Facebook-f Instagram Yelp Linkedin-in

Superior Protection from Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Other Severe Weather

Strength by Design

To give your home the best chance of surviving extreme weather events, start your defense in the design phase. FORTIFIED Gold helps to keep your home intact by requiring a continuous load path
FORTIFIED Gold

Go beyond building codes to defend your roof, walls, foundation and everything in between.

FORTIFIED Gold  was specifically designed to reinforce areas of your home that conventional, code-compliant construction would leave vulnerable to high winds, wind-driven rain, and hail.  Whether you’re building a one-story concrete home with a shingled roof, or a three-story home with wood studs and a metal roof, FORTIFIED Gold will make your home stronger. 

Top-to-Bottom Protection Starts With the Roof

To give your home the best chance of surviving extreme weather events, start your defense in the design phase. FORTIFIED Gold helps to keep your home intact by requiring a continuous load path

  • CONTINUOUS LOAD PATH

    In most areas of the country, typical construction relies on gravity—and the weight of your home—to keep it in one piece when high winds threaten. Sadly, storm after storm, we see proof that this is not enough. FORTIFIED requires an engineered continuous load path. This is a specific plan that specifies how your roof should be fixed to your walls, and how your walls should be anchored to your foundation. Creating a singular, solid structure is the key to FORTIFIED’s system for maximum protection.

Top-to-Bottom Protection Starts With the Roof

When protecting against severe weather, your roof is the most important part of your home. It’s also the most vulnerable. FORTIFIED Gold strengthens three areas of the roof that most often lead to expensive storm damage by requiring these upgrades.

  • STRONGER EDGES

    Roof damage often begins when wind gets underneath the roof edge and begins ripping it away from the home. To help protect this vulnerable area, FORTIFIED requires specific materials and installation methods including a wider drip edge and a fully adhered starter strip that when used together create a stronger system.

  • BETTER ATTACHMENT

    Instead of common smooth nails, FORTIFIED requires ring-shank nails installed in an enhanced pattern to help keep the roof deck attached to your home in high winds. In fact, using ring-shank nails nearly doubles the strength of your roof against the forces of winds.

  • IMPACT-RESISTANT SHINGLES

    FORTIFIED requires shingles tested by IBHS to best withstand hail up to 2 inches in diameter.

And in hail-prone areas:
Ring-shank nails have threads that grip the roof decking.
** When used together, these small but important details make a huge impact on the strength of your roof and better protect your home against severe weather.

  • SEALED ROOF DECK

    If wind rips off your roof covering―such as shingles, metal panels or tiles―this exposes the wood beneath and allows water to pass through the gaps and enter your home. FORTIFIED requires roofs to be sealed to prevent this type of water damage.

Additional Upgrades to Prevent Storm Damage

When high winds attack a home, some areas are particularly exposed, and when they fail it can start a cascade of damage that can impact the integrity of an entire house. Some of the key ways FORTIFIED Silver prevents damage to these high-risk areas include the following upgrades.

  • ADDITIONAL BRACING AT GABLE ENDS

    Post-disaster studies show that typical construction plans often leave the large areas of a gable with little to no support. By requiring additional bracing, FORTIFIED stops high winds from collapsing this section of a home.

  • PROPERLY SECURED ATTACHED STRUCTURES AND PORCHES

    High winds can flow under the roof of a carport or porch, and if the structure is not properly anchored, it can not only lift up like a kite—it can take part of your house with it. FORTIFIED requires strong anchors and proper connection to your home to prevent this type of damage.

  • STRONGER WALL SHEATHING

    No matter what direction the wind is coming from, your walls will take the brunt of it. If they fail, wind and rain will ravage your home. This is why FORTIFIED requires exterior walls to be thick enough and attached with strong enough nails to withstand winds up to 130 mph.

  • PROPERLY SECURED ATTACHED STRUCTURES AND PORCHES

    High winds can flow under the roof of a carport or porch, and if the structure is not properly anchored, it can not only lift up like a kite―it can take part of your house with it. FORTIFIED requires strong anchors and proper connection to your home to prevent this type of damage.

  • WELL-ANCHORED CHIMNEYS

    Typical construction often ignores the way a decorative chimney is attached to a house. Unfortunately, high winds often tear these features from the home, leaving a hole in the roof and allowing rain to easily enter, which typically leads to significant interior damage. FORTIFIED requires proper attachments to prevent this damage.

  • PRESSURE-RATED GARAGE DOORS

    Keeping winds and pressure from entering your home is critical for its survival in a storm. Both can easily come through a failed garage door, and once this happens, it’s common to see blown-out walls and collapsed roofs. FORTIFIED prevents this scenario by requiring garage doors rated to withstand high pressures.

And in hurricane zones:

  • IMPACT PROTECTION FOR WINDOWS AND DOORS

    Tests conclusively show plywood over the windows is not sufficient to defend your home from storm pressures or from debris tossed by hurricane winds. To keep winds from entering your home and potentially causing catastrophic damage, FORTIFIED requires window and door protection that is tested to protect against pressure and impact.

Download this checklist and take it to your roofer to get started.

Hurricane
High Wind
Hail
Click here to find out which checklist is right for you.
Fortified Roof
Fortified Silver
FORTIFIED Gold

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND SACRIFICE!

As a U.S. Veteran Owned Business, giving back is our highest priority.

We would like to extend our gratitude for your selfless acts in taking care of our country.

We happily provide inspection discounts to Military,  Teachers,  Police,  Fire, and EMS service professionals.

**Military, active or former, require valid military or VA issued ID to receive discount.
  • Employee Login
Facebook-f Instagram Yelp Linkedin-in

© Copyright 2019-2023 | ARCANE Inspection Services, LLC | Privacy Policy | All rights reserved.

Powered By WebMark Group