If you’re a homeowner in Florida, you’ve probably heard about the common practice of using hurricane prep sandbags to protect your home from flooding during hurricanes.
While many Florida homeowners rely on this method, it isn’t always as effective as many believe it to be. Instead, you can better protect your home from storm damage using hurricane-proof windows and doors and stormproof roofing.
Today, we will compare the traditional methods of using sandbags and plywood to more modern innovations in home storm defenses. First, let’s explore why hurricane prep sandbags are an ineffective option.
The Problem with Hurricane Prep Sandbags
Sandbags are often used to protect homes from flood damage, but they do not always work as well as you might think. The traditional opinion on this practice is that the heavy, dense bags will divert the water away from your home’s openings and create a barrier around them.
The biggest issue is that hurricane prep sandbags are insufficient protection in places like Florida, where the real threat from the storm is high winds.
Even when it comes to flooding, sandbags are usually inadequate. If your home as at risk from a storm-surge, it is almost impossible to have enough sandbags to make a difference. If there are gaps between your hurricane prep sandbags, water can get into your house and cause damage anyway. Plus, setting them up can be labor-intensive assuming you have ready access to that much sand.
Aesthetically, sandbags are also unattractive and can make your home look more like a war bunker than a place where you relax at the end of a long day.
You might consider hiring someone else to set up your sandbag barriers for you, but that won’t necessarily solve your problems either. Hiring someone to install a sandbag system can be prohibitive and costly for many homeowners. And even if you do hire someone to install your sandbag system for you, its unlikely that it will work when the next hurricane season arrives—or that your hired help will show up when they say they will!
Again, the biggest storm threat in Florida is the high-winds that come with a hurricane. These winds bring wind-borne debris that can easily shatter your windows. Once hurricane-force winds get inside a home, it usually gets completely destroyed.
Boarding up windows and doors has also been shown to be ineffective for two reasons. First, the intense negative pressure caused by hurricane-force winds can suck the plywood right off the side of your home, even if it’s screwed on. Second, testing has shown that wind-born debris can go right through plywood. This is why there is no such thing as plywood hurricane protection.
The Better Alternative: Hurricane Impact Windows and Doors
Instead of relying on sandbags to protect your home against Florida storms, consider installing hurricane-impact windows and doors. With these windows and doors, you can create a tight, complete seal in your home’s openings to keep the hurricane-force winds out—along with flying debris—without any labor or prep involved.
These windows and doors are designed to protect your home against hurricanes without requiring a lengthy setup or breakdown process. Their superior seals also create a barrier that can resist pressure far greater than traditional glass. Plus, hurricane-impact windows and doors offer a range of additional benefits, including:
Improved Energy Efficiency
Hurricane windows and doors offer improved energy efficiency and wind resistance compared to standard glass doors and windows, which means they keep out more heat during the summer while also preventing drafts in winter. Installing such products in your home can save you monthly money on your utility bills!
Shatter Resistance
Hurricane windows and doors are shatter resistant. Hurricane winds are usually strong enough to break glass when a hurricane strikes.
But with an impact window, you can be sure that your windows will stay intact during a storm, which means you can keep them closed and secure from flying debris or rain. The same goes for your doors. If you have an impact door, it will hold up against high winds, so you can keep it closed during a storm without worrying about getting any damage from flying debris or rain.
UV Light Filtering
Hurricane-impact windows and doors provide more than just protection from the elements; they also shield your home from harmful UV light, which can damage your fabrics, leather, and even your skin. When you have hurricane-impact windows and doors installed on your property, you won’t have to worry about these problems as much anymore.
Outdoor Noise Reduction
Outdoor noise reduction is one of the most important benefits of hurricane-impact windows and doors. Even if you live in a quiet neighborhood, there will still be sounds that come from outside your home—traffic, lawnmowers, children playing in the street—and you may be bothered by them more than you realize. But those noises will be much quieter with hurricane-impact windows and doors than they would be otherwise. Many choose hurricane windows for noise reduction.
No Demolition or Renovation Required
If you’re worried about how big of a project it will be to replace your windows and doors, know hurricane windows and doors are very practical. These products are custom made to your home’s measurements, so they fit your existing windows and door openings. Because they are sized to the exact measurements of your current openings, no major demolition or renovation is required.
Stormproof Roofing
A storm-rated roof is also important if you want to protect your home from hurricanes. Most shingle roofs are not designed to stand up to hurricane-force winds. In fact, only one brand of shingle roof is rated and warrantied for unlimited wind-speeds. GAF is Americas #1 roofing brand. Their stormproof shingle roof has been tested against hurricane force winds.
Paradise Exteriors is a top-rated Master Elite roofing contractor. Only 2% of roofing companies can claim this distinction.
Get Hurricane Impact Doors and Windows and Storm-Rated Roofing in South Florida
We know that your home is your sanctuary, and we’re here to help you protect it. At Paradise Exteriors, we believe that you should feel safe and happy in your home, especially during severe weather.
That’s why we’re dedicated to providing South Florida homeowners with the best windows, doors and roofing on the market today. Our hurricane-impact doors and windows are designed to withstand even the most intense and extreme weather conditions, so you can rest easy knowing your home will be as safe as possible during any storm.
Contact us today to learn more about our products and get a free quote.
