Hurricane Proofing The Family Roof
As soon as the early warnings of an approaching hurricane start to hit the airwaves, television news stations dig out old library footage of homeowners frantically boarding up their windows. All that plywood isn’t going to help anybody if the roof goes flying off into the distance with the first fierce gust of wind.
It would be far more useful if they showed films of Middlesex County roofers helping residents inspect their roofs and getting them in shape for the storm season, which runs from June through November of each year. It is much better to have a good look at what’s up there in the springtime and correct any deficiencies rather than leaving it to chance.
Here are a few tips on how to design a hurricane-proof roof and how to maintain an existing roof. This article will explain why a hip roof is better than a gabled roof, and why a steep roof, surprisingly, may be more secure than a shallow roof. Of course, few people go to the extreme of building a complete new roof just to prepare for bad weather, so for those who have to make do with an existing roof, there are a few tips for keeping it where it belongs, whatever the weather.
On a hip roof, all four sides slope gently down to the top of the house. Compare this to a gabled roof, on which there are only two slopes of roofing. On the other two sides of the house, the walls form a peak that adjoins the roof’s ridge.
In a fierce storm, the lee side surface of a gabled roof acts like an airplane wing. If the wind catches the edge, enough lift may be generated to peel the roof right off. However, research has proven that a steep roof will actually fare better than a gently sloping or flat gabled roof.
For those homeowners who already have a roof over their head, hurricane straps or clips can be put in place to secure the roof tiles and keep them from blowing away. This same measure will also provide a continuous path for load transfer from the top of the roof right down to the foundation of the house. It is essential to secure the straps to bracing, or load bearing walls, and not to timbers that are not load-bearing.
Many other steps can be taken to keep a roof secure. Yet, for property owners who find baffled ridges baffling, or who weren’t paying attention in class when they covered soffit vents and fastener schedules, it is better to contact a local roofing contractor and ask for a roof inspection and an estimate for getting the family roof hurricane-ready. The roofers at Fortified Roofing in Middlesex County NJ can answer your questions regarding roof repairs or gutters.
Term from the roofers at Fortified Roofing in Middlesex County NJ:
Hip roof
A hipped roof is one in which all four sides slope down to the walls. A square building will have a pyramidal roof with four triangular slopes, and a rectangular house will have two triangle-shaped slopes and two trapezoidal slopes.
Question and answer courtesy of the roofers from Fortified Roofing in Middlesex County NJ:
What is the difference between a slate roof and a shake roof?
Slate is a type of tough, fine-grained sedimentary rock. Priced at the high end of the range, slate roofs are practically indestructible.
Shake roofs are made from wooden shingles that have been individually split from logs. Cedar is the most popular type of wood used to make shingles. Once upon a time, a shake roof was the only option; today, it is the premium option.
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