Roofing on the coast: Grand Bay, Bayou La Batre, Coden and Dauphin Island
The southwest corner of Mobile County takes the hurricane first and hardest: Frederic over Dauphin Island, Sally's 97-mph gust there, Isaias with gusts to 65 and a 3-to-5-foot surge forecast. Roofs here are built for salt and wind or they don't last.
The coastal end of Mobile County is a different roofing climate from the city. Dauphin Island, Bayou La Batre, Coden, Alabama Port and Heron Bay sit on the water, Grand Bay, Irvington and St. Elmo a few miles back on Highway 90 and 188, and every hurricane that comes up the Gulf tests them first: Frederic came ashore over Dauphin Island in 1979 as a Category 4, Sally gusted to 97 mph there in 2020 while the city saw 81, and the Isaias forecast gave the coast sustained 25 to 35 with gusts to 65 and a 3-to-5-foot surge. Salt air corrodes plain galvanized metal and cheap fasteners in a decade. Many of the houses are raised on pilings, which puts the roof higher in the wind, and the shrimp-boat and seafood economy of Bayou La Batre means a lot of commercial metal on docks and processing buildings.
What works here is specified for it. Galvalume or aluminum standing seam with stainless or coated fasteners, clipped and fastened to the site's design pressures, is the right roof for most houses on the water, and it can be FORTIFIED for the insurance discount; a Class H shingle roof built FORTIFIED, with the sealed deck and adhered starter, is the budget alternative and does well on the inland streets of Grand Bay and Irvington. The Strengthen Alabama Homes grant covers primary residences throughout Mobile County, up to $10,000 toward a FORTIFIED Roof, and coastal wind premiums are high enough that the FORTIFIED discount is the biggest in the county. Permits go through Mobile County Public Works for the unincorporated areas and through the Town of Dauphin Island and the City of Bayou La Batre inside their limits. After a storm we work the coast on the same priority list as the city, with tarps as soon as the wind drops and the surge recedes.
What we do in Grand Bay & Bayou La Batre
Coastal metal systems
Galvalume and aluminum standing seam and 5V with stainless or coated fasteners, tested to site pressures, FORTIFIED-eligible.
Replacements built FORTIFIED
Sealed deck, ring-shank nails, Class H shingles, adhered starter, wind-rated vents, evaluator-verified for the biggest discounts in the county.
Hurricane tarping and repair
Tarps as soon as the wind drops and the surge recedes, repairs in daylight, documented for the claim.
Raised-house roofing
Staging and safety for roofs on pilings and elevated homes on the water.
Commercial metal on the water
R-panel and standing seam on seafood processing buildings, docks and shops in Bayou La Batre and Coden.
County, town and city permits
Mobile County, Dauphin Island or Bayou La Batre, pulled and itemized.
Streets and areas we cover
- Highway 90 west
- Grand Bay Wilmer Road
- Highway 188
- Bayou La Batre
- Coden
- Irvington
- Dauphin Island
- Dauphin Island Parkway south
- Alabama Port
- Heron Bay
- St. Elmo
- Fowl River south
Roofing services in Grand Bay & Bayou La Batre
- Roof repair and leaks, inspections, gutters and guards, attic ventilation
- Hurricane and wind damage, 24/7 emergency tarping, insurance claims
- Roof replacement, FORTIFIED roofs and the $10,000 grant, architectural shingles, metal roofing, commercial roofing
Questions from Grand Bay & Bayou La Batre homeowners
Is a shingle roof a mistake on Dauphin Island?
Not if it's built FORTIFIED with Class H shingles, a sealed deck and an adhered starter. Metal does better in salt air and holds its looks longer, and most owners on the water choose it, but a properly built shingle roof passes the same evaluator and earns the same discount.
Why do coastal metal roofs rust?
Plain galvanized panels and uncoated screws. Within a few miles of the Gulf we specify Galvalume or aluminum with stainless or coated fasteners and seal the cut edges. That's the difference between ten years and fifty.
How much is the FORTIFIED discount on the coast?
IBHS reports 25 to 35 percent off the wind portion of the premium for FORTIFIED Roof with most Alabama carriers, and on the coast wind is most of the premium, so the dollar savings are the largest in the county. Ask your agent for the figure with the certificate in hand.
How soon after a hurricane can you reach Bayou La Batre?
As soon as the wind drops and the roads clear of surge; the coast is often a day behind the city because of the water. Photograph everything from the ground as soon as it's safe, and call us so you're on the list.
Nearby: Theodore · Tillmans Corner · West Mobile · Midtown · full service area