Hurricane Resistant Homes – Part 6 OPENING PROTECTION
Moving right along from Part 5 on gable or hip shape.
Opening Protection? When the wind starts blowing things around it breaks windows and the like. This causes an increase in the internal pressure loading of the house and allows rain into the house.
HURRICANE SHUTTERS (OR IMPACT GLASS) ARE THE LARGEST SINGLE INSURANCE MITIGATION DISCOUNT.
Impact glass or shutters? Similar to roofs, opinions vary on this one. Impact glass is great. It’s always there whether you need it or not. BUT it’s very expensive, can break (but not breach, when impacted, can be scratched by blowing sand and the like, and since it’s typically a multi layer system with gas between layers they can leak this gas out leading to a moisture looking fog in the glazing. Any one of these would necessitate the change out of at least the glazing which is VERY expensive. If money is no object then go for it.
Shutters, the most important feature about shutters is that they get used. Accordion and Bahama shutters are expensive but the easiest to close up. The fabric coverings are also very easy to install but tend to go moldy if they are left rolled up in place. Clear panels are great as well. They are light weight and allow light in. Some people leave them up all year round but this can be dangerous is a fire or if some other need to escape your house comes up. Aluminium shutters are also light (er than steel). And, finally the good old steel shutters. I have Miami Dade approved steel shutters at my house and they are VERY heavy BUT I get a larger insurance discount even though they are stronger than what the building code requires in my area.
The best answer on this is most likely some combination of systems however to qualify for the insurance discount you must have 100% coverage of all opening including the garage door. Garage doors have been shown to be particularly susceptible to wind failures. The good news is that they are relatively inexpensive. At my house I can tell you that installing a 100% coverage system of Dade County approved shutters was re-paid in a SINGLE year of reduced insurance premiums. CLICK HERE TO SEE A POST I DID ON HOW TO CALCULATE THE ECONOMICS OF MITIGATION DISCOUNTS
One more tip. Make sure you have all the required nuts, bolts and fasteners for your system. When the storm is on the way these sell out quick.
That’s it for this series. Ig you have any questions please use the chat button on this page or call me at the office at 561-626-8550.
CLICK HERE to go back to the first post in this series of how to buy a hurricane resistant home.
