Roofing in Miami Lakes, FL

What is on the roofs in Miami Lakes

Miami Lakes was built to one master plan. Sengra, the Graham family company now called the Graham Companies, opened the first homes in the Lake Patricia neighborhood on July 22, 1962, on the family's former dairy farm, following a plan by Lester Collins. The original development sits east of the Palmetto Expressway; the town has since expanded and the Grahams are still building, so houses here range from 1960s originals to recent construction, often in subdivisions with deed restrictions or an HOA.^6,7

Local rules and history that affect your roof

• The town's HOA/ACC affidavit spells out the rules: you declare you know your subdivision's deed restrictions, the town recommends (but does not require) getting HOA or Architectural Control Committee approval before you apply, a building permit does not satisfy HOA approval, and the town does not enforce deed restrictions. If your association controls roof color or material, get its sign-off first.²
• Metal roofs have an extra step in Miami Lakes: before the final inspection, the roofing contractor's qualifier must sign a notarized Certificate of Compliance affidavit certifying that the parts of the roof the inspector couldn't see during in-progress inspections were installed per the approved plans and product approval.⁸
• Miami Lakes incorporated on December 5, 2000, becoming the 31st municipality in Miami-Dade County. Before then it was unincorporated county land, so permits for work on older homes were issued by Miami-Dade County, not the town.^6,9
• Collins' plan gave the town curving, tree-shaded streets and 23 lakes. On the older blocks that means mature canopy over many roofs: as general guidance, keep branches trimmed back before hurricane season and clear leaves from valleys and gutters, where trapped debris holds water against the roof.^7,9

Storms that hit here

• Irma (2017). A Miami Lakes rain gauge listed in the National Hurricane Center's Irma report recorded 6.33 inches, and the report notes widespread tree and power-pole damage across the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area.¹⁰

What this means for a re-roof in Miami Lakes

How old the houses are. The median home in Miami Lakes was built in 1989; 72.8% of its 11,346 homes predate 2000 and 13.3% 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.^5,11,12,13

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).^11,12,13

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.^12,13,14,15

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.^14,16

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.¹⁷