There is a considerable amount of information available to the consumer on the website of the Texas Department of Insurance which I will refer to as the TDI for convenience sake. The TDI regulates all aspects of the insurance industry as it is applied in Texas. Among the many things they do are define and monitor all the rules and regulations dealing with windstorm insurance and wind resistant construction. The 14 counties nearest the gulf coast are in a potentially hazardous windstorm area. Consequently, all new construction in this area is subject to stringent building requirements in addition to the basic requirements mandated by the International Building Code.
The TDI maintains a website, much of which is available to the consumer. Let’s take a look. The address of the TDI website is: www.tdi.texas.gov. The initial home page of the TDI looks something like this:
As you can see there are many menu items, we are going to concern ourselves only with the windstorm related items. Click on “Learn about windstorm Inspections” toward the bottom right side. You should now see this page:
And if you scroll down further the rest of the options:
Click on “Find an Inspector” you should see this or something similar.
This is a list of licensed engineers accredited by TDI to act as windstorm engineers in the state of Texas. If you click on the column header you will see that you can sort by name, county of practice, firm name, city, and inspection type. The two types of inspection are residential and commercial. As mentioned in other blogs, the TDI offers a free inspection service. You find local offices on the website and make arrangements for a TDI inspector to inspect your project. The TDI inspectors are very competent but overworked and might take some time to get to your project. For that reason, they set up the Accredited Qualified Inspector program that permits and regulates licensed engineers who will do the inspection and certification for a fee. Many of these engineers will also do design work and help you navigate your way through the TDI inspection and certification system. Let’s move on!
From this same window you can access the menu to search for an existing certificate. Click on the “Find a Certificate” panel button in the blue field toward the top of the page. You should now see this:
In the boxes on the left hand side of the screen you can input the info you have to search for existing certificates for your property. You can search by address or application number if you happen to know it. There are frequently more than one certificate on a property so take some time and check them all.
Lastly, if you click on the button labeled “Product Evaluations” you will be taken to a section of the website that looks a little like this:
This is a list of all the types of building materials TDI monitors and approves for use in windstorm prone counties. AS you can see there are numerous categories and if we click a little further, on “windows” for example, you will see this:
Each of these menu items are further broken down into individual manufacturers and specific product models. It can take a little time to drill down and find the product you are planning to use but once you do you will find specific installation procedures required for each product. It is well worth your time to research before you begin a project. There is nothing worse than nearing the end of a project only to find out your material was not properly installed, and you have to remove it and redo it properly. It happens too often particularly with contractors unfamiliar with the additional requirements for windstorm resistant construction. Protect yourself, do your research. If the project is complicated consider hiring an engineer to plan it for you.