A FORTIFIED Roof™ follows a standard above your typical building codes. When you install a FORTIFIED-designated roof on your home, you can expect it to be well-suited for handling any type of weather, from hurricane winds to heavy rain. Only contractors with the proper training and who have passed certain exams can install roofs eligible for a FORTIFIED designation and meeting the FORTIFIED standard.
Learn how working with a FORTIFIED-trained contractor who uses GAF products can help your home get a long-lasting roof that can keep your home and family safe during the harshest weather.
What Is the FORTIFIED Program?
The FORTIFIED program is a voluntary construction standard developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) that follows the best practices for protecting your home against severe weather. It requires using components like sealed roof decks, wide drip edge, and ring shank nails installed with specific methods for durability. For added protection, impact-rated shingles meeting IBHS's stringent requirements can protect your roof from hail as large as 2 inches.
For your home to earn a FORTIFIED designation, a contractor who's FORTIFIED certified needs to install the roof using qualified materials and specialized installation methods. After they finish the job, a FORTIFIED evaluator inspects the job and gathers documentation before your home is approved with a FORTIFIED certification.
There are many benefits to receiving this designation that can make it very attractive for homeowners and business owners to invest in this type of roof.
Benefits of a FORTIFIED Roof
With rising insurance premiums, a FORTIFIED Roof can help combat these costs. When your home has a FORTIFIED Roof, you can qualify for discounts with your insurance company and tax credits with your local government. While it varies based on location, some insurance companies offer significant financial incentives, such as discounts as high as 35%, due to the extensive longevity of these roofs.
The FORTIFIED standard exceeds most local building codes, so your home will be more equipped to handle storms than homes typically found around your neighborhood. Building codes differ per state and local counties, and they can sometimes be outdated or inadequate. When you build a FORTIFIED Roof, an evaluation is done at the end of the job to ensure your roof is adequately constructed to protect your home.
Lowering storm damage risk can offer a strong peace of mind. Damage caused by razor-sharp winds and rainstorms to your shingles, decking, and flashing can lead to water leaks, cracks, rotting, and roof collapse at the worst. When your roof is built to the FORTIFIED standard and can withstand this damage, you can avoid significant disruptions to your family's lives. After a storm, roofers tend to be extremely busy trying to get repairs in for all the customers with extensively damaged roofs. Trying to get a repair during this time can be a hassle, so if your roof can withstand the damage, that's one less thing to worry about.
A FORTIFIED Roof can also offer long-term savings for homeowners. While your roof may cost more upfront, you can save in the long term by avoiding expensive repairs or a full roof replacement during a busy season. While you should always prioritize yearly maintenance, if your roof takes less damage, you'll need to do less maintenance to maintain its effectiveness.
How GAF Products Can Help
GAF, through a one-of-a-kind alliance with the FORTIFIED program, works to help homeowners protect what matters the most—their homes and families. GAF roofing products are designed to meet or exceed the local building code standards and the FORTIFIED standard. GAF has assembled an end-to-end solution for all the materials you might need, from underlayment and seam tape to shingles and ventilation. These components work efficiently together to create a robust roof. Hiring a GAF-certified contractor who uses these components that work efficiently together is the first step toward achieving a stronger, more resilient roof.
When a roofer uses shingles like the Timberline HDZ® or Grand Sequoia®, they meet the Class F (ASTM D3161) or Class H (ASTM D7158) requirements of the FORTIFIED Roof standard shingle. Leak barriers like the StormGuard® Film-Surfaced Leak Barrier comply with the ASTM D1970 standards. Even ventilation materials like Cobra® Attic Ventilation Products are tested in accordance with TAS 100 (A), meeting the FORTIFIED standard. Since a portion of meeting the qualifications for a FORTIFIED Roof™ is using the right materials, GAF products can help meet and exceed these requirements.
GAF offers classes at the CARE Contractor Training Center to help GAF Master Elite® contractors become FORTIFIED certified, recently having celebrated the milestone of training 613 individuals from 335 GAF Master Elite® Companies.
This can make finding a certified contractor in your area easier, as the training becomes more widely available. FORTIFIED-certified contractors who are also certified by GAF* are highly vetted and have shown that they've gone through extensive training to build durable roofs.
*Contractors enrolled in GAF certification programs are not employees or agents of GAF, and GAF does not control or otherwise supervise these independent businesses. Contractors may receive benefits, such as loyalty rewards points and discounts on marketing tools from GAF for participating in the program and offering GAF enhanced warranties, which require the use of a minimum amount of GAF products. Your dealings with a Contractor, and any services they provide to you, are subject to the GAF Contractor Terms of Use.
