FORTIFIED Roofing in Knoxville, TN
Certified to Install IBHS FORTIFIED Roof Systems
What Is a FORTIFIED Roof?
FORTIFIED is a voluntary construction standard from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). It is designed to help homes stand up to high wind, rain and hail better than a roof built only to typical building code.
A FORTIFIED Roof focuses on the roof system itself: how the deck is attached and sealed, how the edges are locked down, and how the roof covering and attic vents are chosen and installed. The aim is to keep the roof on the house and to keep water out if wind damages the covering.
McGuire Roofing is certified to install FORTIFIED Roof. We can build your roof to the FORTIFIED Roof standard and work with an independent FORTIFIED evaluator so IBHS can review the work and issue a designation certificate for the home.
IBHS also sets higher FORTIFIED Home levels that go beyond the roof itself. This page covers FORTIFIED Roof, which is the level McGuire Roofing is certified to install.
You can read more about the program at fortifiedhome.org, or start with our residential roofing services in Knoxville.
What Makes a FORTIFIED Roof Different
A typical roof replacement can look finished from the curb and still leave weak points that storms exploit, including smooth nails, unsealed deck seams and edges that wind can get under. A FORTIFIED Roof addresses those points with specific materials and methods required by the IBHS standard.
- Sealed roof deck: The seams in the wood deck are sealed using an IBHS-approved method, such as seam tape with underlayment, a fully adhered membrane, or two layers of approved felt. If wind lifts the shingles or other covering, the sealed deck helps keep rain from pouring into the house.
- Stronger deck attachment: Instead of common smooth nails, the deck is fastened with ring-shank nails in an enhanced pattern so the wood is less likely to pull off in high wind.
- Locked-down roof edges: Wind often starts peeling a roof at the eave or rake. FORTIFIED requires a stronger edge system, including a wider drip edge and a fully adhered starter strip.
- Tested, wind-rated roof covers: The covering has to meet the ratings in the standard. For asphalt shingles, that means a high wind rating (ASTM D3161 Class F or ASTM D7158 Class H). Metal and other coverings have their own tested requirements. A FORTIFIED Roof can be built with shingles, metal and other eligible roof types.
- Wind- and rain-resistant attic vents: Vents have to resist wind and keep wind-driven rain from entering the attic.
- Optional hail supplement: IBHS offers an optional hail supplement to a FORTIFIED designation. For asphalt shingles, that means shingles rated Good or Excellent on the IBHS hail impact ratings, which is a higher bar than a typical Class 4 label. If you want to pursue the hail supplement, we can talk through the roof cover options that qualify.
We can build your roof to the current FORTIFIED Roof standard and will follow the documentation IBHS requires for a designation. Details can vary with the roof type and the condition of the existing deck, and we will explain those details on your house before work begins.
How a FORTIFIED Roof Works with McGuire Roofing
Getting a FORTIFIED Roof is a team process. McGuire Roofing can build your roof to the FORTIFIED Roof standard. An independent, third-party FORTIFIED evaluator documents the work. IBHS reviews that file and, if the standard has been met, issues the designation certificate.
1. Look at the home and plan the roof
We inspect the existing roof, talk through whether a FORTIFIED Roof is a good fit, and plan the system around the IBHS requirements and the right covering for the house.
2. Install to the FORTIFIED Roof standard
Our crew will install the deck attachment, sealed deck, locked-down edges, vents and roof covering to the FORTIFIED Roof standard.
3. Document the work
Key materials and installation steps are photographed and documented so the evaluator has what IBHS needs to review. That documentation has to be collected while the work is open, not after the roof is already finished and covered up, which is why the evaluator is involved during the job.
4. Independent evaluation
A FORTIFIED evaluator, who is not on our payroll, verifies the required elements and submits the documentation to IBHS. You are free to choose the evaluator. We will coordinate with the one you select.
5. IBHS review and certificate
A team at IBHS reviews the file. When the work meets the standard, IBHS issues a FORTIFIED designation certificate and sends it to the evaluator, who delivers it to you. Designations are typically issued for five years.
If you are replacing a roof, this is the typical path. On a new home, the same roof standard can be built in from the start. To learn how IBHS describes the process, see the program’s getting started guide.
Benefits for East Tennessee Homes
East Tennessee sees strong wind, heavy rain and hail. A FORTIFIED Roof is built to reduce the chance that those storms take the covering off, open the deck, or let water into the house.
A designation certificate is third-party proof, from IBHS, that the roof was installed to the standard and documented. That record can be useful when you talk with an insurer, and it can be a documented feature if you later sell the home, because the work is recorded rather than only claimed.
Tennessee does not currently have a state-mandated insurance discount or a state grant program for FORTIFIED roofs. Ask your insurance agent whether a FORTIFIED designation certificate qualifies for a discount on your policy. We can share the certificate and the scope of work; your agent has to confirm any premium change.
FORTIFIED Roof and a GAF Master Elite Installation
McGuire Roofing is a GAF Master Elite contractor and GAF President’s Club member. When we build your roof to the FORTIFIED Roof standard with asphalt shingles, we use shingles that meet the wind ratings required by the IBHS standard. In many cases that can be a qualifying GAF shingle system, which may also make a GAF workmanship warranty available, depending on the system and the accessories used.
A FORTIFIED designation and a GAF warranty are separate. One does not automatically include the other. We will tell you which options apply to your house before work begins. See our shingle roofing page for more on GAF systems, or ask us about metal roofing and other eligible coverings.
FORTIFIED Roofing FAQ
What is a FORTIFIED Roof?
A FORTIFIED Roof is the roof-level standard from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). It requires a sealed roof deck, ring-shank nails in an enhanced pattern, locked-down edges, a wind-rated roof covering and wind- and rain-resistant attic vents. When IBHS confirms the work, it issues a designation certificate for the home.
Is McGuire Roofing certified to install FORTIFIED Roof?
Yes. McGuire Roofing is certified to install FORTIFIED Roof. We can build your roof to the FORTIFIED Roof standard and coordinate with an independent FORTIFIED evaluator so you can pursue the designation certificate.
How do I get a FORTIFIED designation certificate?
The roof has to be installed to the standard, and the work has to be documented while it is being done. An independent FORTIFIED evaluator verifies the required elements and submits the file to IBHS. IBHS reviews that documentation and, if the standard has been met, issues the certificate and sends it to the evaluator to deliver to you. Designations are typically issued for five years.
Will a FORTIFIED Roof lower my homeowners insurance in Tennessee?
Not automatically. Tennessee does not currently have a state-mandated insurance discount or a state grant program for FORTIFIED roofs. Ask your insurance agent whether a FORTIFIED designation certificate qualifies for a discount on your policy.
How is a FORTIFIED Roof different from a standard roof replacement?
Both replace the covering you see from the street. A FORTIFIED Roof also requires specific methods underneath and at the edges, including a sealed deck, ring-shank nails, locked-down edges and rated vents, plus third-party documentation and an IBHS review. A standard replacement may not include those steps, and it does not come with a FORTIFIED designation certificate.
Can I get a FORTIFIED Roof with GAF shingles?
Often, yes, when the shingles meet the wind ratings in the IBHS standard. McGuire Roofing is a GAF Master Elite contractor and GAF President’s Club member, and we can talk through a qualifying GAF system at the same time we plan the FORTIFIED Roof details. The IBHS designation and any GAF warranty are separate.
Talk With Us About a FORTIFIED Roof
Call 865-338-7663 or request a quote online, and we will walk through whether a FORTIFIED Roof is a good fit for your home in Knoxville or elsewhere in Tennessee. You can also see our residential roofing services.
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