Course Description, Dates and Locations

Retrofitting Course Description

Retrofitting Course Description

Provider Name: Federal Alliance for Safe Homes - FLASH, Inc.
Course Name: Blueprint for Safety - Retrofit - An Introduction to Disaster Resistant Building Techniques
Course Number: 0010816
Credits: Seven (7)

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact FLASH at 877-221-7233 or by email at flash@flash.org.

The seven hour course on residential wind-resistance retrofit improvements includes:

• Improving the strength of your roof deck attachment. For example, if your roof consists of shingles nailed to plywood sheets, the inspection may reveal that the plywood sheets are not adequately nailed to your roof trusses, and that additional nails and/or longer nails need to be added to prevent the plywood from being blown off in a hurricane.
• Creating a secondary water barrier to prevent water intrusion. For example, using strips of “peel and stick-on” material that cover the joints between the plywood sheets on your roof to reduce leakage until repairs can be made if a hurricane blows off your roof shingles.
• Improving the survivability of your roof covering. For example, upgrading to thicker and stronger hurricane-resistant roof shingles, attached with properly sized and properly applied roofing nails, to reduce the susceptibility of your roof shingles blowing off in a hurricane.
• Bracing gable-ends in your roof framing. This is usually done inside your attic to decrease chances that your roof will collapse under hurricane wind loads.
• Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections. For example, installing metal tie-down straps that attach roof rafters to wall studs to decrease chances that all or a portion of your roof will simply lift your house during a hurricane.
• Upgrading exterior wall opening protections. For example, installing hurricane-rated window shutters.
• Upgrading exterior doors. For example, replacing a standard garage door with a hurricane-rated garage door.