A majority of the United States coastal area homeowners are fully aware of the severity of the hurricane season. That said, they know how important it is to pay attention to the safety measures before the hurricane season strikes – well, the responsible ones, at least.
As most people have experienced the destructive nature of this season, they have started investing in hurricane resistant doors and windows. However, once you start doing your research, you realize how much hurricane impact windows cost, and you can’t help but ask – are impact windows worth it? Simply put – yes, very much so. Elite Impact Glass is here to help you walk through what can affect the hurricane impact windows costs, and we’ll also help you learn about the following:
- Factors Affecting Hurricane Windows Cost
- Hurricane Window Styles
- Hurricane Window Frame and Material Costs
- Track Style for Hurricane Windows
- Impact Windows Protect You From Potential Intruders
- Save on Growing Utility Bills With Energy-efficient Investments for Your Household
- Impact Windows Can Increase Your Property’s Value Significantly
Impact Windows Can Increase Your Property’s Value Significantly
Factors Affecting Hurricane Windows Cost
Quality is one of the most significant factors affecting costs. But that’s only half the story, considering the total lifetime cost of impact windows. If you compare only the upfront hurricane windows cost, you’ll have a skewed view of how much you’ll actually spend over time.
That’s because high-quality impact windows reduce the chance of premature failure, protecting your investment and safety alike.
Window size, style, and installation requirements also add up. Non-standard hurricane impact windows cost more, as do those with more complex installation challenges, as familiar with older structures.
Even your location matters – expect to pay more in highly populated areas and vice versa. The national average for all-new hurricane windows is just over $10,000, but they can range from around $3,000 to $15,700.
Hurricane Window Styles
Next to quality, style is the second-biggest factor affecting the cost of impact windows. The following are the most common hurricane-impact window styles on the market:
- Fixed: with an extensive range of sizes and shapes to choose from.
- Sliding: including windows and glass doors (note that “sliding” typically refers to a horizontal opening action).
- Single-hung: where a lower sash moves up and down while the upper sash remains stationary.
- Double-hung: which allows both upper and lower sashes to move. This increases airflow and makes cleaning easier.
- Architectural: with a broad assortment of aesthetically unique models that give property owners more options to match windows to the structure’s overall style.
Note that this doesn’t cover custom options, and there’s a wide variance in cost within each style. It’s all based on the sum total of factors involved.
Hurricane Window Frame and Material Costs
Materials also affect a hurricane impact window’s cost. Aluminum frames are generally more affordable than wood. Vinyl is somewhere in between but provides more excellent insulation. Weatherstripping and specialized films (such as for privacy or improved energy efficiency) also contribute to a hurricane impact window’s cost, especially on larger windows.
Where it’s less cut and dry is that some films improve the window’s strength. As mentioned before, it’s best to calculate the total lifecycle cost of impact windows.
For instance, hurricane glass treated with polyvinyl butyral (PVB) coatings is more affordable than glass coated with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), but the latter is stronger and has more lasting power.
Some hurricane windows use polyethylene terephthalate (PET) between dual panes and are often used in conjunction with PVB. This creates greater durability (and safety!) than PVB alone. Of course, now you have three separate options as far as the most common film and coatings go. It gets even more complex when you consider how the combined frame and glass materials affect long-term utility costs.
Balancing a hurricane impact window’s cost and material considerations is much easier with consultation through a trusted and experienced hurricane impact window specialist. Elite Impact Glass can show you the options and more quickly explain the pros and cons of each material, specifically in relation to your property’s most vulnerable areas.
Track Style for Hurricane Windows
Like standard windows, a hurricane impact window’s track equally affects cost and utility. Fortunately, each type of track generally has more and less affordable options (approx. $100–400), with fixed track options more on the low end.
The different track types are:
- Fixed track: which holds the window permanently in place.
- Two-track: including two panes with a screen located at the bottom, for when the bottom sash is opened.
- Two-track sliding: for larger windows that slide from side to side.
- Triple-track: with dual screens and sashes, allowing both windows to open and close independently.
Hurricane Resistant Windows
There are several options for hurricane resitamt windows. Even though some of these options might come as a cheaper solution, they serve their purpose nowhere near as well as quality, strong hurricane impact windows and doors.
It is good to bear in mind that these are not only designed to endure a destructive power of nature such as a hurricane but for several other purposes and aims. These are some of the reasons why high-quality impact windows and doors are expensive, and also why they are not a commodity, but a necessity in hurricane-ridden areas:
How Strong Are Hurricane Impact Windows?
Well, these are designed to be strong, durable, and reliable during this season – it is their main purpose. As they are interlayered with a PVB (polyvinyl butyral) or EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) seal layer, along with being made of some of the strongest glass on the market, these guarantee to elevate your safety as opposed to potentially exposing yourself to flying glass during these strong winds.
They do not break like standard windows, but rather crack in spiderweb-like patterns and hold on strongly in that formation, surviving winds reaching the speed of up to 200 miles per hour.
Impact Windows Protect You From Potential Intruders
Most of the home breakings start from the windows and doors; and while it is not fully guaranteed these will stop the intruders entirely, they will give them a hard time entering your house.
Save on Growing Utility Bills With Energy-efficient Investments for Your Household
Once you invest in quality impact windows and doors, it can oftentimes pay off more than just good facade insulation, as the amount of air seeping from the house is minimized, making the home’s air conditioning much more efficient.
They also reduce the overall amount of heat due to anti-UV layers implemented in their glass. They are not soundproof, but still reduce the noise entering your home significantly, especially if your home is facing a street.
Impact Windows Can Increase Your Property’s Value Significantly
In case you decide to sell your property, your house’s worth will be higher since it has these windows.
Each hurricane impact window and door counts as an investment into your safety as well as your property’s. Rather than repairing your doors and windows each time you experience damage, it is much smarter to pay for these once and save yourself from the headache of rebuilding. With a lot of advantages offered, these windows and doors are imperative for every house in hurricane-ridden areas, especially where these winds happen annually.
Feel free to check out our glass windows and doors made for both your home’s exterior and interior, or give us a call at 888-505-5398.
