Hurricane is a mess and it messes everything that comes in its way. But you can protect your home with the help of hurricane shutters. Being as guards outside your house, these fight with the flying debris and strong winds and deter them from entering your house. Thus the shutters have become an essential part of the building when the frequency and impact of hurricanes is on the rise. Choosing the best hurricane shutter for your home needs some thought. However, two things are mandatory. These are – choose the approved hurricane shutter products and choose a licensed hurricane shutter contractor to install them. These two things will not only ensure that you keep your family and home safe, it will also be helpful in avoiding any penalties as these confirm the building codes and it will also help you get the claim from the insurance company.
Most of the products are Building Code standard compliant but make sure which one. But go through what all it can protect and choose the one that gives protection in variety of ways. Aesthetics should also be given place while choosing shutters for your home. Here are a few points to remember while choosing hurricane shutters.
Safety comes first
Hurricane has no norm and no principles but hurricane shutters do. Though all the shutters needs to follow Building Code but it is wise to see that it specifically shows which building code the shutter product complies with. The hurricane shutters should be installed for safety and aesthetics should come second in preference. An ugly looking shutter giving high level of protection is far better than a good looking shutter giving inadequate protection.
Approved Shutters, licensed installation
Using approved Shutters gives you peace of mind and a guarantee that whatever be the mess outside, it will not enter your home. Also approved shutters avoids any hassles in claims afterwards. Insurance companies specifically sniff out an installation by novices and this could impact your claim settlement. While licensed installation gives all the ease in insurance claims and one can get the claim settled in some time.
Looks matter but to some extent
It is a misnomer that hurricane shutters ruin the looks. With the improvement in technology and evolution of harder stiffer materials, it is easy to get good looking strong shutters for windows and doors and open spaces. However, these are little expensive than normal shutters but the shutters ensure that the looks of the house remain as is and in some case gets a facelift.
Convenience
Gone are the days when hurricane shutters were cumbersome to operate. These days there are motorized shutters available that are not only convenient but also ensure safety at the right moment. All motorized shutters come with manual operation facility in case there is a power failure.