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Hurricane Guide 2006	Hurricane Preparation Guide 2006

The cost of keeping covered

Homeowners have a number of choices to protect their windows in a storm. The prices are as varied as the products.

By Times Staff
Published April 16, 2006

[Times photo: James Borchuck]

BAHAMA SHUTTERS: These offer a Key West look and can do double duty, shielding windows from sun. But a heavy-duty plate on the inside cuts off the view when shutters are closed. $25 a square foot.

	[Town & Country Industries]
	FULL-VIEW BAHAMA SHUTTERS: This aluminum product has moving louvers open to the view that can be snapped shut to provide hurricane protection. No backing plate is required. $30 per square foot. See them at www.tc-alum.com.
	[Force 12]
	STEEL-MESH SCREENS: These cover windows and doors yet allow filtered light inside. $40 per square foot. One brand is Storm Shield by Exeter; visit www.stormshield.net.
	[Force 12]
	MESH WIND SCREEN: Transparent polypropylene mesh wind screen — Force 12 is one brand — is attached at top and bottom with removable stainless-steel eye bolts. It cuts wind speed and slows objects that strike it. Mainly used in large areas — lanais, garages, big expanses of glass — it is frequently seen in commercial applications: buildings, offices, hospitals, fire stations. Home Safety Solutions of Oldsmar installed it at the entryways of the USF Sun Dome, which is a special-needs shelter. Price: $12 to $14 a square foot.
	The skinny on shutters The time to think about window protection is now, not when a storm is bearing down. Figure out what's right for you.

SOME OPTIONS

All prices given are approximate. Prices may vary depending on where the protection is to be installed (more expensive on higher floors that require ladders or scaffolding, for example), and anything custom-made will be more expensive than something off the shelf.

Five of the products - colonial shutters, roll-downs, Bahama shutters, accordions and screens - were photographed at the Florida House Learning Center, a demonstration project in Sarasota that showcases design strategies and technologies for living in Southwest Florida. The display of window protection gives consumers a chance to see the products in place at one location. A model "safe room" is also on display.

The house is at 4600 Beneva Road S, Sarasota, phone (941) 316-1200. The Web site is sarasota.extension.ufl.edu.

Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts or credits to homeowners who protect their windows. The Department of Community Affairs maintains a Web site with information about insurance incentives at www.dca.state.fl.us/fhcd/mitdb/index.cfm. Not all insurance companies are listed here.

[Last modified April 13, 2006, 16:16:01]