Impact Window Pricing: The Average Cost of
Installing Storm Windows
If you’re worried about storms, you’re not alone. Storm damage is expensive. More
importantly, however, it’s a threat to the safety of your family.
A hurricane is one of the most destructive forces in the world. During hurricanes, strong
winds and flooding can wreak havoc on homes and businesses.
Hurricanes place building exteriors under extreme duress. Furthermore, they pick up and
carry debris that can threaten your home – or even your life.
To learn more about impact window pricing, read on.
There’s Danger in the Air
High winds can rip off roof coverings, tear branches off trees and send garbage cans flying
through the air. During storms, your windows are a point of easy entry for this flying debris.
Impact windows can protect your home and your family during a storm.
Wind and precipitation make hurricanes a dangerous ordeal. Most people think that wind is
the primary cause of damage during a hurricane. However, that’s not always true.
Hurricane flooding has caused serious damage over the years. Flooding due to excessive rain
is common during a hurricane. However, the real damage usually occurs due to storm surges
from the sea.
A storm surge can cause billions of dollars of damage. It wreaks havoc on the finances of
homeowners and insurance companies alike. For this reason, you should understand how
impact windows can reduce the damage that occurs during a hurricane.
Impact windows can protect your home during a hurricane, leaving you with less to repair.
They can also save your life.
You must understand the risk that you face based on your geographic area. When you
understand your risks, you know how to prepare.
You cannot rely solely on forecasts of future hurricanes, however. Even if weather experts
are accurate in forecasting hurricane season, which is extremely hard, there’s almost no way
to predict where a hurricane will travel.
A hurricane can cause damage wherever it goes. Also, whether you live in a densely
populated area or a sparsely populated inland area, you may still face the threat of a storm
surge.
Resultantly, storm forecasts are as equally as unreliable as historical data in predicting your
exposure to potential hurricanes. When a hurricane arrives, the only thing that’s going to
matter is its path.
Where Do Storm Surges Come From?
The entire coastline from Maine to Texas is vulnerable to hurricanes. In these areas,
hurricanes can cost billions of dollars in damage.
A storm surge occurs when the combined forces of atmospheric pressure, wind, and deep
water work together to push a large volume of water inland. Ahead of a hurricane, low
pressure and high winds cause water to accumulate.
As this force moves across the ocean, the winds inside the hurricane act as a plow. They
cause water to pile up before the storm.
As a hurricane travels, it’s speed may vary. A fast-moving storm is likely to create a bigger
surge. However, a slower-moving hurricane is likely to push more water inland.
These are two different kinds of problems. Nevertheless, hurricanes and their associated
forces spell big trouble for homeowners.
If your home is in a high-risk area, no hurricane is a minor hurricane. Any type of brutal,
forceful winds can cause damage to your home.
High-risk areas are typically close to the coastline. These homes are at greater risk of
damage.
In a worst-case scenario, you may find yourself in the middle of a Category 5 hurricane. In
this instance, the threat of property and physical harm is imminent. Accordingly, it’s wise to
prepare for the worst when you live near the shore.
It's Hard to Tell What a Hurricane Might Do Next
There are a lot of factors that contribute to the damaging forces of a hurricane. The radius,
maximum wind speed, and air pressure all affect how much damage a hurricane can do to a
home.
Furthermore, hurricane risk varies widely along the eastern seaboard. Miami, for example, is
highly exposed. However, the geographic features that lie underwater outside of the city give
the area some protection.
Alternatively, Louisiana is a relatively low-risk storm surge area. However, Hurricane
Katrina proved researchers woefully wrong when it hit land in the state.
States such as New York and North Carolina experience hurricanes less frequently.
Nevertheless, when hurricanes do strike in these areas, they end up causing more damage as
storm surges start to gain power while moving north.
How Can I Protect My Family and Home?
Many homeowners in Florida attempt to protect their homes by boarding up their windows
with plywood as a hurricane approaches. It’s an important step for protecting your home and
your family from flying debris during an intense storm.
Homeowners in areas such as Southern Florida and the Keys know all too well about
recovering from the aftermath of a hurricane. Even less significant storms that clock and
under 75 mph can do a lot of damage.
Many homeowners in high-risk hurricane areas struggle to weigh the benefits of upgrading
their windows against what it will cost to recover from damage. Many of them wonder if it’s
worth it.
Manufacturers call impact windows names such as high impact windows, impact-resistant
windows and high impact storm windows. However, they all help you to achieve one goal –
that objective is to reinforce your windows to protect your home and your family.
High impact windows can withstand speeds of around 110 mph. In Florida, the importance of
impact windows became painfully evident in 2001.
Then, Hurricane Andrew hit land. After the area recovered, legislators made it a law that all
new homes must have high impact windows. In Florida, any home within one mile of the
coastline must have windows that can withstand speeds of 110 miles or more.
To construct high impact windows, manufacturers use a material that’s very similar to the
glass in your car. They make it with two layers of tempered glass.
A polymer chemical holds the two layers together. When an object smashes against an impact
window, the window shatters, leaving a pattern that looks like a spider web.
This feature is much safer than a standard window. It prevents dangerous shards from flying
into your home during a hurricane.
What Are Impact Resistant Windows?
Usually, manufacturers use polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) to
construct impact resistant windows. This polymer layer is tough stuff.
It will break, but it won’t shatter into large, dangerous pieces. For the most part, it will
remain intact – although shattered – within the window frame.
You can make regular windows shatter resistant. You can buy a polymer layer to place on
your windows. However, this substitute isn’t nearly as safe as impact resistant windows.
Impact resistant windows are very similar to regular windows. Manufacturers construct them
using materials such as aluminum, steel, wood, or vinyl.
Among these materials, aluminum and steel frame impact windows are the strongest. They’re
also the most expensive.
Vinyl windows are more affordable. They offer good insulation.
However, they’re not eco-friendly. It’s difficult for contractors to find ways to dispose of
them in a way that doesn’t harm the environment.
Wood windows can solve this problem. However, they require the most maintenance out of
any material used to construct windows. They need regular painting to keep the elements and
precipitation from damaging them.
Even then, paint only works so long. Eventually, wood windows warp. Resultantly, wood
windows cost the least upfront, but the most to maintain in the long run.
You can also purchase different kinds of glass with impact windows. For instance,
manufacturers might use different materials to create a polymer layer between the glass.
Some manufacturers use polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to create the middle layer. Others
may use SenturyGlas Plus (SGP). Alternatively, some manufacturers may use liquid glass
resin or a glass/ plastic fusion to bond the two panels together.
Thickness also affects the prices of hurricane windows. Usually, you can find thicknesses
between 0.015 inches and 0.90 inches.
Impact Window Pricing
If you’re considering purchasing impact windows, you’re probably asking yourself, “How
much do impact windows cost?”
Impact windows cost more than standard windows. Typically, they cost $40 to $55 per square
foot. Storm window pricing does not include labor. Nevertheless, you’ll almost certainly
recoup the cost of installing them if a severe hurricane ever lands in your region and affects
your home.
Since 1992, lawmakers have been particularly mindful about hurricane safety. In that year,
Hurricane Andrew caused $25 billion in damage.
If you’re building a new home, it’s somewhat easier to afford the price of storm windows. It
only adds a few thousand dollars to the cost of raising a new home.
It’s somewhat costly to install impact windows in an older home. However, the value of
knowing that your family is safe is priceless. Impact windows are part of an overall storm
safety plan.
You can also purchase other impact resistant features. For example, a 60-inch by 80-inch
impact door costs close to $2,000. An impact resistant sliding door costs about the same. On
the other hand, traditional single hung windows cost $500 to $600.
Still, you should consider the potential benefits, rather than making a decision based on prices
of impact windows alone. Impact windows are hard to break. They can help you survive a
dangerous hurricane.
They also provide sound insulation. An impact window can limit exterior noise significantly.
They also provide ultraviolet protection. Impact windows can block 99% of the sun’s rays.
More Great Benefits of Impact Resistant Windows
Impact windows may help to lower your monthly insurance premium. You must talk to your
insurance provider to see if they’ll offer a discount.
No glass is completely shatterproof. However, impact resistant windows give you an
advantage. If they do break, the window will remain in one piece, rather than creating a
sharp, flying debris hazard.
Impact windows can typically withstand wind speeds of up to 200 mph and remain in the
frame. Also, they’re available in a range of styles and sizes. Accordingly, you can find impact
windows to fit nearly any taste and home design.
Finding a Great Impact Window Installer
You can buy the best impact windows in the world. However, they will only protect your
home and your family if the contractor installed them correctly. Resultantly, it’s important to
choose your contractor wisely.
The wrong contractor can leave you with a range of troubles. Even worse, you can find
yourself in the middle of a lawsuit by working with the wrong service provider.
To choose a good contractor, you’ll have to do some research. The Better Business Bureau
(BBB) is a great place to start.
To begin, visit the BBB website to review potential contractors. The BBB website posts
customer reviews about the quality of the business practices of various service providers.
There, you can read reviews about contractors – both good and bad.
You can also see if a potential contractor is a BBB Accredited Business. Service providers
must meet stringent standards to maintain BBB accreditation.
You should also ask around. Get referrals from friends and family members.
You can even talk to local business owners. A word-of-mouth recommendation is better than
an online review any day of the week.
Once you narrow down your choices, entertain multiple quotes. This way, you can weigh
your options and figure out who’s giving you the best deal.
Keep Learning Important Safety Facts
Now that you know about impact window pricing, you may want to learn more important
things about protecting the safety of your home and your family. However, it’s tough sorting
through all the information that’s out there. It’s even tougher to know what information you
can trust.
Fortunately, there’s help. check out the rest of our blog and search for “emergency planning”
to learn more about keeping your home and your family safe.