Building for the next Andrew, and what it saves on premiums

The Associated Press profiled Jeffrey Huber, a Florida architect who was 12 when Hurricane Andrew tore the roof off his family home in 1992 and left them living in a trailer for a year. He now designs housing in Miami Beach meant to stand up to a 20-foot storm surge, with the living space lifted above the water line instead of sitting in its path.

Most of us are not rebuilding from scratch, but the payoff for storm-hardening a house you already own is immediate and it shows up on your bill. Florida requires insurers to give credits for wind-resistant features, and a wind mitigation inspection is what documents them. Impact-rated windows, a roof deck fastened with ring-shank nails, roof-to-wall straps or clips, and a secondary water barrier under the shingles all count. The inspection typically runs a couple hundred dollars and the credits can repeat every year you own the home. Texas carriers commonly discount for impact-rated roofing too, though the rules differ by carrier rather than being set statewide. If your roof or windows were replaced in the last few years and you never sent the carrier an inspection report, you are probably paying for protection you already installed.

An independent agent can tell you which credits your carrier honors, order the inspection, and re-shop your policy once the report is in hand.