If you live in an area with devastating storms that include high-speed winds, you've probably thought about the need for some protection for your home. Indeed, depending on where you live, such protection may be mandated. Even if it's not, protection such as storm shutters is a good idea for advance preparedness rather than wait until the last minute, when it might already be too late.
Accordion storm shutters are one option for protecting your home during a major storm.
1. Accordion Storm Shutters Are a Permanent Option
Accordion storm shutters are a permanent addition to the outside of your windows. Contractors affix a frame with tracks at the top and bottom. Inside the frame is the shutter, which is shaped like an accordion. When you need to deploy the shutters, you unfold the accordion and lock the two panels in the middle. According to Home Advisor, they're cheaper than roll-down shutters.
2. Accordion Shutters Come in Different Materials
Storm shutters can come in a host of different materials. However, their purpose is to keep the window behind them intact, so the material is typically sturdy. Therefore, the frame is typically metal, either steel or aluminum. The accordion might be aluminum, too, though you can find polycarbonate shutters, too.
3. Accordion Shutters Protect Your Whole House
Storm shutters protect your windows from breaking during a hurricane or other big storm. The problem isn't just the broken window but that the wind can then blow rain and debris inside your house, which causes more damage. If just one window breaks, the wind pressure can build up inside your house and cause the roof to blow off or walls to collapse.
4. Plywood Isn't a Permanent Substitute for Storm Shutters
Plywood is an acceptable temporary substitute for storm shutters. However, plywood isn't the equal to storm shutters, so it shouldn't be your permanent solution for window protection. For one, you have to nail the plywood to the frames, which causes holes. For another, the material isn't designed to withstand high winds and debris the way storm shutters are.
5. Storm Shutters Are Different From Hurricane Windows
Homeowners have another option for preventing wind from causing devastation inside their homes, which is replacement of their current windows with hurricane windows. With these windows, the manufacturers use tempered glass layered with laminate to keep the shards in place. So, they don't break. They function similarly to storm shutters for home protection, but they're far more expensive.
If you live in an area that's prone to devastating storms with wind, consider having accordion storm shutters installed.
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