Deciding to get hurricane windows can be a big step which means you probably have questions about hurricane windows. The Window Guys of South Florida is here to help answer the questions you may have.
When your old windows are worn out, they’ll need replacing, especially if you live in South Florida where hurricanes tend to visit. Many homeowners, old and new, have probably never had to change windows. It’s one of the best decisions you can make living in South Florida but that doesn’t answer the questions you have about hurricane windows. Here are some answers to a few things you’re probably considering.
What’s a Good Budget for This Process?
When having new windows installed, it’s reasonable to have a budget planned out for it. The budget for hurricane windows will be higher than normal windows, but you’ll need to ask the company supplying and installing the windows what would work best for your wants and needs. They should be open about setting a price estimate and how much it will be in the end. This is the best way to prepare for what the price will be.
What Options are Available?
Like a typical window replacement, hurricane windows have a number of different options that homeowners will love. You can choose from different styles, colors, hardware, and other elements that make your hurricane windows your own. Customizing those details will give you the hurricane windows that you love.
How Long Will These Windows Last?
You won’t have to worry about changing these windows for a long time. These windows are built durable and use materials that won’t let you down. Hurricane windows will typically last for 8 – 10 years but could go on for even longer than that. Having these windows installed properly will ensure that they last as long as possible.
What Do You Recommend?
If you’ve never had windows installed, the professionals at The Window Guys can help. Since every home is different, our experts will need to see your home in order to give a proper recommendation. Let our team know every detail you can to help make an even better recommendation.
Get Hurricane Windows
The Window Guys of South Florida want to help your home look better and be more protected. We’ve been helping South Florida residents find the perfect hurricane windows for years and we can do the same for you. If you have any more questions or you’re looking to get hurricane windows installed, visit our contact page today.
If you’ve been living in South Florida, then you’re more than aware of the threat of hurricanes and strong weather. This shouldn’t be much of a mystery considering Florida gets hit with the most storms in the United States each year. Since the risk of dangerous weather is so high in South Florida, it’s best to protect yourself before it’s too late. One of the best ways to protect yourself and your home is to install impact windows.
Impact windows are one of the proven ways to protect your home without having to sacrifice time or aesthetics. The Window Guys have put together 10 reasons why people install impact windows to help you see their true value.
Reduce Your Energy Bills
It’s not the main reason why people install impact windows, but it’s one of the best benefits they have, besides protecting your home of course. Impact windows have great insulation which helps control the climate inside your home. This reduces the amount of work our air conditioning unit has to do, resulting in less energy consumption. Impact windows will save you money on your eclectic bill year after year.
Install Impact Windows and Add Value to Your Home
Installing impact windows is one of the easiest ways to add value to your home. South Florida is known for its extreme storms, so adding windows that protect against these will interest buyers much more than a home without them.
Extend the Life of Your Air Conditioning Unit
As we mentioned before, impact windows have amazing insulation. This means that your air conditioning unit will be on less, increasing its life expectancy and efficiency.
Permanent Protection Against Storms
This is the main and most important reason why people install impact windows. Rather than rushing out a week before a storm hits and buying shutters, impact windows will give you protection from storms permanently.
Add Curb Appeal to Your Home
With today’s technology, it’s now possible to create impact windows without sacrificing aesthetics. They often look better than the normal windows you have on your house currently. Installing impact windows will add instant curb appeal to your home.
Protection Against Intruders
While impact windows are meant to keep out storms, they also help with keeping out intruders as well. If they can hold up against hurricane winds, then they’ll be able to withstand someone trying to force their way in.
Noise Reduction
If you live somewhere with lots of noise, impact windows can reduce the noise. Since they’re thick and insulated, they help block noise.
Easy to Operate
Impact window operation is no different than normal window operation. They’re just as easy to use and require no special technique.
Insurance Premium Discounts
Insurance companies in states with high frequencies of storms will see impact windows as a heightened safety measure. This will give you insurance premium discounts.
UV Damage Protection
UV damage can cause damage to items inside such as wood, fabric, carpets, and everything else. If you install impact windows, they will block these UV rays and protect the items in your home.
Install Impact Windows Today
Installing impact windows can provide lots of benefits for your home. If these reasons have convinced you to get them installed, have The Window Guys install them today! Visit our contact page to get started or if you have any questions.
What Makes Impact Glass Different from Regular Glass?
Impact glass is designed to protect your Florida home during a severe weather event, like a hurricane. Standard glass windows are made of a single layer of glass, called float glass, that breaks into large shards when something hits it. Not only are these shards extremely sharp and dangerous, the open window now leaves the home interior vulnerable to wind, rain, and debris from the raging storm — not what anyone wants or needs during a hurricane.
Door glass, however, is different than window glass. Doors are made with tempered glass, which is designed to break into small, relatively harmless pieces. Tempered glass is heated and quickly cooled to create tension and strength in the glass and forces the glass to break into small pieces upon impact. However, tempered glass will shatter, so it’s not a perfect solution for homes affected by hurricanes and severe weather.
The solution is impact glass. Florida Impact glass is made by sealing two pieces of glass to an interior resin layer that’s incredibly strong. Instead of shattering upon impact, the glass pieces stay adhered to the resin, leaving the window broken but intact and the home’s interior protected. Impact glass is the ideal building material for homes in areas impacted by hurricanes and can be used to build extreme weather-resistant windows and doors.
How to Tell if a Door Has Impact Glass
Because severe weather glass is created by laminating several layers of materials together, certain “tells” set it apart from standard or tempered glass.
Check the corners for permanent Etched Marks: Impact glass requires more time and resources to manufacture. Many companies will include an etched mark in their glass, so homeowners have no doubts about the quality of the materials installed in their home.
There May Be a Temporary Label: A temporary sticker or label is another way manufacturers set their impact glass apart. If your door is new, you’ll likely be able to find a sticker to let you know it’s impact-resistant.
Look for reflections: Because of impact glass’s multiple layers, you can see multiple reflections in the glass. Checking for two or more reflections in the glass is a way to tell that it’s impact-resistant, even if there are no stickers or etched labels present.
Ask an Expert: If you’re unsure about the caliber of the product in your home, don’t hesitate to call in a glass expert who can verify the type of glass.
Work With the Professionals at The Window Guys of Florida: We rigorously test, design, and certify our impact glass offering for the most extreme weather conditions.
When you choose ODL products, you can be sure you’re getting the highest level of value in a weather-resistant glass.
Live in a Hurricane Zone? Your Front Door Should Be Impact Glass
Compared to the rest of the glass windows in your home, you might not think that your front door would pose a risk in the event of a hurricane or other extreme weather. But, the truth is that damage to entryways and windows causes more destruction to the home than most other factors due to the relative pressure differences inside the home compared to outside during a storm.
Impact glass from The Window Guys of Florida is a superior safety product and has undergone rigorous testing, including missile impact, water infiltration, structural loading, and forced air infiltration tests. We design our severe weather door glass products for wind-borne debris regions and high-velocity hurricane zones, and they are certified to meet Florida building codes.
This can make building and remodeling easier in hurricane zones. For example, our impact glass is approved by the Florida Building Commission for substitution in any glazed door or sidelight. That means that homeowners and remodelers won’t need to perform any additional testing to meet the building codes. Instead, they’ll simply have to provide the building inspector with documentation of our product’s approvals.
However, our severe weather products are also beautiful. The Window Guys of Florida offers a wide array of decorative door glass options that include impact glass. Whether a project needs a pop of modern privacy glass, traditional caming, in-door blinds, or classic clear glass, The Window Guys of Florida’s Severe Weather line has you covered.
It’s critical that your doors are equipped with the impact glass you need to stay safe. Not sure if your home is covered? Keep reading to learn more about identifying impact glass.
Where To Buy Hurricane Impact Doors in Florida
If you are looking to replace a broken window or change out your existing windows to hurricane impact windows, then look no further than The Window Guys of Florida. We stock only the highest quality impact windows in all of South Florida. We possess the technology and expertise to install hurricane impact windows to protect your home and loved ones. Contact us today or give us a call at (561) 598-6295 to speak to an impact window professional and get started on the road to installing hurricane impact windows.
It’s no secret that Florida is smack dab in the middle of the hurricane basin. Each year Floridians watch the forecast during hurricane season with bated breath. Crossing their fingers that a catastrophic hurricane will not make landfall. Having lived through a few Category 4-5 hurricanes in recent history and especially after Hurricane Katrina, many Florida homeowners have been increasingly making the switch to Hurricane Impact Windows. Hurricane windows have become a popular choice in South Florida. They are made to withstand the strong winds of tropical storms and hurricanes, as well as debris that is blown around by the wind during a hurricane. Hurricane winds can become so furious that they fling around tree branches and other debris as if they were light as a feather, sometimes striking your windows.
But will your Florida hurricane impact windows survive a direct hit? How strong are hurricane windows? Are impact glass windows and doors impenetrable? Can a hurricane break your windows? These and many other questions are at the forefront of Florida homeowner’s minds.
Will Hurricane Windows Break?
Can hurricanes break impact windows? Can windows break from the wind? The simple answer is yes. Glass is glass and glass breaks. And because impact windows are made from glass yes can break. That is because they are impact-resistant and not impact-proof. Impact glass is designed to resist heavy blows, and for this reason, it has become the mainstay in windshields for cars, trucks, and busses and more recently house windows. Just like a car windshield, however, it can break if hit hard enough.
How Are Impact Glass Windows Made?
Florida Hurricane Impact windows are constructed with three individual layers. The two outer layers are made of glass, while the inside layer is a polyvinyl butyral (PVD) compound. These three layers are fused together via the process of lamination or heat treatment. Once cured or cooled, the resulting glass is strong and durable. In fact, it is so strong that the glass can withstand continuous wind speeds of up to 200 mph or direct strikes by wood, stones, and other debris.
Post-hurricane surveys have determined that damage sustained by most buildings is a direct result of a breach of other parts of the structure such as doors and roofs, and not from the impact windows failing. This is a direct result of the years of research and development that has gone into developing Florida Impact Windows.
What Happens If Your Impact Window Breaks?
We have established that impact glass can break, with the right conditions including high wind speed and debris. But what happens when impact windows break? What should you do if they break during a hurricane? Well the internal PVD polymer keeps the glass from shattering in the same manner as typical windows. This means that while an impact window can shatter, the glass will remain in place, giving you continued protection during the storm. For this reason, hurricane windows are an excellent choice in South Florida, not just for the safety they offer in storms, but also as a way of preventing break-ins.
Can Broken Impact Windows Be Repaired?
Impact windows that have been damaged or even broken during a storm can be easily replaced. Our team of hurricane window replacement and repair experts are trained in the removal and installation of Florida Impact windows and doors. The experts at The Window Guys of Florida have years of experience in providing the best impact windows in South Florida. Out-certified window professionals will expertly assess the amount of damage done to your property and provide you with a FREE quote for replacement. Our first-class team of installers will then set about removing the existing broken glass and inserting the new glass in its place. The beauty of our impact windows is in their construction. They are modular in design so you oftentimes only have to replace the glass and not the entire window (depending on the level of damage)
Where To Buy Hurricane Impact Windows and Doors in Florida
If you are looking to replace a broken window or change out your existing windows to hurricane-impact windows, then look no further than The Window Guys of Florida. We stock only the highest-quality impact windows in all of South Florida. We possess the technology and expertise to install hurricane-impact windows to protect your home and loved ones. Contact us today or give us a call at (561) 598-6295 to speak to an impact window professional and get started on the road to installing hurricane impact windows. We serve all of South Florida including Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and Delray Beach.
Plastpros new High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) impact doors meet the toughest wind and impact code requirements in the United States. When you choose Plastpro as your door manufacturer, you are choosing to have the best impact door technology on the market. Plastpros attention to detail provides you with many choices for choosing the perfect door that suits your style that will protect your property for many years.
1.) Hydroshield Technology
HydroShield Technology provides protection to all sides of the door that will stop warping, delamination, corrosion, rotting, and the buildup of mold and mildew.
This technology is great for property owners who are affected by lots of rain or flooding. Anytime you have the doors’ internal structure exposed to moisture you decrease the lifespan of the door exponentially due to the wood not being properly treated.
This happens more often than you would think because most doors also don’t have the best sweeps or proper treatment of the wood to prevent the elements from getting inside. The only way to fix a door that has had water damage is by replacing it. Choose Plastpro composite impact doors if you want to eliminate the issue of water damage.
2.) Tested To Withstand Flying Debris at 200mph
Having the HVHZ stamp of approval means the product has been tested to withstand debris at 200mph.
Hopefully, you are never in a situation where you need to shelter in place while a 200mph hurricane is coming towards your path, however it is very nice to know that the best engineering techniques have been implemented into Plastpro impact doors for storms with vicious speeds.
Not only does this bring peace of mind, but in Miami-Dade & Broward Country it’s now mandatory that all new construction be met with HVHZ approved materials. Impact building materials also get tested for air pressure, water penetration, and structural integrity. Plastpro impact doors passed the test.
3.) Lower Insurance, Improve Home Safety & Increase The Value Of Your Property
Preparing for a major storm with Plastpro impact doors is as simple as just closing the door. The days of needing to board up your door are over; however, if you feel the need to board up still, it’s never a bad idea. After installing doors from Plastpro we have seen property owners get rewarded with lower insurance payments. Make sure to ask your insurance provider if they offer any benefits for homes installed with impact doors.
Let’s take it a step further and talk about the protection they provide against burglars. Most burglars look for weak points in a window or door, with the ability to withstand flying debris at 200mph, it’s going to take a lot of force and a lot of noise for a burglar to get into your property. Our impact door selection is just as strong as ourimpact windows.
Lastly, the value of having impact doors installed on your property is huge for resale value. Property buyers try to eliminate the need for any extra expenses after purchase and having impact windows and doors is one of the most requested features to have on a property in Florida. You drastically improve your chances of a successful exit in a competitive landscape where most properties have already taken the initiative to these items installed.
What To Do Next?
The Window Guys of Florida will be happy to provide you with a free estimate for all of your impact windows and door needs. Simply contact us by submitting a form or just give us a call at (561) 598-6295 and one of our experienced reps will be happy to give you a quote today!
They’ve gone from an interesting new home product to an increasingly popular and valuable property addition over these past years in South Florida. In fact, almost every other property you see in your neighborhood or the surrounding areas has impact windows installed into them. But if you are out of the many who still don’t have such models on their home or another property type, you should consider having them installed. You should especially consider having them installed if any of the following items are applicable to you.
You Don’t Want to Keep Setting up & Taking Down Shutters
A lot of time goes into hurricane preparation and one of the most time-consuming activities involved includes setting up and taking down shutters. Right before the hurricane comes, you’ll often need to spend a good portion of your day just to properly set up shutters, and even after the hurricane is gone, you’ll have to use up your time again just to take them down and properly store them away.
Instead of wasting your time, save the hassle and just have hurricane windows installed. Once they’re installed into your property, you won’t need to fret about prepping them for impact because they’re already made to deal with such.
You Want to Increase Property Value
Property is a very valuable asset in the modern world. It’s for this reason alone that you’ll want to try to maintain its value or even increase it before you move out and sell it. And if you’re trying to raise it, you might find that simple renovations, such as installing hurricane windows, is more than enough to substantially increase property value.
Once impact windows are installed, your property’s value will rise significantly. As a result, potential buyers will acknowledge the value of your property and you’ll be able to sell it at a higher price.
You Want to Increase Property Efficiency
One of the biggest reasons countless people choose to get windows installed in their homes is to increase property efficiency. Most older model windows leak air, raise energy bills, and even making property interiors uncomfortable to reside in. By getting new hurricane windows installed, you can get the absolute greatest efficiency your home can handle. Hurricane windows seal the home uptight and you might notice an immediate difference in the comfort levels you have. More so, because of their tight seal, you’ll be able to lower your energy bills.
Do Any of These Factors Apply to You? If so, Call The Window Guys of Florida Today!
If any of the aforementioned factors apply to you, then pick up the phone and get in contact with the experts over at The Window Guys of Florida for their high-end work. The Window Guys are well-connected with numerous impact window manufacturers and they can give you the hurricane windows you need that you can’t find anywhere else. Once they’re fitted into your property, we can guarantee that you’ll be absolutely happy with their quality as you’re added to The Window Guys of Florida’s growing list of satisfied customers. For any inquiries, you may call us at (561) 598-6295 or visit their contact page.
