Do All Palm Coast, FL Home Inspectors Really Know How To Perform A Wind Mitigation Inspection?

By Lawrence N. Petraglia

South Country Home Inspections

http://home-inspection-palm-coast-fl.com

Do all Palm Coast, FL home inspectors really know how to perform a wind mitigation inspection? The answer is… probably not! There is an abundance of information, which must be obtained from the structure, which is being inspected to ensure that the wind mitigation requirements are met. Wind mitigation is the implementation of certain building techniques and presence of specific features in order to limit damage caused by intense wind.

Wind mitigation benefits homeowners tremendously by providing them with incentives. Following Hurricane Andrew, Florida passed a law requiring insurance companies to offer their customers generous discounts and credits for existing building features and home improvements that reduce damage and loss from wind. It is very easy for Floridians to qualify for this discount by undergoing a certified wind mitigation inspection to determine if their home does or does not possess certain safety features.

Amongst some of the features that should be inspected is the garage door, as it commonly fails during a windstorm due to inadequate door-track strength, poor mounting systems and flimsy metal panels. Glass openings are extremely vulnerable to flying debris during a windstorm. Once an opening is created, the pressure within the house can rise high enough to cause the roof to fail in areas of low pressure. The type of fasteners attaching the roof covering materials to the roof deck and the geometry of the roof play a significant role in the protection against high winds. Field-testing has shown that hip style roofs receive up to 40% less pressure from wind than gable style roofs. Roof decks that have been installed with large nails and close spacing along with roof –to-wall connections will aid in keeping the roof attached to a building during a windstorm. These are just some of the different safety features that protect the home and the family that lives in it.