Replacing your roof anyway? Build it to a standard someone else checks.

A FORTIFIED Roof™ strengthens the deck, edges and water protection beyond standard installation requirements, and an independent evaluator reviews the work. UNDERCOVER holds an IBHS FORTIFIED designation and is trained to install to the standard. [CONFIRM: exact credential name + ID]

Schedule your inspection
  • 5.0 Google rating
  • CertainTeed ShingleMaster
  • 10-yr workmanship warranty

What homeowners ask about FORTIFIED.

Including what it isn’t.

  1. What is a FORTIFIED Roof?

    A roof built and documented to the FORTIFIED Home™ standard from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), a nonprofit research organization. An independent evaluator reviews the documentation, and IBHS issues a designation for that home if it meets the standard.

  2. Is every UNDERCOVER roof FORTIFIED?

    No. It’s an upgrade you choose, and a standard UNDERCOVER roof is not a FORTIFIED Roof. When you choose the upgrade, we build and document it to the standard, and IBHS decides whether your roof earns the designation.

  3. What actually changes?

    A sealed deck, ring-shank deck nailing at tight spacing, stronger edges and flashing to the standard’s details. See the difference

  4. Will it lower my insurance?

    It might. Some carriers offer discounts or other benefits for homes with a FORTIFIED designation; it depends on your carrier and your state. Ask your agent. We can’t promise savings.

  5. What does it cost?

    More than a standard replacement. [TYPICAL PRICE DIFFERENCE — from real UNDERCOVER jobs, only if you want it published] Ask us to price it both ways and you’ll see the difference line by line. See financing options

Most of the difference is underneath.

From the street it looks like any well-built roof. The upgrade is in the deck, the nails, the edges and the details.

Typical re-roofSeamsOpenDeck nailsOften existingDrip edgeWider spacing
Typical re-roof deck
FORTIFIED RoofSeamsTaped / sealedDeck nails8d ring-shank, 4" o.c.Drip edgeOver underlayment, 4" o.c.
FORTIFIED Roof deck (2025 standard)
ComponentTypical re-roofFORTIFIED Roof
Roof deckSeams open under the underlaymentSealed: seams taped, or an approved full-deck membrane or underlayment method
Deck nailingOften the existing nails8d ring-shank nails, 4″ on center
Drip edgeFastened at wider intervalsOver underlayment, fastened 4″ on center, staggered
ShinglesVaries by productHigh-wind-rated products, installed to the standard
Flashing & ventsVaries by contractorInstalled to FORTIFIED details
VerificationThe contractor’s own inspectionIndependent evaluator review + IBHS designation certificate

Source: simplified summary of the 2025 FORTIFIED Home™ Standard (re-roofing), which applies to roofs permitted or installed on or after November 1, 2025. Full requirements at fortifiedhome.org.

Drone view of a stripped roof slope: bare OSB deck sheets with tape over every seam between sheets; the next slope is already covered in underlayment
Sealed roof deck, before underlaymentLexington, KY · FORTIFIED roof · Jul 2026
  1. 1Tape over a seam between deck sheets, running up the slope.
  2. 2Tape over a seam running across the slope. Every seam gets sealed, so water can’t get in through the deck if shingles blow off.

FORTIFIED roofs we’ve built.

Four Lexington homes, built to the FORTIFIED standard. Drag the handle, or use the arrow keys, to compare before and after.

  • After: the same home with a new charcoal shingle roof
    Before: two-story brick colonial with a weathered brown shingle roof, seen from the front

    Lexington, KYFORTIFIED roof · SKH grantCompleted Aug 2026

    FORTIFIED roof

    Weathered brown shingles torn off to the deck. New charcoal roof with synthetic underlayment, new drip edge and new chimney flashing.

  • After: the same roof from the same angle, replaced
    Before: rear of a two-story vinyl-sided home from above, worn gray roof with many box vents

    Lexington, KYFORTIFIED roof · SKH grantCompleted Sep 2026

    FORTIFIED roof

    Worn gray roof replaced on a two-story home: deck checked, new drip edge, new roof vents and chimney chase flashing.

  • After: the same ranch with a new roof
    Before: painted-brick ranch with a yellow front door and its old roof

    Lexington, KYFORTIFIED roof · SKH grantCompleted Sep 2026

    FORTIFIED roof

    Old plank decking found at tear-off and covered with new OSB, then underlayment and drip edge.

  • After: the same home with a new roof and an UNDERCOVER yard sign
    Before: brick one-and-a-half-story home with its old roof

    Lexington, KYFORTIFIED roof · SKH grantCompleted Jul 2026

    FORTIFIED roof

    Deck checked, every deck seam taped to seal it, new pipe-boot flashing and a new roof.

Every layer, photographed

  • Bare roof deck after tear-off, every sheet exposed for inspection
    Deck exposed after tear-offLexington, KY · Aug 2026
  • Synthetic underlayment rolled over the whole roof deck
    Underlayment over the deckLexington, KY · Aug 2026
  • New drip edge along the eave, with a tape measure checking it
    New drip edge at the eaveLexington, KY · Aug 2026
  • New flashing where the roof meets a brick chimney
    New chimney flashingLexington, KY · Aug 2026

A Kentucky grant toward a FORTIFIED roof.

Each of our Strengthen Kentucky Homes clients received a $10,000 grant toward a FORTIFIED roof.

Grant availability, eligibility, and amounts are set by the program and can change.

Round 1 applications closed Oct 1, 2026. Future rounds may open, and we’ll help you get ready when they do.

Learn more about Strengthen Kentucky Homes

FORTIFIED isn’t a sales term. It’s a designation.

Not every UNDERCOVER roof is a FORTIFIED Roof. When you choose the upgrade, we build and document it to the standard, and IBHS decides whether your roof earns the designation.

Built to the standard. Checked by someone else.

Every required step is photographed, because the evaluator needs to see it too.

Schedule your inspection

  1. Priced both ways

    Standard and FORTIFIED, line by line, so the choice is yours.

    Written proposal

  2. Deck fastened and sealed

    Ring-shank nailing at the standard’s spacing; seams taped or an approved full-deck method.

    Each step photographed

  3. Edges, flashing, shingles

    Drip edge over underlayment, starter and edge shingles set to resist uplift, flashing to FORTIFIED details.

    Each step photographed

  4. Independent review

    We submit the documentation for review by an independent FORTIFIED evaluator.

    Submission record

  5. Designation

    IBHS decides. If your roof earns it, you receive the certificate for your records, your insurer and future buyers.

    IBHS certificate

Rated 5.0 on Google.

The same inspection, communication and cleanup homeowners review us for, on every service.

5.0

Google rating

Read our reviews on Google

Short answers.

Does a FORTIFIED Roof look different?
No. From the street it looks like any well-built roof. The difference is underneath.
Who issues the certificate?
IBHS, after an independent evaluator reviews the documentation. We don’t issue it.
Is FORTIFIED only for storm claims?
No. It can be built on a planned replacement too. Whether your home qualifies depends on the standard’s requirements, which we check at the inspection.

Replacing your roof soon?

Ask us to price it standard and FORTIFIED. We’ll show you the difference line by line.

  • NextWe call you to confirm a time. [RESPONSE WINDOW]
  • HoursMon–Sat, 8am–5pm

Prefer to call? (859) 300-0710

What do you need?

Have you filed a claim yet?Storm damage only

Any answer is fine. It helps us prepare.

How old is the roof?Skip for gutters or siding

Where’s the house?

Who should we ask for?

How do we reach you?

When’s the best time to call?

Look right?

We only use your information to schedule your inspection and respond to you.