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- Building a Stronger Home with FORTIFIED Designations: Roof, Silver and Gold
Carol Friedland, Kleinpeter, Shelly
Download Publication ID: 3899-D
FORTIFIED is broken down into three levels, each building upon the other to provide added protection. Property owners or contractors must work with a FORTIFIED Evaluator who will document the construction process to certify the home meets the FORTIFIED standard. Once approved, the home will be issued a FORTIFIED designation certificate.
FORTIFIED begins at the roof because the roof is the first line of defense against severe weather. This level includes protection against water entering the home and roof uplift caused by wind. The elements protected by the FORTIFIED Roof designation include those that commonly fail during severe weather due to improper installation or maintenance such as edges, roof cover, roof decking, and roof and attic vents.
FORTIFIED Silver builds on the FORTIFIED Roof designation and focuses on strengthening the building envelope (windows, doors and gable ends). This designation also focuses on strengthening attached structures such as porches and carports to reduce the impact of wind pressure and debris.
FORTIFIED Gold builds on the Roof and Silver designations by adding requirements for a continuous load path, which ties the roof to the walls and the walls to the foundation.
P3899-D_FORTIFIEDCerts_AS_124pdf / 0.46MB