Part 4 of our 7 part series on the wind mitigation form touches on the Roof to Wall Attachment section. The RTW is more widely known as “Hurricane straps”. This section is one of the larger discounts a house can receive from their insurance company.
What is a Roof to Wall Attachment?
For the sake of simplicity we will refer to the RTW as hurricane straps. Hurricane straps are what ties down the roof framing to the walls of the house. In a block home you usually have straps that are embedded into the concrete during the building of the house and then attached to the framing once the trusses are in place.
What is required to get the Roof to Wall Attachment discount?
For a hurricane strap to get the discount on the form it must have a minimum of 3 nails holding it in place and cannot be installed more than 1/2″ away from the truss. If either of those are not met then its referred to as a “Toe Nail” on the form which is no discount. If the house does not qualify for the discount then you can have a contractor out to retrofit the hurricane straps so you can get the discount. Companies that we refer out to in the Orlando area are All Florida Wind Mitigation retrofits and The third nail guy.
Are their different types that get bigger discounts?
The wind mitigation form lists 4 different scenarios for RTW connections. They are Toe Nails, Clips, Single Wraps & Double Wraps. For most insurance companies there is no discount for toe nails. They do offer a big discount for clips. Single & Double wraps are usually a little higher than clips but every company sets their own rates.
How big of a discount do hurricane straps give me?
Every house is different and every insurance company is different but we have heard staggering numbers with & without the discount. For example a recent client of ours in Orlando had quotes of $11k per year without them and $4k per year with them. The client had to have his straps retrofitted to get the discount but it was well worth it. If we find straps that do not meet the requirements during a home inspection then we let our clients know. While technically not a defect with the house, this could push them past being able to afford the house.
If you would like to see if you can qualify for a reduced rate on your home insurance give us a call and schedule your next wind mitigation inspection.