Staying in a hurricane-prone area comes with its own challenges. But home is close to the heart and simply cannot be replaced like a random piece of clothing. But that doesn’t mean that one cannot reinforce their home to withstand the hurricane. Impact windows are the perfect first step to reinforcing your home. These windows are stronger than ordinary windows and last longer against the strong airwaves during a hurricane. Not to mention, these toughened glasses also provide greater security in case of break-ins and robberies.
Why should one consider choosing Impact Windows?
Impact windows combine impact-resistant laminated glass and a special silicone glazing process to prevent the glass from breaking easily. Impact-resistant glass is generally made by bonding two panes of glass together with a special interlayer of clear (PVB) polyvinyl butyral. But this does not make the glass invincible and can be broken in case of strong hurricanes or a burglary. The toughened glass simply provides additional protection that is perfect for smaller hurricanes. Even if the glass breaks, like normal windows, the glass does not shatter into tiny pieces that might prove dangerous and fatal to the residents present in the premises.
Impact windows save energy. Curious? Here’s how:
Impact windows come in various material choices. And depending on the material one chooses, the coating and the material used combined, provide greater protection from the rays of the sun. This keeps the houses cooler and reduces the need for greater air conditioning. The most commonly preferred coating for impact windows is tinted laminated glass. This laminated glass coating, along with a Low E coating might just increase the costs but in the long run, provide greater protection for people living in warmer climates.
Lower insurance costs. Surprising but true
Installing impact windows instead of normal windows can reduce the insurance costs of the house by a substantial amount. While the installation can add many extra charges, the long run benefits prove to be greater than the initial costs.
Added protection does not restrict your style preferences
Impact windows come in various styles like any normal window. The designs range from single hung windows, horizontal roller windows, casement or projected windows, picture, and architectural windows, sliding glass and French doors. And that’s not all. The design options also include a choice between colonial and Brittany styles with optional mountings.
How to choose the perfect brand?
Once you are on board with the installation of impact windows, the next step includes choosing the right manufacturer to get the best product. This can be achieved simply by conducting a simple local or internet research to find the best impact windows manufactures nearby to your area. You can get in touch with reputed manufacturer like bscwindows.com, for further details.
Hurricane shutters or impact windows?
Once you have installed impact windows, there is no need for any additional protection in the form of hurricane shutters. While hurricane shutters provide adequate protection, they can prove to be inconvenient at times. Impact windows, on the other hand, solves many problems right from providing greater reinforced glass to protect against hurricanes and robberies along with providing protection from the sun and keep the temperature inside the house at a more comfortable degree. Clearly, impact windows are the better choice for your homes instead of hurricane shutters.
Like the perfect photo, you need the ideal frame to frame the impact windows
For the frame of the windows, one can choose from either vinyl or heavy-duty extruded aluminum painted with electrostatic paint. This paint finish reduces maintenance cost over the years substantially. Additionally, molded nylon anti-friction sash guides provide the perfect finish to the structure for the protection of your home.
If this does not convince you still, and you still have certain doubts, the following comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of every feature of impact windows might provide a better perspective:
- Impact windows are such that when they break, they do not disperse into millions of tiny pieces like normal windows and can easily withstand strong and rough winds.
However, once broken, repairing and replacing these windows prove to be highly expensive. In case if a severe storm hits, the house would be affected equally. So, in cases of big houses, the cost of replacing all the impact windows can put your financial planning for the month in turmoil.
- As these glasses are of a thicker and better material, these windows provide insulation of sounds and noises coming from outside along with protecting the inside of the house from the harmful rays of the sun, keeping the house cooler. This, in turn, reduces air conditioning charges in the long run.
However, for areas that are peaceful with very few external noises and a colder climate, impact windows have no use in providing these additional features and seem to be an unnecessary waste of money in reinforcing the entire house with them.
- Since these windows are more robust and provide lesser chances of breaking, insurance companies offer less insurance costs to houses that are reinforced with impact windows. This somehow compensates the initial steep installation charges of impact windows along with providing many additional benefits.
While impact glasses only seem to provide benefits, comfort, and security to the residents of the house, over a period of time, these windows might turn yellow which might prove to be an unpleasant view for the eyes and the yellow glass reduces visibility substantially.
Impact windows definitely provide more protection for people living in hurricane-prone areas. However, these glasses are not invincible, and that is something that might stop many buying and installing these glasses. Like choosing the right furniture for your home, choosing the right windows similarly rests solely on your preference and style. So ultimately, the decision rests on the buyer, and the benefits must outweigh the total costs of choosing impact glasses for the buyer to end up in profits by installing them.