Homeowners in tropical areas prone to hurricanes know standard doors aren’t designed to handle severe weather’s intense winds and debris.
Fortunately, impact-rated doors offer homeowners many benefits to increase their property value, safety, and comfort. Read on to learn why they’re a wise investment for your home.
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Impact-Rated & Hurricane-Proof
If you live in a hurricane-prone area, then impact-rated and hurricane-proof doors are a wise investment for your home. Not only do they protect during storms, but they also offer many other benefits.
Aside from hurricane protection, impact-rated and hurricane-proof doors are also better insulators than regular ones. This helps your home stay more relaxed in the summer and warmer in the winter, saving you a lot of money over time.
Standard doors are usually made of metal skin (facings) with an insulating filler. However, that doesn’t mean they can withstand strong winds and flying debris like an impact door.
UV Protection
One of the less apparent benefits of hurricane doors is that they help protect your home and belongings from UV damage. The harmful rays from the sun can cause long-term discoloration or fading of your furniture, flooring, photos, and artwork.
Fortunately, impact-resistant windows are designed to block these harmful rays from entering your home. That’s why they are an intelligent investment for your home.
Having these impact-resistant windows installed will not only keep you safe from the sun, but it’ll also increase the value of your home. You’ll enjoy a warranty on your replacement windows, too!
Better Insulation
Better insulation is a wise investment for your home, especially during the year’s colder months. It helps prevent drafts from entering your house and keeps the furnace running more efficiently.
Moreover, the insulation will likely lower your heating bill as it won’t have to work so hard to keep you warm.
Several ways to increase your home’s insulation include adding new caulk or installing door sweeps. The latter is an excellent option for aluminum and steel doors because it’s easy to install from the inside and seals gaps around the door frame.
Increased Security
Investing in impact doors is wise if you live in a hurricane-prone area. These products protect your home from the elements and help decrease energy usage.
Increased security is another great benefit of impact doors. They are made with thick glass resistant to high pressure and impacts. This makes them difficult to break into and complicated to open with a hammer or chisel.
The glass in impact doors has two layers, each bound with a plastic-like material. When impacted, the shards of glass don’t scatter and instead cling to the interlayer preventing entry into your home.
Insurance Discounts
As homeowners in Florida and other hurricane-prone areas know, insurance is a significant expense. However, there are some ways to save money by lowering your premiums.
Discounts can cut your insurance costs by a few hundred dollars a month or even thousands a year, depending on your area and insurer. They also reduce your risk of damage during a hurricane.
Under Florida law, insurance companies must offer discounts on your policy if you upgrade your home to protect against wind damage. These include installing storm panels, shutters, and impact windows.
