Knowing the difference between a hip and gable roof can save your buyer hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars on your insurance (depending on the size and value of the home).
Hip Roofs are the preferred roof type by Florida based Insurance carriers. After decades of claims history, the insurance carriers have concluded that hip roofs are less likely to peal during a windstorm than gable roofs. Why? Hip roofs have no flat surfaces, everything is angled to the center of the home. This allows the wind from a storm to pass over the roof line more easily reducing the chance of the shingles peeling. It essentially uses the wind to push the roof down instead of trying to lift it off.
Gable roofs on the other hand have flat corners that allow wind to get underneath the shingles and cause lifting and removal of a large sections of shingle. Since Florida law states that if 25% or more of the roof is damaged the insurance company must replace the entire roof, and knowing that gable roofs have a higher loss potential…the insurance company is going to charge a higher premium.
How does the age of the roof effect pricing and the ability to get insurance? Please see our previous Blog, “Can you Insure a 15-Year-Old Roof in Florida?”