One of the key premium discounts the you can get on your FL Home Insurance is from the shape of your roof. In this post we will look at the various roof shapes typically found on FL homes and how they can impact your FL Home Insurance.
GABLE ROOF
The first roof shape we will look at is the one most people think of when they are drawing a picture of a home. It's a simple square topped with a triangle. This type of roof is the classic gable and dates back to ancient times. Many FL homes have gable roofs. Bracing on the ends of the gable can provide more protection than unbraced gable roofs. This technique is referred to as "X-ing the A". In other words, an X-shaped frame is installed across the traingular end of a gable roof.
HIPPED ROOF
Also known as a "hip" roof, this roof type slopes down to the eaves on all four sides. Hipped roofs provide greater stability during winds by forming a pyramid shape to a single point at the top thus allowing the wind to more easily pass over the roof and creating less chance for roof damage. Most FL Home insurance companies give a substantial discount (up to 20%) for having a hip shaped roof.
A-FRAME
Not often seen in Florida an A-frame home is easily recognizable because it is all roof with no perpendicular ways. These homes with the distinctive "A" shape are often built as vacation homes.
MANSARD
A mansard roof has two slopes on each of the four sides. The lower slope is steeper than the upper slope. Dormers are often set in the lower slope. The upper slope is usually not visible from the ground. Mansard roofs are found on occassion on FL homes.
GAMBREL
Often used for barns, the gambrel roof is a gable with a slight bend on each side. It is a hallmark of Dutch Colonial style. We do see this roof shape on occasion with the FL homes we insure.