When you want to protect your home from potential damage, many different materials can be used. Updating the windows and doors can be one of the best investments to give your home more protection from storm damage. Today, there are specially designed impact windows that can be used for these improvements. The following impact window and door upgrades will help protect your home during the next storm:

Evaluate your existing openings

You are going to want to evaluate all the openings in your home before you decide where you want to upgrade the windows. If there are already windows that have been updated, you may not want to invest in improvements here. There are also some areas where you may not really want to spend the money on upgrades, such as windows in a foundation or unfinished spaces where you may not be as concerned with damage. Therefore, you will want to decide on the areas where your home will really benefit from the installation of impact windows.

Deciding where to install impact windows

You may want to invest in the impact window improvements in different areas of your home. Some of the areas where you will want to upgrade the openings the most include:

• Main living spaces with a lot of glass
• Windows in bedrooms
• Openings in other finished spaces

These are your home areas where you will get the most out of an investment in impact windows and doors. Talk to your installer about where you should upgrade the windows in your home to protect against storm damage.

Reinforce structural framing around openings

Installing impact windows will not do much if the openings are still weak. Therefore, you may want to improve the window openings by reinforcing the structure. Some solutions that can be done to reinforce structural framing include:

• Adding steel or metal plate reinforcements
• Using hurricane straps to reinforce the openings
• Replacing conventional nails with long wood screws at openings

Making these improvements to the openings where you install new impact units will help ensure that your home is protected during severe weather.

Installing and securing new impact windows  

When installing the impact windows, they are going to be installed like standard window units. The casings need to be leveled and the frame fastened to the opening. To provide your home with more security when installing impact windows, make sure that units are fastened with long screws that are rated to withstand the force of high winds.

These impact window upgrades for your home will help provide more protection during severe weather. For more information about impact window replacement, contact a local company.