The time to think about window protection is now, not when a storm is bearing down. Figure out what's right for you.
By JUDY STARK, Times Staff Writer
Published April 16, 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.
A year ago, Sam Markopoulos' business owned no trucks. Now it has eight. A year ago, two people worked in the office. Now there are five.
Markopoulos manufactures hurricane window protection at Window & Shutter Designs Corp. in Oldsmar.
Russ Bohen moved his business from Palm Harbor to a bigger location in Oldsmar. His company, Home Safety Solutions, sells window protection.
Now the shutter companies have Web sites, and some, such as Awning Works in Clearwater, sell do-it-yourself window panel kits online.
Looking for a growth industry? This is it.
The last two hurricane seasons proved something to a lot of Floridians: We live in a dangerous place, and nowhere - not even deep inland - escapes the wrath of a determined hurricane.
"The scare of the hurricanes that came through the center of the state and through areas that weren't expecting them" - that would be Charley, Frances and Jeanne, in 2004 - "made true believers out of a lot of people," said Ernie Zager of Windows by Zager in Clearwater. "Now they very much believe in protecting the envelope."
"It's not just people who live on the water," Bohen agreed. "A lot of our customers come out of Hillsborough. That's not even an impact zone, but they were scared out of their boots when Charley came through." In 2004, Hurricane Charley, aiming for Tampa Bay, made an unanticipated hard-right turn, ripped through Punta Gorda and Arcadia, and pounded inland to Orlando, where many coastal residents had taken shelter.
Those Hillsborough residents "were between the coast and the hurricane, and they were thinking, 'Maybe I don't live too far inland,' " Bohen said. Now they're seeking hurricane protection.
Add in the spinoff from soaring property values, Zager said. As home values rise, owners are willing to spend more money maintaining them. They can pull equity out of their newly valuable homes to finance improvements, including hurricane protection. Those who are prisoners of the tax cap - their property taxes would skyrocket if they bought a new home - figure it makes sense to stay put and improve, adding to eventual resale value.
Window protection merchants offer this reading of the market as another hurricane season begins:
-- Yes, there was a winter slackoff, but that meant deliveries in six weeks instead of six months. That wait time will probably lengthen as people focus on the 2006 season and demand increases.
-- Mix and match is the rule of the day. Clear panels on the front of the house, for appearance and light; aluminum shutters or plywood on the sides and back. Even there, a window will be covered with three aluminum panels and one clear plastic panel to admit light. Residents who lived in shuttered homes for six weeks in the late summer of 2004 learned the value of being able to see daylight.
-- Floridians are willing to spend the money. "The people in million-dollar homes on the beach, they don't blink an eye," said Fred J. Menth of Armor Quest Glass Protection in St. Petersburg. "Inland, get the ether and the smelling salts out - they're shocked. They put it off when they get the estimates, but it's 'Come out tomorrow!' when a storm comes."
He and others said they've heard customers say they're delaying more enjoyable home improvements, like a new kitchen, to do the windows first. Steve Schechner of Awning Works said one customer told him he was putting off a new roof to buy window protection.
Here are some considerations as you review your choices in window protection:
-- Can you install the protection yourself, or do you know someone who will do it for you? Screwing plywood panels in place is a heavy, awkward task that typically takes more than one person. Many plywood users who emerged from the 2004 season of back-to-back storms vowed, "Never again."
It's a lot easier to pull an accordion shutter across sliding glass doors or to push a button and watch motorized shutters roll down. (You can even get these with a wind vane that rolls them down automatically when the winds reach a certain speed.) Of course, these are more expensive than plywood.
Advocates of impact-resistant glass and window films say their products are always in place, need no last-minute installation, and provide sun and burglary protection. Window film, however, does not pass the Miami-Dade certification test because the film doesn't strengthen the frame. It won't stop your glass from shattering; it will hold the pieces in place. A film-covered window will withstand only whatever wind load it can handle without the film.
-- If you already have window protection, are you ready to roll? Do you know where the Tapcons or wing nuts or other fasteners are? Do you know how to install or operate your protection?
-- Plywood is the covering of first or last resort for many homeowners, but it's heavy and hard to store and attach when a storm nears. If it gets soaked repeatedly, the layers can peel apart. It's a fire and termite hazard. If you choose to use it, the panels should be measured, drilled and labeled in advance. A 4- by 8-foot sheet of 5/8-inch plywood costs about $16.99 these days.
-- Storage space can be a problem for plywood and for heavy stacks of aluminum or steel panels. Those metal panels can tear up your hands or cause serious injury if a stack of them drops on your foot.
-- Most homeowner and condo associations do not allow window coverings to be left in place when owners leave for vacations or the summer. They're a giveaway that a home or apartment is unoccupied. Community associations may regulate the kind, style and color of window protection, but they may not prohibit homeowners from protecting their property.
-- Fire officials discourage leaving window coverings in place because they make it difficult or impossible for occupants to get out if there is a fire.
-- Make sure protection meets testing standards. It must withstand repeated blows by a 9-pound 2 by 4 traveling at 34 mph followed by hurricane-force winds. A label on the product should confirm its certification. The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (www.flash.org) recommends products that have been tested to these standards: ASTM E 1886 and ASTM E 1996; SBCCI SSTD 12; or Miami-Dade Protocols PA 201, 202 and 203. FLASH is a partnership of the insurance industry, government agencies, nonprofits and businesses.
Its Web site offers technical information about building or retrofitting a home for hurricane safety, links to other sites and consumer advice. An "interactive shutter tool" helps homeowners estimate the cost of various kinds of window protection. (Click on "Hurricanes," then under "Strengthen Your Home," select "An interactive shutter tool." There's also a video and specific instructions on how to board up with plywood.)
-- Appearances matter. Some panels fit into tracks or ridges around the windows. Others hook onto bolts, or require that holes be drilled in the walls. You must decide what you're willing to look at the rest of the year.
-- Almost anything you put over your windows is going to darken the interior during daylight, which some people find claustrophobic.
