What is home hardening?

Physical modifications that reduce the probability your home is destroyed or seriously damaged in a modeled peril event — Class-A roof, ember-resistant vents, hurricane straps, impact glass, elevated utilities, and defensible space.

Which hardening measures give the biggest return?

For wildfire: Class-A roof, ember-resistant vents, and a 5-foot non-combustible perimeter. For hurricane: bracing the garage door, hurricane straps, and impact glass. For flood: elevating mechanicals and using flood-resistant materials on the first floor.

Does home hardening lower insurance premiums?

In many states, yes. California, Florida, and several Gulf states have mandated mitigation discounts. The size depends on the carrier and the specific retrofit — get quotes with and without the improvement documented.

How much does home hardening cost?

A full wildfire retrofit runs $10,000–$40,000. Hurricane straps and impact glass on a typical home run $8,000–$25,000. Flood elevation is more expensive and often only done during major renovations. Grants exist in several states.

How do I know which peril to harden against first?

Run your address through ArchipelAI's homeowner demo for a per-peril breakdown. Harden against your dominant peril first, then work down the list.

Home hardening checklist: wildfire, hurricane, flood retrofits.

The retrofits that actually change modeled loss and premiums — sequenced by peril and by return on dollar spent.

Wildfire hardening (in order of impact)

Class-A roof. Composition shingle, metal, or tile. Replaces wood shake, which is the single largest structure-loss factor.
Ember-resistant vents. 1/8" mesh screens on every vent. Embers entering the attic through unscreened vents ignite most homes lost in modern fires.
5-foot non-combustible perimeter. No wood mulch, wood fencing, planters, doormats, or stored fuel within 5 feet of the house. This is the highest-ROI defensible-space intervention.
Defensible space to 30 feet. Lean, clean, green — thin vegetation, remove ladder fuels, keep grass short.
Enclosed eaves and soffits. Boxed-in eaves resist ember intrusion.
Dual-pane tempered windows. Prevents radiant-heat glass failure.
Non-combustible siding and decks. Fiber cement or stucco; composite or steel decking.

Hurricane and severe-wind hardening

Brace the garage door. The single most common structural failure in Cat 3+ storms. Once the garage door blows in, the roof follows.
Hurricane straps / clips. Retrofit metal straps tying the roof to the wall studs.
Impact-rated glass or permanent shutters. Every opening. Pre-cut plywood is the budget fallback.
Reinforced roof deck. Ring-shank nails and sealed roof-deck seams.
Secondary water barrier. A membrane under the shingles that keeps water out if the primary roof cover fails.
Anchored external HVAC and propane. Strapped to a pad, not resting on ground.

Flood retrofits

Elevate mechanicals. Furnace, water heater, electrical panel above base flood elevation.
Flood vents in crawl spaces and garages. Let water flow through instead of collapsing the wall.
Flood-resistant materials on the first floor. Tile, concrete, treated wood — not drywall and carpet.
Backflow preventers on sewer lines. Stops backup during heavy rain.
Sump pump with battery backup. Grid usually fails when you need it.
Elevation (major renovation). Raising the entire structure — expensive, often the only real fix in high-frequency flood zones.

Heat and grid resilience

Insulation and air sealing — the cheapest cooling-load reduction.
Cool roof (reflective) or radiant barrier in the attic.
Shade trees on the south and west sides.
Whole-home surge protector and a small battery for the fridge and one room.
Backup power sized for medical equipment, not the whole house.

Documenting for insurance

Every retrofit is only as good as the paperwork. Keep receipts, permits, and dated photos. Ask your carrier which retrofits qualify for a mitigation discount and submit them. In California, the Safer from Wildfires program lists the eligible measures; in Florida, an OIR-B1-1802 wind mitigation inspection is standard.

Where to start

Harden your dominant peril first. Run your address through the ArchipelAI homeowner demo for a per-peril score and prioritized retrofit list. Related: wildfire evacuation, hurricane preparedness, and insurance and climate change.

Home hardening checklist.