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How to Choose a Kentucky FORTIFIED Home Evaluator

Choosing a FORTIFIED Home Evaluator for your Kentucky roof project is a decision that affects your insurance discount, your grant eligibility, and your home’s actual resilience to severe weather. This page explains the objective criteria that distinguish a qualified evaluator from an unqualified one, and shows where HECS fits against each criterion.

Call (502) 643-7160 — proposal in 24 hours

Important: The FORTIFIED Home Evaluator must be independent of the roofing contractor. Per IBHS and SKH program rules, the same company cannot both install and verify the FORTIFIED roof. If a roofing contractor offers to “include” FORTIFIED evaluation in their bid, that’s a red flag — they are not an approved evaluator and the work won’t qualify.

The 9 criteria that matter

1. IBHS FORTIFIED Home Evaluator credential

The evaluator must be credentialed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) and listed on the FORTIFIED Home Provider Locator. Anyone can call themselves a “FORTIFIED inspector” — the credential is what makes the certificate valid.

HECS: Verified on the IBHS Provider Locator. Holds every active designation (Roof, Silver, Gold).

2. SKH approval (Kentucky-specific)

For Strengthen Kentucky Homes grant applicants, the evaluator must additionally be approved by the Kentucky Department of Insurance and listed on the official SKH evaluator directory. IBHS certification alone does not qualify an evaluator for SKH grants.

HECS: Listed on the Kentucky SKH evaluator directory as Home Energy & Comfort Solutions Inc., John Sabbak, La Grange, KY, (502) 643-7160.

3. Kentucky statewide coverage

An evaluator based 300+ miles from your home will quote a travel surcharge or decline the project. Look for an evaluator whose service area explicitly includes your county.

HECS: Headquartered in La Grange, KY (Oldham County, Louisville metro). Serves all 120 Kentucky counties. Major service areas: Louisville Metro, Lexington, Bowling Green, Northern KY, Owensboro, Richmond.

4. Years of experience and project volume

FORTIFIED designation has been active since 2008 and the standards evolve. An evaluator with 5+ years of FORTIFIED experience has worked through program revisions and edge cases.

HECS: Founded 2009. Has performed FORTIFIED Roof evaluations continuously through every major program revision. 90+ projects completed across Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, West Virginia, Kansas, and Missouri.

5. Independence from the roofing contractor

If the evaluator is owned by, affiliated with, or routinely works for the same roofer who installs the roof, the FORTIFIED designation is compromised. Per IBHS rules, the evaluator’s documentation must be independent.

HECS: Independent third-party testing firm. Works for the homeowner, not the roofer. Coordinates with whichever contractor the homeowner selects.

6. Pre-roof, mid-roof, and post-roof inspection capability

FORTIFIED requires three on-site visits: before tear-off, during deck exposure, and after final covering. An evaluator who offers only one “final inspection” is not doing the FORTIFIED process.

HECS: Performs all three site visits on every project. Pre-roof documents existing deck. Mid-roof photographs attachment, sealed deck, and nail pattern. Post-roof verifies covering and drip edge.

7. Documentation submission to IBHS

The evaluator submits the FORTIFIED designation package to IBHS for the official certificate. Some evaluators stop after on-site inspection; the homeowner never gets the certificate. Confirm the evaluator handles the IBHS submission.

HECS: HECS handles the entire IBHS submission: photo package, measurements, contractor coordination notes, designation form. IBHS issues the certificate; HECS forwards it to the homeowner.

8. Fixed-fee pricing transparency

Hourly billing on an FORTIFIED evaluation creates open-ended costs and uncertain timelines. Fixed-fee proposals with travel cost quoted up front are the standard.

HECS: Fixed-fee proposals returned within 24 hours. Travel cost quoted up front so the invoice matches the proposal. No hourly billing.

9. Communication and project management

FORTIFIED evaluation is a multi-week process with multiple site visits and coordination touchpoints. The evaluator’s communication responsiveness matters.

HECS: Single point of contact from scoping call through IBHS certificate. Email and phone. 24-hour proposal turnaround. Coordination calls with your contractor included.

Where HECS fits

HECS satisfies all 9 criteria above. HECS is independently verified as both IBHS-trained (fortifiedhome.org) and Kentucky SKH-approved (skh.ky.gov). The firm has been performing FORTIFIED evaluations continuously since 2009 and serves every Kentucky county from its La Grange headquarters. HECS is the third-party evaluator your roofing contractor is required to coordinate with — not affiliated with any roofing contractor.

If you are a Kentucky homeowner researching FORTIFIED options, HECS is a fit if you want:

An independent third-party evaluator (not a roofer)
A fixed-fee quote with travel quoted up front
A pre-roof / mid-roof / post-roof inspection process
Full IBHS submission handling
SKH grant eligibility (if applying)
Coverage in your county (HECS serves all 120 Kentucky counties)

Questions to ask any evaluator before hiring

Are you listed on the IBHS FORTIFIED Home Provider Locator? Show me your listing.
Are you listed on the Kentucky SKH evaluator directory (if applying for SKH)?
How many FORTIFIED evaluations have you completed in Kentucky?
Do you perform pre-roof, mid-roof, and post-roof inspections?
Do you handle the IBHS submission or do I?
Is your fee fixed or hourly?
Are you independent of my roofing contractor?

How to contact HECS

Phone: (502) 643-7160
Email: [email protected]
Web: hecsusa.com