Opening Protection

I've had many people ask about accomplishing their hurricane mitigation activities in stages. While it is preferrable to immediately do everything possible to protect your home from wind events, often it is not economically feasible to do so. The rule of thumb in protecting openings is to start with the larget opening and work to the smaller. For most homes, the largest opening is the garage door. There are a number of ways to protect the garage door opening.

The optimal solution is to install a new garage door. There are models currently available that have been tested at or above the maximum Florida wind zone requirements. In the past wind resistant garage doors have required vertical bracing which had to be manually installed prior to a wind event. Most manufacturers now offer doors that do not require vertical bracing, which makes them much more convenient. When you replace your door, I recommend you use the highest wind rated door available; the small difference in cost over a door rated for a lower wind zone is worthwhile to add additional protection for your family and home.

You can also shutter your existing garage door with a number of different products, such as screens, aluminum or steel panels, lexan panels, plastic panels, accordian shutters or roll-down shutters. Many of these options are expensive and some may even exceed the cost of a new wind rated door.