Why Your Home Needs High-Impact Windows and Doors
Living in Florida often brings envy to many of our out-of-state friends. While they get to visit for vacation, we get to enjoy it year-round: basking in the warm sunshine, walking the most beautiful beaches, and sipping iced beverages beneath the palm trees. When hurricane season comes around, however, the casual joy we share can give way to stress as we scramble to prepare our homes for an impending storm.
Protecting your home—and your life’s possessions—from the threat of hurricanes is something every Florida homeowner should take very seriously. When wind speeds strengthen, the first part of the home to be breached is the weakest part: the windows. If your windows are not up to the task, then your home may be damaged or even destroyed by the intense wind pressure and flying projectiles commonly seen during hurricanes. This puts not only your greatest investment at risk but also the personal safety of you and your family. For this reason, you should consider upgrading your home with high-performance impact windows and doors.
High-impact windows and doors are designed to withstand hurricane-force winds and projectile strikes. They are put through a series of rigorous tests to ensure that they won’t compromise the integrity of your home during a hurricane. This allows you and your family to rest easy, knowing that your home can withstand whatever storms mother nature sends your way. While this is already an incredible and worthwhile achievement, high-impact windows and doors also provide other attractive benefits that make choosing them for your home an easy decision.
Besides protecting your home, high-performance impact windows and doors can:
1) Lower energy costs. These windows are designed with multiple layers that significantly increase efficiency. This allows your home to stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. As a result, you won’t have to run the A/C or heat as much and your monthly energy bills will be lower than they would be with average windows and doors installed.
2) Improve home security. The laminated glass and strong frames used in high-impact windows help deter would-be intruders from breaking into your home. The same is true of impact doors, which are thicker and include various reinforcements. Both products are exceptionally difficult for someone to successfully breach.
3) Reduce street noise. With these windows and doors, your home will be noticeably quieter, especially if you live near a busy street. This is a nice feature that adds additional peace and comfort to daily living.
4) Lower insurance costs. Insurance companies will typically give discounts on property insurance costs if you have high-impact windows and doors installed.
5) Protect against UV rays. Additional layers can be added to high-impact windows to block the sun’s UV-rays from coming through. This protects your interior floors, walls, and furniture from material fading.
6) Increase your home’s resale value. Homes that install high-impact windows and doors receive an immediate boost in value. They also sell faster and rent for more than similar homes without.
Installing high-performance impact windows and doors is one of the best investments you can make for your Florida home. Besides the 24/7 protection from major storms and hurricanes, they offer many quality-of-life improvements and, ultimately, end up paying for themselves through the improvements in cost-savings and value added to your home. Instead of stressing over putting boards up when the next hurricane approaches, you can keep it casual since you’ll already be prepared for the biggest challenge of living in paradise.