Every hurricane season, homeowners struggle to prepare their homes for the risk of a major hurricane blowing over their particular part of Florida. One of the most common preparations that homeowners make is boarding up windows for security against hurricanes and other threats.
There’s just one problem: Boarding up windows for security isn’t enough. Not in Florida. Not for homeowners who have to deal with HOAs. Not when hurricanes are trending towards increasing strength in recent years.
Why aren’t boards enough to deal with hurricanes and other hazards in Florida? Let’s go over some of the key reasons why simply boarding up windows won’t be enough on its own:
Why Boarding Up Windows for Security Isn’t Enough: HOA Troubles
HOAs are a fact of life for many Floridians. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re here to stay, practicing often-memed control over multiple aspects of your life as a homeowner in Florida. One big “no-no” for many HOAs is leaving boards over your windows for a long period of time.
Even when you actually have a broken window, notify your HOA that replacement is pending, and put up a board just to cover the broken window, they’ll still send a nastygram threatening fines if you don’t take the board down ASAP.
The preceding example is inspired by true events.
So, leaving up boards to protect your home might not be the best idea if you live in a deed-restricted community or a condominium.
They have to put up with you boarding your windows for security when a hurricane watch/warning is in effect, but as soon as the storm passes, they’re going to be annoying about taking those boards down… and possibly fixing any nail holes or other marks made on your home when you were securing the boards to it.
Why Boarding Up Windows for Security Isn’t Enough: It Blocks Natural Light
The whole point of windows is that they allow you to see out of them and enjoy natural sunlight when it’s bright out. Covering your windows with boards blocks visible light and kills your view from your home’s interior.
This is acceptable for short-term emergencies, but is far from ideal for an everyday security solution. At that point, the room might as well not have a window!
On top of that, they’re just plain unsightly when seen from the outside.
Why Boarding Up Windows for Security Isn’t Enough: Strong Winds Can Peel Away Plywood
The most common reason to put up boards over your windows in Florida is to protect them from the impacts of a major hurricane… the only problem is that, if the boards you use aren’t sufficiently secured to your home, the wind can (and likely will) peel the board away from your walls, leaving your window exposed.
When getting boards for your home, it’s important to not only ensure that every board is the exact size it needs to be to fit to your windows, but that the nails and screws you use are secure enough to keep the board in place throughout hurricane-force winds.
At a minimum, a hurricane will have sustained winds of 74 miles per hour… though a category 5 hurricane can have sustained winds in excess of 157 mph!
That wind will press up against the sides of your home from every direction, creating both a pressing force on one side of your home and a suction force on the opposite side.
Any boards that aren’t thoroughly secured can easily be pried loose, leaving your home’s windows unprotected at the worst possible moment (i.e., when the hurricane is already hitting your home).
If the now-unprotected window breaks from excessive direct wind pressure or an impact with a flying piece of debris, that lets the hurricane-force winds act directly on the interior of your home. This creates sudden pressurization that amplifies the differential pressure your home is already experiencing from the hurricane-force winds, dramatically increasing the risk of sudden catastrophic failure (Source: Hurricanescience.org).
Why Boarding Up Windows for Security Isn’t Enough: It Won’t Deter Criminals
Putting up wooden boards for security against would-be criminals is a less than ideal choice, to put it mildly. Unless there’s been a major hurricane in the last week or a warning has been issued, boards on windows are usually the indicator of an abandoned house, not an occupied one.
This can have the unintended effect of emboldening would-be burglars, as they may assume the home is unoccupied and they might be able to make off with some valuable materials with minimal risk.
Plywood boards are also relatively easy to pry off with a crowbar or other easy-to-carry tools. So they make poor security measures.
The Alternative to Boarding Up Windows for Security: Impact Window Replacement
If you want to unobtrusively improve your home’s security against hurricanes, burglars, and other hazards, don’t waste time and effort putting up ugly plywood boards! Instead, consider getting a whole home impact window replacement.
Impact windows are designed to be able to stand up to extreme wind, rain, and impacts without shattering like standard windows. The impact-resistant safety glass combined with semi-flexible laminate interlayers helps ensure that, even when faced with hits from debris flying through the air at high speeds (or baseball bats and other tools swung with gusto by a person), your windows will hold fast and keep the inside of your home safe.
Karoly Windows & Doors specializes in impact window replacement for Tampa Bay homes. Over the years, we’ve helped thousands of families get their homes ready for hurricane season and other hazards on a more permanent basis than anything that could be accomplished with mere pieces of plywood!
Reach out today to get a free in-home impact window consultation and quote for service for your home!
