Roofing in Pompano Beach, FL

What is on the roofs in Pompano Beach

Pompano started as a railroad farm town, and its oldest housing reflects that: William Kester's cottages from the 1930s were economical wood-frame buildings put up for winter visitors and residents. The city grew into the beach only after 1947, and its southwest filled with Palm Aire's condominiums, villas and golf-course homes. That mix means a wood-frame cottage and a condominium building can sit a few miles apart, and the first question on any roof here is who owns it: you or an association.^5,6

Local rules and history that affect your roof

• The first train reached Pompano on February 22, 1896, and farmers here grew pineapples, then tomatoes, beans and peppers. The town incorporated in 1908 and became Pompano Beach in 1947, when it merged with the new municipality on the beach.⁵
• The Kester Cottages, wood-frame houses William Kester built in the 1930s, are now the Pompano Beach Historical Museum. A wood-frame roof deck and a masonry house call for different re-roof details, so know which one you have before you get quotes.^5,7
• Palm Aire, in southwest Pompano Beach, is mostly condominium developments and golf courses, with sub-communities such as Misty Oaks, Vizcaya, Fairview Pointe, Cypress Reach, Oasis, Palm Aire Gardens and Royal Point. If you own a unit there, talk to your association before you call anyone about the roof.⁶
• The city has about 3 miles of Atlantic beachfront, from Terra Mar Drive north to the Hillsboro Inlet, plus canal neighborhoods behind it. Salt air shortens the life of exposed metal, so near the water ask what fasteners and flashing are being used.⁷

Storms that hit here

• Wilma (2005). Pompano Beach Airpark measured 72-knot (83 mph) sustained winds before it stopped reporting, and the National Hurricane Center says stronger winds likely followed. An unofficial observation in Pompano Beach recorded a 104-knot (120 mph) gust.⁸
• Irma (2017). Pompano Beach Airpark recorded sustained winds of 60 knots (69 mph) with a 76-knot (87 mph) gust, and a storm-tide sensor on a Pompano Beach canal read 3.4 feet NAVD88.⁹

What this means for a re-roof in Pompano Beach

How old the houses are. The median home in Pompano Beach was built in 1974; 87.5% of its 61,070 homes predate 2000 and 6.5% were built in 2010 or later. So most houses here went up before Florida’s first statewide building code took effect on March 1, 2002.^4,10,11,12

Pre-2002 wood-deck houses. When the old covering comes off, the deck gets re-nailed to current code and a secondary water barrier goes on; in the wind-borne debris region, insured homes of $300,000+ may also need roof-to-wall connections (capped at 15% of the re-roof cost).^10,11,12

Repair or replace. Replacing 25% or more of a roof section in 12 months generally means redoing the section to current code — unless that roof was built or replaced under the 2007 code or later.^11,12,13,14

Product approval. In the HVHZ every roofing component needs a current product approval — a Miami-Dade NOA or a Florida approval listed for HVHZ use. Ask for the numbers and look them up yourself.^13,15

Roof age and insurance. An insurer can’t refuse a policy just because the roof is under 15 years old. If it is 15 or older, you can get an inspection first; at least 5 years of remaining life means age alone isn’t grounds to refuse.¹⁶