Hurricane season officially starts June 1, and every year we see the same pattern: the phones light up in late May, and by then the good roofers, window installers, and tree crews are booked solid. The homeowners who fare best are the ones who walk their property in March or April, make a punch list, and fix the small stuff while contractors still have open calendars. If you missed the deadline this year, don't wait for next spring — most of these checks can and should be done any time the forecast is quiet.
Here is the pre-season inspection walkthrough we recommend to homeowners across Broward, North Miami-Dade, and Boca Raton — roughly in the order a storm will test your home.
Start at the Top: The Roof
Your roof takes the first and worst of any storm. From the ground with binoculars — or from a ladder if you're comfortable and careful — look for:
- Cracked, slipped, or missing tiles and shingles. One loose tile becomes a projectile at 100 mph and opens a path for water into everything below it.
- Flashing at valleys, chimneys, and wall transitions. Lifted or corroded flashing is one of the most common sources of storm-driven leaks.
- Soffits and fascia. Loose soffit panels let wind pressurize your attic, which is how roofs peel off. Push up gently on panels; anything that rattles needs refastening.
- Silicone and roof coatings. If you have a coated flat or low-slope roof, check for chalking, blisters, ponding stains, and gaps at penetrations (vents, skylights, AC stands). Coatings have a service life — a recoat before season is far cheaper than an interior water claim after.
If your roof is 15+ years old or you spot more than a couple of these issues, get a licensed contractor up there. Walking a tile roof incorrectly breaks tiles and voids warranties — this is not a DIY inspection.
Impact Windows, Doors, and Shutters
All of South Florida sits in a wind-borne debris region, which means the Florida Building Code requires opening protection — impact-rated glazing or shutters — on new and replacement openings. Miami-Dade and Broward counties are in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), the strictest product-approval regime in the country: products there generally need Miami-Dade Notices of Acceptance (NOAs). Palm Beach County follows the Florida Building Code's wind-zone requirements, with products carrying Florida Product Approvals. Why this matters to you: replacement windows, doors, and shutters must be approved for your zone, and unpermitted or wrong-zone products can create insurance headaches after a loss.
For your pre-season check:
- Seals and weatherstripping. Run your hand around each frame on a windy day; look for daylight, cracked caulk, or crumbling gaskets. Water intrusion around a perfectly good impact window is still a flooded room.
- Hardware. Every latch, lock, and hinge should engage fully. A window that doesn't lock isn't rated for anything.
- Shutters. Do a full test-fit now, not the day before landfall. Confirm every panel is labeled, every wing nut and track bolt turns freely (a little lubricant goes a long way), and no anchors are stripped or missing.
Screen Enclosures and Garage Doors
Pool cages and screen enclosures fail more often than almost anything else in a storm, and when they go, they take gutters, roof edges, and windows with them. Inspect cables and straps for fraying and slack, fasteners for backing out, and — the big one in coastal air — anchors and base plates for corrosion. White powder, rust streaks, or fasteners that spin without tightening mean the connection is compromised. Re-anchoring into concrete is a job for a pro.
Your garage door is the largest, weakest opening on the house. If it blows in, the sudden pressurization can lift the roof. Check that the door is wind-rated (look for a label on the inside face), that tracks and brackets are firmly fastened into framing rather than just drywall, and that any bracing kit is complete and installed per its instructions. Older, unrated doors in the HVHZ are worth replacing outright.
Water, Trees, and Everything That Can Fly
Wind gets the headlines, but water does most of the damage. Clean gutters and downspouts, make sure downspouts discharge away from the foundation, and walk your yard after a heavy rain: water should drain away from the house, not pond against it. If grading has settled toward your slab over the years, correcting it before season is a modest project with an outsized payoff.
Then look up and around. Trim branches overhanging the roof, remove dead or diseased trees, and thin dense canopies so wind passes through. Finally, do a “projectile audit”: patio furniture, potted plants, grills, trampolines, loose pavers, and construction debris all need a storage plan you can execute in an afternoon.
Generator and Insurance Documentation
Test your generator under load before June, stock fuel safely, and never run it in a garage or near openings — carbon monoxide kills more people after storms than the storms themselves in some years. If you have a standby generator, schedule its annual service now.
Just as important: photograph your home while it's undamaged. Walk every room, the roof line, the enclosure, and the exterior, and store the photos in the cloud. After a storm, photograph any damage before making temporary repairs, keep every receipt, and don't sign anything from a door-knocking “adjuster” before talking to your insurer and a licensed contractor.
DIY or Call a Pro?
Gutter cleaning, shutter test-fits, yard cleanup, and generator tests are solid DIY. Roof repairs, flashing and coating work, enclosure re-anchoring, garage door bracing, and any window or door replacement should go to a licensed, insured contractor — both for safety and because HVHZ and Florida Product Approval rules make permits and approved products non-negotiable. If your pre-season walkthrough turns into a bigger project, like replacing aging openings or hardening a weak elevation, our renovation team handles code-compliant upgrades across all three counties.
Not sure what you're looking at on your own roof or enclosure? Atlantic Build Group is a licensed and insured general contractor serving Broward County, northern Miami-Dade, and Boca Raton. Contact us for a free estimate or call (305) 332-6251 — a one-hour inspection now beats a six-month insurance claim later.