What are the different types of Hurricane Protection?

When moving into a state where hurricanes are a major threat, people often ask what types of hurricane protection options are there? In this blog article, I hope to give you some better insight to help you make a more informed decision on your shutter protection. Whether you're looking for hurricane shutters or hurricane windows, I will provide the pros and cons of both forms of hurricane protection.

Hurricane Impact Windows

Hurricane impact windows can be a great option for hurricane protection. Impact windows provide more than just hurricane protection, they can also make it harder for burglars who are trying to break into your house. Impact windows also don’t limit your views to the outdoors allowing you to see the hurricanes take place in front of your own eyes. The downside to impact windows is that they can most of the time be more costly than hurricane shutters. Hurricane impact windows are always deployed so no need to take on and off windows like you do with hurricane shutters.

Hurricane Shutters

With hurricane shutters, you get maximum protection but you must deploy them during the hurricane season and take them off during the offseason. Hurricane shutters are generally cheaper than hurricane impact windows. There are many types of hurricane shutters to choose from, allowing the homeowner to customize them to their needs. The cheapest hurricane shutters are hurricane storm panels and the most expensive are the roll-up shutters. I will briefly discuss the difference between each type of hurricane shutter.

Hurricane Storm Panels

The hurricane storm panels are the cheapest amongst hurricane shutters. They are made from aluminum, polycarbonate plastic, or steel. This is the cheapest option because they are the most time-consuming. Most houses in the hurricane danger zones come with hurricane storm panels. Storm panels are very heavy and time-consuming to deploy taking up to six hours to deploy.

The reason many homeowners switch from the hurricane storm panels is that how heavy they are and time-consuming to deploy for hurricanes. At Johnson Aluminum Products we make the hurricane storm panels from .050 aluminum which is lighter than steel and more protective. Whilst hurricane storm panels may be the cheapest type of hurricane protection, there are better options.

Accordion Shutters

Accordion shutters are a great type of hurricane shutter. This type of hurricane shutter is a happy medium between hurricane storm panels and roll-up shutters providing maximum protection and not time-consuming. Accordion shutters operate on a sliding rail system that pulls shut during hurricane season and pull open during the offseason.

The great part about accordion shutters is that they stay up all season and don’t have to be taken down and stored in the garage like hurricane storm panels. Accordion shutters take about 15-25 minutes to deploy all around the house with little effort. During the hurricane season, pull the hurricane shutters shut and then lock them with a key and they are ready for the hurricane season.

Bahama Shutters

Bahama shutters are very different from other types of hurricane protection because they provide a beautiful aesthetic to your home whilst maintaining maximum protection from hurricanes. They operate on a top-hinge design, deploying with ease. When it is the hurricane offseason, they sit 45 degrees slanted over the window, and when the hurricane season comes you pull them to sit along with the window offering protection.

Bahama shutters offer beauty, sunshade, privacy, and hurricane protection. These hurricane shutters can also save you money by providing sunshade in your housekeeping at a cooler temperature, saving money on your electric bill. Storm shutters don’t have to be ugly, Bahama shutters and colonial shutters both offer aesthetic options to keep your home protected whilst adding beauty.

Colonial Shutters

Colonial shutters are a great option to add beauty to your home like Bahama shutters. The colonial shutters close like a book and add an aesthetic value to your home. Colonial shutters offer maximum protection and you can open and close as you need during the hurricane seasons. You can also deploy the colonial shutters for privacy or sunshade use adding versatility.

Roll-Up Shutters

The roll-up shutters are the most convenient type of hurricane shutter. This type of shutter can open and close with the touch of a button. The wireless remote can activate up to four window shutters simultaneously. Whether you are in the comfort of your own home or outside, the wireless remote will be able to do the job.

The roll-up shutters are powered by an electric motor moving the hurricane shutters up and down with ease. In case of a power outage, there is a manual crank option that allows you to hand-crank the windows up and down with ease. The roll-up shutters take the least amount of effort and time to deploy and that is why they are the most expensive hurricane shutter on the market.

Johnson Aluminum Products

I hope this blog post helped you on your buying journey for hurricane protection. If you are looking to buy hurricane shutters, Johnson Aluminum Products is the place to go. We offer accordion shutters, hurricane storm panels, bahama shutters, colonial shutters, roll-up shutters, porch screening, and porch enclosures. We are currently running a 10% OFF promotion for new customers looking to get hurricane protection. Give us a call at (321)956-3102 to set up your Free Estimate! We currently operate in Melbourne, Florida but we proudly serve all of Brevard County (Viera, melbourne, Malabar, Palm Bay, Titusville, etc.) and Indian River County (Sebastian, Vero Beach, Fellsmere, etc.).