Cannon Fodder

So you want to build a home near the ocean. My first advice, hire an architect or engineer immediately. Ignoring the fact that the lot probably cost a fortune and design fees are a minimal percentage of your total outlays, most jurisdictions require a design professional to verify construction near the water meets the lateral force design standards (often referred to as the wind codes.) The strapping and shear walls and other details I’ll talk about in some later post(s), but today I want to talk about impact-rated window units. These are window units that have been tested to withstand debris thrown at them and the wind and water pressure variations in a hurricane. On the left is a picture of a window in the first part of the test. The test involves securing a window to a framework and firing a 2×4 out of a cannon at it. This, of course, damages the window, but shouldn’t break it completely. It is required to still be air and watertight and survive a large number of pressure cycles (where the air on one side of the window is over and then under pressured) while being sprayed with water without the window rupturing or water getting through. I have watched windows being tested (by an independent third party, not the manufacturer for obvious reasons) and it looks a little like the window is breathing as it bows in and out under the change in pressure. So what makes these windows so strong?The first change is obviously the glass. In a standard dual pane window, the exterior glass is standard glass that breaks and falls away if struck by an object. It’s the layer beneath that is a special sandwich of glass and a form of plastic. The exact type of plastic has varied over the years as manufacturers try new products to increase performance, but this plastic is what gives the glass some ability to move without completely shattering. It is also the primary reason for the cost of the unit, many of the higher quality window manufacturers only change one thing about their windows, and that is the glass which can add up to a third to the cost of the unit. Lower quality manufacturers also beef up the frames and hardware to withstand the more aggressive abuse. This is the reason why I often push clients who are in the market for impact windows towards the higher end manufacturers, they’re products are often more attractive without the excess brackets or tabs that have to be activated to actually make the unit impact rated. So, these windows are extremely expensive, but are they worth the increased cost? Ultimately, investing in quality windows now can have a positive impact on the value of your property. Are you considering purchasing replacement windows for your home? If you live in Texas, an online search for ‘replacement window austin‘ could help you to find a local window specialist. Firstly though, let’s look at two other advantages these windows have over non-impact rated. They are often exceeding good at blocking exterior sound, which can be an extra incentive in a noisy location (near an airport or major highway for example.) And second, they are extremely secure products. It is very hard to break through one of these windows, to the point where firemen hate these things as they can’t be broken through with just an axe. This means that smash and grab robber may decide to head to a less difficult to break into house rather than spend 15 minutes working his way through your window. If neither of those advantages appeal to you, consider you have 2 other options to choose from in impact zones. The first is to install hurricane shutters or covers that will protect the windows in case of a storm. These provide all of the benefits of the impact windows, and probably even better as you won’t have to replace the window after the storm, but only work if you actually close the shutters or put up the covers and many clients hate the look of roll down shutters or clips on the trim to hold the covers. The last option is to pre-cut some plywood shutters and store them on-site, but the drawbacks there are that you will often not have time to actually install them if the storm comes, leaving your house defenseless; the shutters are in your damp basement and rot away waiting for a storm; and most jurisdictions won’t accept this for any window over a certain height above the ground or exterior deck (they figure you won’t be able to get a ladder up high enough and carry install the shutter) or openings that are too large for a single sheet of plywood (any door or window that is more than 4 feet wide or 8’ tall.) For these reasons, I usually end up telling my clients to spend the money now and get those Bristol based West Pier Shutters installed ASAP, and have less to worry about, especially if it is a second or vacation home that they might not be around to keep an eye on or install/activate the storm protection. I would recommend you to have a look at RDJ Shutters to see what services shutter companies can offer you, then start to look around to see which company is most suitable for you. This may be dependant on the distance from your home, the cost of the shutters, or whether you know an employee or have been recommended.