Library

Fact sheet providing an overview of the FEMA document Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings.

Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for New Homes.

A publication highlighting recommendations that contribute to improved overall performance in the structural shell and focus on good connection details to tie together exterior walls, roofs and floors.

Webpage explaining what causes the formation of ice dams on roofs and steps to take to prevent them.

Computer simulations comparing International Journal of Advanced Structural Engineering wind pressure differences between a gable-ended roof versus a hip roof versus a pyramidal-shaped roof.

A recovery advisory guide presenting important recommendations to reduce wind and water infiltration damage to new and existing residential buildings.

Fact sheet describing the acceptable underlayment alternatives including ASTM D6757 Underlayment Felt Containing Inorganic Fibers for Steep-Slope Roofing for certain applications.

Checklist providing recommendations for the right tape in order to reduce the risk of leaks during storms with wind-driven rain.

Factsheet describing ways to install sheathing over existing 1x roof decking.

Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for Existing Homes.

Checklist providing good and bad methods of fortifying the roof, especially in hurricanes.

Checklist providing selection and installation guidance for residential, non-structural metal roof systems installed over wood roof decks with a roof slope 2:12 or greater to comply with section R905.1 of the 2015 IRC for a FORTIFIED Roof – New Roof Designation.

Website providing technical documents of checklists, calculators, bulletin, modular home toolkit, standard details, and corrosion resistance requirements – map set; describing the requirements of the IBHS Fortified Home program to improve the disaster resistance of new and existing homes.

Article from RMI on how climate change is leading to an increase in critical extreme heat hours and what smart building strategies can be taken to mitigate some of these effects including paint color and insulation.

Article from Washington Post on passive cooling measures for homes during extreme heat.

Article from Montana State University Extension explaining how proper insulation techniques can greatly reduce the risks of ice dams on roofs in cold climate zones.

Web article describing many ways homeowners, contractors, and builders can make homes more resistant to hurricanes, tornadoes, high winds, floods, and hail.

Large scale simulation study investigating the effects of cool roofs and walls on buildings of various vintages across the U.S., with special attention given to California.

Webpage providing guidance for homeowners on how much snow weight a typical roof can handle and when to consider removing snow from the roof.

List of recommendations from IBHS on how to protect homes from ice dam formation.

Factsheet providing design guidance for engineers describing how to characterize snow drifts on roofs in three dimensions rather than two, as anticipated in the 2022 edition of the standards, ASCE 7 - Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures.

Webpage from Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) on identifying key problem spots on unreinforced masonry chimneys and how to retrofit them to withstand seismic forces.

Webpage describing how different amounts and types of snow loads affect the structural integrity of roofs and homes.