Hurricane Strap Installation

Hurricane straps are metal connectors that fasten your roof’s trusses or rafters to the top of your walls, strengthening the roof-to-wall connection against the upward and outward forces a hurricane creates. Without them, a roof relies on gravity and a few nails; with them, the roof and walls resist wind as a connected structure, which prevents the roof from blowing off in a major storm.

The benefits are stronger storm protection and, in Florida, potential insurance savings. Properly installed straps greatly improve your home’s resistance to wind uplift, protecting everything and everyone inside. Because roof-to-wall connection strength is scored on the state wind mitigation form, the upgrade can qualify you for premium credits that offset the cost over time.

Both are metal connectors that improve the roof-to-wall connection, but they differ in strength. Clips attach to the side of the truss or rafter and resist uplift, while straps wrap over or around the connection and resist much more force, with single wraps and double wraps providing progressively stronger connections. On the wind mitigation scale, wraps generally earn larger insurance credits than clips, and clips earn more than toe nails.

They create a continuous, fastened load path from the roof down into the walls. Instead of the roof simply resting on the wall, being held by only a couple of nails, the strap physically ties the two together with code-specified nailing, so wind uplift is transferred into the structure rather than tearing the roof free. That connection is the difference between a roof that holds and one that fails in a strong storm.

Roof-to-wall connections must be installed correctly with the right connector, the right nailing, and proper placement to withstand a storm and to qualify for a wind mitigation inspection. As a licensed and insured Florida contractor with more than 30 years of combined experience, we install in accordance with the Florida Building Code, use corrosion-resistant connectors, and provide the documentation your insurer needs, so the work protects your home and translates to lower insurance premiums.

Cost depends on the size of the home, the number of connections, and how accessible they are. This preventative measure is so effective that the wind mitigation insurance credit received by homeowners who install hurricane straps often offsets the installation cost over time.

Eligible homeowners may receive help through the My Safe Florida Home grant program. When we conduct our inspection, we will provide a clear, written quote and walk you through your potential eligibility for grants and homeowner’s insurance savings.

Yes. Hurricane straps are very commonly installed as a retrofit on existing homes. When you aren’t replacing your roof, they can usually be installed by accessing the eaves or through the attic. Hurricane straps are exactly the kind of upgrade that improves older Florida houses built before stronger codes. A retrofit lets you strengthen the home and pursue an insurance credit without replacing the roof.

Properly installed, corrosion-resistant hurricane straps are designed to last the life of the structure. Because Florida’s humidity and coastal salt air can corrode lower-grade metals, we use corrosion-resistant connectors to keep the connection strong for decades. Any older or corroded straps identified during inspection can be upgraded.

The clearest sign is the age of the home, since houses built before the mid-1990s often have only toe-nailed roof-to-wall connections that do not meet current standards. A wind mitigation inspection tells you exactly what you have. An older roof, a recent insurance request for a wind mitigation report, or a higher premium are all good reasons to have the connections checked.

Most homes can be completed in a day or two, depending on the size of the house, the number of connections, and how accessible they are through the attic or eaves. We confirm the timeline after the inspection and work efficiently to minimize disruption.