Hurricane, Storm, and Security Guide

With the increasing severity of storms, hurricane and storm and  protection products are becoming more imperative for your home or business.

This Blog will help you compare the pros and cons of various home/business protection products.

Protecting your home before a storm is the most economical and proactive way to protect your family and property.  There are numerous products which we explain below.

Storm Panel Hurricane Shutters

These steel or aluminum shutters attach to the walls around window and doors on bolts or tracks. Storm Panels are corrugated, and each piece overlaps the next for maximum strength. There are several styles of storm panels to choose from.

The style incorporates both track and bolts. The top of the panel is slipped into a track above the window, and the bottom of the panel is secured to bolts or tracking permanently attached beneath the window.

The second style uses a set of C-shaped tracks above and below the windows and doors. Bolts slide into the tracks from either side and must be manually aligned with the holes on the panels.

The third style uses only bolts permanently set into the wall beside the windows and doors.  they can be loosened as the panel is hung horizontally, and screwed down to secure it.

The biggest problem with storm panels is that homeowners don't check them they buy a home. Many discover later that panels are missing or were cut improperly, or are too heavy to install themselves.

Pros

-- Most inexpensive of the permanent shutter systems.

--Removable, so they don't change the look of the house when not in use

--Strong, and can provide excellent protection for both doors and windows.

Cons

--Require storage, but usually stack together tightly and take up little space

--Can be difficult to handle; hanging can require more than one person.

--Sometimes don't line up properly

--Have sharp edges.

Cost

Approx. $ 20.00 per square foot.

Roll-Down Hurricane/Security Shutters 

These shutters attach above the window. They roll up and store in an enclosed box when not in use.  They are lowered either manually by a hand crank or automatically by motorization. You can also have motorized with a manual override. These shutters have side channels where the slats slide to cover window or door area's. We have also used these shutters for garage doors and outdoor kitchens and cabana houses.

Pros

-- Are permanently affixed above the window or doors and don't require any extra storage space.

--Can easily be made storm-ready by one person.

--Offer some of the best Storm and Security protection, they make an excellent Security deterrent.
--Meets Florida Hurricane codes.

Cons

--Most expensive of the Storm/Security Protection Products.

--Motorized system may require optional manual override for use during power outages.

Cost

Approx. $ 20.00-$75.00 per square foot.

Cost depends on many factors...material we are attaching unit to, 1st/2nd floor etc., motorized or manual, wall switch or remote control, etc . . .

 Hurricane Fabric and Hurricane Roll-up Fabric

Hurricane EZ Slide Screen

This material is very similar to that used in our Sheerweave Shades but can withstand exterior elements. It is similar to the material used to cover swimming pools in the winter. Few, if any, types of window film as storm protection meet Florida hurricane codes, but many give some limited protection if properly installed. For this reason these fabrics screens should be initially  installed by a experienced installed, not the home owner.

There are numerous types of installation possibilities with these fabrics. Standard Mount Hurricane Fabric is the least expensive and we attach the Fabric directly to your home with hardware designed for this application.

We have multiple ways to utilize the Fabric for each specific preference and application needs.

We have the EZ Slide Panels (seen above) where we mount channels to your home and the screens slide into these channels.

We can also apply the Hurricane Fabric to a Roll-up system where the screen rolls into a box (or pack) over the window area. Side channels are used to hold the fabric in place. This is a great product because it can also be used for Solar Control and does not block your inside to outside view, will reduce UV ray and Solar Radiation.

--Pros

Fabric is very energy efficient, blocks at least 90% of UV Rays and significantly reduces Solar Radiation (heat).

Easy to store. can be rolled or folded.

Meets Florida Hurricane codes.

Does not make your home feel like a cave, you are able to see outside.

Many application types. Roll-up screens can even be motorized.

--Cons

Must be mounted and unmounted with some applications types.

Middle of the line protection, even though it meets Florida Hurricane codes.

Some applications have hardware showing on the exterior of your home of business.

Cost

Depends on the type of application that is desired . . .

Please see our next blog on an extensive discussion on Safety/Solar/Security Films