Hurricane Shutters in PG (Miami, Port Charlotte: fit in, insurance, house)

[krnfitz]

Looks like we are going to need to buy hurricane shutters. We know nothing about this. What different kinds are there ( pros and cons of each type) and who do we get them from? Thanks!

[PCHI]

There are many many different types of shutters on the market. The type of shutter on the market is not as important as the classification. Be sure whatever you purchase is large missile impact rated and not just wind rated.

A. Exterior Openings Cyclic Pressure and 9-lb Large Missile (4.5 lb for skylights only) All Glazed openings are protected at
a minimum, with impact resistant coverings or products listed as wind borne debris protection devices in the product approval
system of the State of Florida or Miami-Dade County and meet the requirements of one of the following for “Cyclic Pressure
and Large Missile Impact” (Level A in the table above).
 Miami-Dade County PA 201, 202, and 203
 Florida Building Code Testing Application Standard (TAS) 201, 202, and 203
 American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E 1886 and ASTM E 1996
 Southern Standards Technical Document (SSTD) 12
 For Skylights Only: ASTM E 1886 and ASTM E 1996

The different versions of shutters offer various levels of ease of installation. If they meet the impact standard they are equal or supposed to be in protection ones home.

They will be able to provide documentation to prove the shutters qualify to meet the above standards.

I like these guys personally,

The Door Depot of SW Florida
150 Pond Cypress Road
Venice, Florida
941-412-1883
941-955-1163

[krnfitz]

Thanks!

[froglipz]

Ease of installation should be considered. Cheap shutters may work, but are not easy to put up when you need to. Remember it will be very hot and very humid when they need to go up! Some people try to get around this by putting them up on most of the house and only leave main living area open. Doing this is a disaster waiting to happen. If a fire were to happen your escape from a window is blocked. It really bothers me to see homes with kids bedroom windows covered, I couldn't imagine how the parents would feel if they blocked their child from escaping a fire.

[TamRE]

Home Depot and Lowes both carry the aluminum type shutters and clear panels. We bought ours from an aluminum place in Port Charlotte and installed them ourselves. We put up a few clear shutters to let light in. Otherwise if you put up the aluminum shutters it make your house very dark. Only put them up if you are away or if the weather forecaster tells you to. Your insurance company will want to see them too. We took photos of them on our entire house and sent them to the insurance company and then took them down. Most people store them in their garage. They fit in a nice tight spot up against the wall. If you get the pull across shutters or pull down shutters, they are on your house all the time and you can quickly pull them down or across as needed. If you are not going to do them yourself, get a few quotes because they can be very expensive.

[nphomeowner]

Ours are the aluminum type and honestly are not that hard to put up. Last time we put them up I marked them so when we have to do it again it will be even quicker. Hubby built a rack in the shed and that's where we store them. We were lucky ours came with the house.

[Harbor Hopper]

If you get the standard manual shutter panels, be sure to get the $4 wing nut tool for a drill. I see so many people that put them up and screw each wing nut on by hand. $4 will save you at least 2 hours every time you have to put them up or take them down.

[mr&mrssunshine]

I use a guy in PC.....metal shutters are the cheapest at around $8 per sf...........accordions are approx. 50% more

I try to fit accordions on lanais ,to provide a storage area , instead of shutters

[Sea Ray Mark]

Anyone have any experience with hurricane fabric? Seems like it would be a good option for large lanai openings.

[coastal chic]

We have fabric screens on the lanai perimeter at our model. They are nice. I still like accordions best, but boy are they pricey!