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Home/Service Areas/Louisiana/LaPlace/Roof Weatherproofing

Roof Weatherproofing in LaPlace, LA

Big Easy Roofing weatherproofs roofs across LaPlace and the east bank of St. John the Baptist Parish against wind and wind-driven rain. There are two ways to pay for a FORTIFIED roof, and they start in opposite order. Getting that wrong is the most expensive mistake on this page.

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Two routesGrant or self-funded
Grant firstWait to be selected
Over 87%Of the parish is a FEMA flood hazard area
5 year certificateRenewed by an Evaluator

LaPlace roof weatherproofing at a glance

Weatherproofing to the FORTIFIED Roof standard can be paid for two ways: a Louisiana Fortify Homes grant, or your own money with an insurance discount to follow. The two routes start in opposite order, and in St. John the Baptist Parish the grant route carries a flood policy condition worth checking first.

The four upgrades

Named by IBHS

Sealed roof deck, ring-shank fastening on the covering, reinforced edges at the drip edge and starter course, and a wind-rated covering (ASTM D7158 Class H or D3161 Class F). Impact resistance is a separate optional Hail Supplement, not part of the base standard.

Grant route

Selection comes first

The Louisiana Department of Insurance says homeowners should wait to see if they are selected before contacting an Evaluator or a contractor, because the program manages that selection. Work started before approval is not eligible.

Self-funded route

Evaluator comes first

Without a grant, the Evaluator is booked before the work starts, because an Evaluator cannot certify a roof that has already been closed up. The certificate is then shared with the insurer for a discount on the premium.

Grant status

Registration closed, as read

St. John the Baptist is an eligible parish and the grant is up to $10,000. As read on 26 September 2026, the LDI page says lottery registration is closed and further rounds will be announced later.

The flood policy condition

Grant route only

At application the program asks for a homestead exemption, a policy with wind coverage and, for a home in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, a flood insurance policy. The parish says over 87% of St. John the Baptist Parish carries that designation.

The certificate itself

5 years, IBHS Evaluator

A FORTIFIED certificate is issued by an Evaluator, not by a roofer, and it runs for five years. Renewal needs the home reinspected. A roofer builds to the standard; the Evaluator certifies it.

Every figure on this page is an estimate, not a quote, and is subject to Big Easy Roofing sign off. Cost and timescale depend on size, pitch, access, weather, materials and whatever is found once work starts, so call Big Easy Roofing on (504) 800-8196 and we will come out and give you an estimate for your own roof.

Most weatherproofing advice is about which upgrades to buy. In LaPlace the more useful question comes first: which route is paying for them. The two routes are not variations of one process. On the self-funded route the homeowner books an Evaluator before any work, because an Evaluator cannot inspect a deck that has been covered. On the grant route the Louisiana Department of Insurance tells homeowners to wait until they are selected before contacting an Evaluator or a contractor, because the program manages that step itself. Do the self-funded sequence while hoping for a grant, and the grant is gone.

Every figure on this page is an estimate, not a quote, and is subject to Big Easy Roofing sign off. Call Big Easy Roofing on (504) 800-8196 before anyone starts work on a LaPlace roof you might want certified.

Two routes to a FORTIFIED roof, side by side

Both routes end in the same roof and the same five year certificate. What differs is who chooses the Evaluator and the contractor, what has to be in place before anything starts, and who pays for what. The first row is the one that catches people out.

QuestionLouisiana Fortify Homes grantSelf-funded, discount to followWhy it matters
Who moves firstWait to be selected before contacting an Evaluator or contractorBook the Evaluator before any work startsThe two orders are opposites, so doing one while hoping for the other can lose the grant
What must be in placeHomestead exemption, a policy with wind coverage, and a flood policy if the home is in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard AreaNo LFHP grant application conditions; the FORTIFIED Evaluator and standard still applyIn a parish that is over 87% flood hazard area, the flood policy line is worth checking early
Who picks the professionalsManaged through the grant programThe homeownerOn the grant route, a contractor chosen early is a problem rather than a head start
Who paysUp to $10,000 paid directly to the contractor; the homeowner covers anything above it and the evaluation feesThe homeowner, all of itNeither route makes the evaluation free
What scope countsThe entire, contiguous roof covering; patching and partial repairs are not eligibleWhatever meets the standard at inspectionRoof patching and partial repairs are not eligible for LFHP grant funding; on the self-funded route the Evaluator says whether a scope can meet the FORTIFIED standard

Conditions on the grant column are as published by the Louisiana Department of Insurance, read 26 September 2026, and they can change between rounds. Every figure on this page is an estimate rather than a quote. Where the covering is coming off anyway, the roof replacement page is the one to read alongside this.

The grant conditions, and the one St. John makes harder to ignore

The Fortify Homes grant sets conditions before a single shingle moves. Most are the same anywhere in Louisiana. The flood policy condition is not, because it only applies inside a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, and the parish says over 87% of St. John the Baptist Parish is designated one.

What the program asks for at application

Three conditions

A homestead exemption on the primary residence, a policy of insurance that provides wind coverage, and a flood insurance policy if the home is in a special flood hazard area. The program says its staff verify the homestead exemption and the flood zone themselves, and the insurance declarations pages are uploaded before contractor selection.

Why that line matters more here

Over 87% of the parish

The parish Flood Protection page says over 87% of St. John the Baptist Parish has been designated by FEMA as a Special Flood Hazard Area, in Zones AE and VE. That is a share of the parish, not a statement about your house. The Floodplain Manager on (985) 651-5565 can tell you which zone an address is in.

The order the program sets

Selected, then professionals

The program says to wait to see if you are selected before contacting an Evaluator or a contractor, and that homeowners who select a contractor and begin work before approval are not eligible. It also says the grant cannot be used by a homeowner who fortifies first and applies afterwards.

Permits still apply

The Permit Division

The program makes the homeowner responsible for making sure the contractor receives all applicable building permits. Louisiana requires any municipality or parish that issues construction permits to permit and inspect roof construction and reroofing, at R.S. 37:3737(I). Scope questions go to the Permit Division on (985) 651-5565.

What the discount is worth

LDI says a FORTIFIED certificate can be shared with the insurer for a discount on the policy premium. Louisiana R.S. 22:1483 requires insurers to provide an actuarially justified adjustment for homes built or retrofitted to the fortified standards, and it names no parish limit.

The size of any adjustment varies by insurer and policy, so this page does not predict one. Louisiana R.S. 37:2159.1 stops a roofing contractor from interpreting an insurance policy on your behalf, and that boundary is respected here. Ask your own carrier.

Past claims have to be disclosed

The program asks applicants to report all homeowner claims filed in the past five years, whether or not anything was paid, and says a claim payout for roof damage that was not spent on the roof could affect the grant amount. The current grant status is on our storm damage page as well.

We do not advise on claims or coverage. We can tell you what a FORTIFIED scope on your roof involves, once the program or you have decided the route.

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The four upgrades, and which one to do first

Whichever route pays, the roof is the same four upgrades. If only some can be done now, the sealed roof deck comes first, because it is the one that keeps working after wind has taken the covering off. Partial upgrades are worth doing but do not earn a certificate.

Wind removes the covering more often than the deck

A named storm can strip a covering off a house and leave the deck in place. Ordinary underlayment is not sealed at the deck seams, so wind-driven rain gets through it. A sealed roof deck stops the rain at the deck, which is why IBHS calls it a second line of defence.

Ring-shank fastening and reinforced edges keep the covering on for longer, and a wind-rated covering resists uplift. Many stock architectural shingles already carry that rating.

Only the full standard earns the certificate

All four together meet the FORTIFIED Roof standard. One or two of them are worth doing on their own merits, but they do not earn a certificate, and without a certificate there is no discount route.

Class 4 impact resistance is the optional Hail Supplement, a separate decision priced on its own.

Good repair comes first

For the grant, the program requires the home to be in good repair as determined by a FORTIFIED Evaluator. As our own practice on either route, a roof with a live leak or soft decking is a repair or replacement conversation before it is a weatherproofing one.

Big Easy Roofing Process

Four steps. The first one decides the order of everything after it, because the grant route and the self-funded route start in opposite places.

A roofer fitting a sealed underlayment membrane on a LaPlace roof deck for a FORTIFIED retrofit
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01

01 Decide the route before anyone is booked

If you want the grant, nothing is booked until the program selects you, and the program manages the choice of Evaluator and contractor. If you are paying yourself, the Evaluator is booked before any work starts.

02

02 Scope the four upgrades

Sealed roof deck, ring-shank fastening, reinforced edges and a wind-rated covering, across the entire, contiguous covering. The Permit Division on (985) 651-5565 answers scope questions.

03

03 Build to the standard, with the Evaluator involved

The Evaluator inspects and documents the work as the FORTIFIED process requires.

04

04 Take the certificate to the insurer

The certificate runs for five years. Share it with your insurer; what it is worth on your policy is between you and the carrier. Call (504) 800-8196 to talk the route through.

Everything else we do in LaPlace

The rest of the Big Easy Roofing services available in LaPlace, each with its own page and written estimate. Weatherproofing usually happens during a replacement, so where the covering is due to come off anyway that page is the one to read alongside this.

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LaPlace Roof Weatherproofing FAQs

The two routes to a FORTIFIED roof, the conditions on the grant, and the flood policy line that matters more in St. John the Baptist Parish than most places.