Roofing in Homestead, FL

What is on the roofs in Homestead

Hurricane Andrew took out nearly every building in Homestead in 1992, and the city lost about a third of its roughly 30,000 residents before it began to rebound. A second wave came in 2004–2006, when developers turned cheap farm fields into subdivisions and Homestead became Florida's fastest-growing city by 2007. Roofs put on during that boom are now about 20 years old.⁷

Local rules and history that affect your roof

• Homestead's residential roofing packet states that the city now applies the 2023 Florida Building Code (8th Edition) High-Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements, including sealed roof deck underlayment and ASCE 7-22 wind loads. Several of those changes apply to roof replacements, not only new homes.⁸
• The same packet lists requirements that catch owners off guard on a re-roof: gutters on any roof with an eave overhang of 6 inches or less, ring-shank nails that meet ASTM G85 for corrosion resistance, an uplift test before final on adhesive-set or mortar-set tile, and hot-mop inspections in progress on every deck type.⁸
• Homestead's roofing checklist asks for a notarized application signed by owner and contractor, the folio number, and the Miami-Dade NOA for the roofing system. Owner-builder roofing permits are accepted only for shingle roofs, and every re-roof needs the Owner Notification for Roofing Considerations form.^3,8
• Homestead grew out of Henry Flagler's railroad extension to Key West and incorporated in 1913 with 121 residents. The 1926 hurricane ended its first land boom, and a 1945 hurricane temporarily closed Homestead Army Air Field.⁹

Storms that hit here

• Andrew (1992). Andrew made landfall near Homestead Air Force Base at 5:05 a.m. on August 24, 1992, with a central pressure of 922 mb; NHC later upgraded it to Category 5. In Homestead, 1,167 of 1,176 mobile homes were destroyed, and the city's own timeline says Andrew 'devastates Homestead with a direct hit.'^9,10
• Katrina (2005). Katrina crossed Miami-Dade as a Category 1 and dumped its heaviest rain on the south end of the county: 14.04 inches at Homestead Air Force Base and 12.25 inches in neighboring Florida City.¹¹
• Irma (2017). A weather station near Homestead logged a 63-knot gust (about 72 mph) and 9.16 inches of rain during Irma. Across Miami-Dade, about 1,000 homes had major damage and about half of the county's agricultural industry was damaged.¹²

What this means for a re-roof in Homestead

How old the houses are. The median home in Homestead was built in 2001; 44.9% of its 27,474 homes predate 2000 and 16.8% were built in 2010 or later. So most houses here were built in 2000 or later, around or after Florida’s first statewide building code took effect on March 1, 2002.^6,13,14,15

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.^14,15,16,17

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.^16,18

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.¹⁹