make sure there are no loose or curled shingles, because they can catch the wind. If there are only a few shingles, you can use some roofing cement and apply it to the shingles with a caulking gun. If you have a lot of damaged shingles, you may need to get your roof repaired or even replaced. Most asphalt shingle roofs will need to be replaced approximately every 15 years. So if it has been that long since you had it installed, it might be time to get it replaced.
If you’re looking for a roofer in Corpus Christi that can make sure you have a windstorm certified roof, be sure to get in touch with B. Ramirez Roofing.