Choosing the Right Hurricane Shutters

Choosing the right hurricane shutters for your home is not as easy as it sounds. There are numerous product options that are available when shopping for the right accordion. This article examines some of the major criteria that you should consider when choosing a shutter that meets all of your needs. The first consideration should always be safety. You want to make sure that you are purchasing an accordion from a licensed and insured dealer and that the hurricane shutters will protect you in the event of a storm.

We recommend having the shutters supplied and installed by the same company. This ensures that they will be installed correctly according to state and county requirements, as verified by an inspection to close your permit. Did you know that all hurricane shutters that meet or exceed HVHZ Miami-Dade requirements will help to protect your home during a hurricane? So what is the difference between all of the products available? This comes down to three major features: aesthetic appeal, workmanship, and longevity.

Aesthetic Appeal – Have a look at all of the homes in your neighborhood. You will notice that many of them have different hurricane shutters and some are definitely more attractive than others. Features such as tighter stacking blades, lower profile design, and the absence of rust or aging contribute to this appearance. For example, our Bertha Accordion Shutters stick out more from the house than our Supernova Design. The Bertha is a popular choice because of it’s proven track record of performance excellence. But the Supernova is becoming increasingly popular because it simply looks better on the side of a home. It is also important to consider how a shutter will look after say 10 years. Advanced methods of painting lead to a more durable finish, and options such as a closure channel protect the screws installed on the vertical portion of the shutter preventing those ugly rust stains.

Workmanship – When it comes to installation expertise, all companies are definitely not the same. At Assured, we manufacture our shutters in house to provide the highest level of quality. We also use advanced methods of installation which are extremely apparent on curved openings, and installations that require a no trip finish. For example, when we install our shutters on a pool patio, we often create the bottom track directly into the concrete (so there is no metal piece for you to trip over). We recommend that you look at each company on Angie’s List, the BBB, and other review websites to ensure that there is a proven track record of excellence with the contractor you choose. We maintain an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and have received the super service award with Angie’s List.

Longevity – An important consideration for hurricane accordion shutters is how they will perform over a number of years. All of our shutters use components that are designed to last the test of time. These include closure channels to prevent rusting, stainless steel wheels that are covered in nylon provide functionality that lasts much longer and are convenient to open and close. The finish of the shutter is also extremely important due to the harsh sun and rain in South Florida. We use a fade resistant paint that is powder coated for the strongest lasting finish available. We also add rain protection to our products by adding a rain guard to the accordion which prevents rain from entering the accordion at the top.

Finally, it is important to choose a hurricane protection contractor that offers a competitive price. With our three lines of shutters, we are able to offer some of the lowest prices in the state while providing our clients with additional options such as peek holes and clear blades. The bottom line is that if you are shopping for hurricane shutters for your home, consider how these shutters will look installed on day one, and also after 10 years. Do you research to ensure that the contractor you choose is licensed and insured, and has a proven track record of quality installations in your area. And remember, companies that do a large volume of hurricane shutter installations, such as Assured Storm Protection, usually have a much higher level of installation expertise.