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Looking to do some home renovations? Lead with the roof, experts say.

A roof isn’t as pretty and fun to design as a luxury bathroom, but this upgrade provides a high return on investment for homeowners for many reasons, experts say. Not only will a new roof increase the value of your home so that you recover 100% of your costs, according to a 2022 National Association of Realtors report, but it can trim insurance costs and protect your home and all its belongings from severe weather damage.

When roofs fail, problems and expenses mount. Water floods into the home, damage occurs when roof pieces fly, and rooftop equipment like air conditioners and generators are destroyed, according to experts.

In most years, roof-related damage is responsible for an estimated 70–90% of the total amount of insured property damage from a catastrophic weather event, according to the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).

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“If your roof blows off, you have a ton of rain inside your home,” said Nathan Lippincott, owner of Knockout Inspections in Fairhope, Alabama. With the right roof, “95% of the rain will stay outside your home, which saves you and the insurance company.”

What is the right roof?

Some things to consider when deciding on a roof, include:

• Underlayment material: the barrier layer between the roof deck and shingles to keep moisture out.
• Shingles: Asphalt shingles are the most popular because they’re relatively inexpensive and easy to install, but there are other types including metal, natural slate, terra cotta and solar. When choosing, consider the climate where you live, the pitch of your roof, the weight of the shingles on the home, energy efficiency and your budget.
• Warranty: Guarantees how long the product will last. The longer the warranty, the better.
• Installation: Typically, this isn’t a big consideration but with the Fortified method of installation gaining traction as a more robust way of protecting homes from severe weather events, more consumers are giving thought to how a roof is installed, not just the materials used, experts said.

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What is a Fortified roof?

Fortified roof installation is more secure to “ensure shingles and more importantly, the decking underneath, stay on the roof in high wind events,” said Erin Shields, chief operating officcer at Apex Roofing in Birmingham, Alabama and a certified Fortified roofer.

Since Fortified and traditional roof materials are similar, the additional cost for a Fortified roof is to cover the labor, “but it’s not cost prohibitive,” Shields said. Depending on the type of roof, it can cost between $1,000 and $5,000 more, plus certification costs of about $400 to $600, he said. Fortified roofs initially need to be certified by an evaluator and IBHS and then every five years.

According to IBHS, Fortified roofs have:

• Stronger edges that decrease the chance strong winds will get underneath the roof to rip it away
• Sealed roof decks to protect the home from water if the roof gets ripped off
• Stronger nails and more of them to better attach the roof deck to the home
• Impact-resistant shingles

Are Fortified roofs worth the extra money?

Fortified roofs are especially beneficial in areas with severe weather, experts said.

When Hurricane Sally hit Alabama in 2020, the state had about 16,000 Fortified roofs, said Lippincott. “Only 400 made any claims, and some of those were trees that fell on the house. Now, there are over 50,000 Fortified roofs in Alabama,” he said.

Many states and insurance companies also offer incentives to help defray costs, IBHS said.

Fannie Mae’s piloting Fortified roofs on foreclosed homes it owns, and Freddie Mac includes Fortified roofs as an option for its single-family GreenCHOICE mortgages that help people finance efficiency improvements.

“In the future, I think more states and insurance companies will offer discounts,” said Diane Delaney, executive director of the nonprofit Private Risk Management Association for insurance professionals dealing with high-net-worth consumers. “There’s no downside for homeowners.”

How do you find a roofer?

Certified Fortified roofers and evaluators can be found at the Fortified Home website.

If you just want a traditional roof because severe weather events are rare where you live, beware of scammers. Roof-related projects are the biggest home improvement scam, tallying 15% of all Better Business Bureau (BBB) reports between 2015 and 2022, said home inspection software seller Inspection Support Network.

Roofing scams proliferate after big storms like Hurricane Helene, experts say. Scammers often stroll through affected areas and offer free inspections or on-the-spot roof repairs, BBB warns.

“The person may claim that their company is working on a neighbor’s home and is offering inspections to those living nearby, or they just happened to notice your damaged roof,” BBB said. “But if you ask questions…you’ll most likely be met with vague answers.”

It’s important to research roofing companies, work with your insurance company and beware of unsolicited offers, BBB said.

Customers can also buy roofs online at certified companies. For example, Gunner Roofing serves customers nationwide, and MCSquared Roofing is available in North Carolina. Customers enter their address, select their roofs, get a price, pay and schedule installation.

“We guarantee 25 years on the labor and 50 years on the materials,” said Eddie Prchal, Gunner’s chief executive and co-founder. And if you have an insurance claim, Gunner will also take care of that for you, he said.

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and  subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.