In Florida, we are known for our beautiful beaches, tourist attractions, and severe weather. One minute there is sunshine and a light sea breeze and the next minute a torrential downpour with gusts of wind that will make your sun canopy take flight. The best way to prepare for Florida's bipolar weather is to use Florida building code approved products.
So you are probably wondering why mobile (or manufactured/modular) homes are so popular in Florida? The short answer is: they are price effective. You can buy a brand new, quality built home for a reasonable price. Palm Harbor Homes, which is popular manufactured home builder, notoriously builds manufactured or modular homes that withstand hurricane strikes to Florida's vulnerable coasts. They have the pictures to prove it- https://www.palmharbor.com/our-construction/weathering-the-storm/built-irma-strong/#.YX2blLhKjIU
Wind rating is a scary word to commit to in Florida. Not many companies want to guarantee a wind rating on a building product. Since I used Palm Harbor Homes as an example earlier I will continue to use them to avoid confusion. A brand new Palm Harbor Home can withstand up to 150 MPH winds. Please see their website for more details in the link provided. This degrades over the life of mobile home, just like most wood construction forms in Florida. Similar to a shingle roof's degradation and it's referred to as a deprecation in the insurance world. When a new shingle is purchased, most manufacturers offer up a 130 MPH wind rating (depending on starter strip installation). That wind rating starts degrading a few years after installation. Not for a metal roof.
Metal roof wind speeds are categorized differently than other building supplies. Metal roofs are not based off of MPH but rather an uplift rating. I will try to not get too technical but the uplift rating is a pressure measurement not a wind speed. A brand new metal roof has an uplift rating that is close to 150 MPH and it does not degrade over time with proper care. The torque of the screws do have to be inspected periodically so I recommend you purchase a roofing maintenance package just like you would purchase an A/C maintenance package. Mid Florida Metal Roofing Supply's website provides excellent information about how metal products perform in the state of Florida. https://midfloridametalroofingsupply.com/blog/
If your manufactured, modular, or mobile home came with a shingle roof, then there is an adequate substrate to apply a new metal roof. If your home came with a metal roof, have an inspection done by a licensed roofer to see if there is a substrate present. If there is no substrate, then a new metal roof cannot be installed and a sealant would be a fantastic option for a roof rejuvenation. I really like the metal over shingle (or layover) option for a mobile home. Imagine the support of the structure with a double roof system. Now you've added a (approximately) 150 MPH wind rated roof to very sturdy support system. You may not be hurricane proof (nothing can handle a Cat 5) but you will definitely be hurricane prepared!
My next blog post will be about the energy efficiency of a metal roof on a mobile home. If you have any ideas about a blog or have any questions please email me at heartroofing@gmail.com
