Business Spotlight- Strengthening roofs and communities

By Cara Pridemore

Living in a coastal town comes with benefits and challenges. Along with the beautiful scenery comes an increased risk of tropical storms and hurricanes. In the past six years, two major hurricanes, Zeta and Ida, have caused significant damage across the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Louisiana. For nearly two decades, Gulfport native Brandon Hoda has served his community through Xtreme Roofing, helping homeowners recover from storms and protect their homes from future damage. What has sustained his work throughout the years is a deep commitment to the customers and community he serves.

Since its founding in 2008, Xtreme Roofing has been based on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, though Hoda’s licensing also extends to Louisiana. Hoda is both a general contractor and a real estate broker associate, giving him a unique perspective on how roofing impacts home values and insurance costs.

In recent years, Xtreme Roofing has begun fortifying roofs, a process that strengthens them against severe weather and ultimately provides better insurance premiums for different insurance companies and providers.

“We build a stronger roof, instead of just a normal roof replacement where you tear the shingles and everything off and put the shingles and felt back on,” Hoda said. “We take extra steps to build it a little bit stronger.”

The fortification process includes re-nailing the deck according to a specified nail pattern and applying an ice and water shield on the deck. The result is two layers of felt, an underlayment between the deck and shingles, that provide added protection against water intrusion.

“If all of your shingles come off during a storm, you still have that protection there,” Hoda said. “It stays on the deck, and it helps prevent any water from getting inside the house.”

Hoda’s work with fortifying roofs stems from a deeper commitment to helping customers weather storms.

“We’ve got a lot of experience with storm work,” he said. “After Zeta, we’ve done hundreds of roofs. And we’ve done hundreds of roofs in Louisiana after Ida.”

When a storm first hits, preventing water from entering the home is critical. In the immediate aftermath, Hoda sends out tarping crews to install felt on top of the roof, providing temporary protection until a repair crew can replace and fortify the roof.

To better help with storm preparation, Xtreme Roofing also keeps a fully stocked warehouse of supplies.

“When a storm hits, you’ve got every roofing contractor running down to Home Depot or these supply stores getting material for their jobs, which causes a supply issue,” Hoda said. “What we do is buy directly from the manufacturer, and we have our supplies delivered in straight to our location from our eighteen-wheelers.”

According to Hoda, having a quality roof is just as important during everyday weather as it is during severe storms. For sellers, a new roof can increase the appraisal value of a home. For buyers, a new roof can help reduce insurance premiums and ultimately lower monthly mortgage costs.

“I would tell every homeowner to have your roof inspected at least yearly or bi-yearly,” Hoda said. “It’s a win-win on both the buyers and the sellers of having a new roof put on the house before the sale or right after the sale.”

Hoda’s desire to serve his community has remained a driving force throughout his career. He gives to multiple generations, offering discounts for military, senior citizens and first responders, and to schools and youth sports associations.

“If we’ve got an extra little bit of money, we feel like we should be able to spread the wealth,” Hoda said. “We give to the needy kids or parents who can’t afford to have Christmas for their kids. I was one of those kids, so that touches a special part of my heart to be able to give to them.”

Hoda’s love for the Coast has helped him cultivate long-term relationships with his customers.

“We’re going to be here before, during and after storms,” Hoda said. “We’re not going to disappear, and we want to make sure that if you have a problem with your roof after we do it, we want you to call us.”