Getting Started
The laminated glass used in impact resistant windows and doors not only protects against high winds and debris but also forced entry. You can feel safe knowing there is an extra layer of protection between intruders and your family.
Argon gas is a non-toxic gas that is used to fill the air space between insulated glass. Argon is denser than air, which makes it more effective at blocking heat from transferring through the insulated glass. Simply put, it helps to keep heat inside the home in colder temperatures and outside the home in warmer temperatures.
Windows
Impact windows are built with a laminated glass which is resistant to high wind pressure, wind-borne debris, and forced entry.
Glass in windows and doors are often the most vulnerable part of a home’s exterior envelope. So, when hurricanes hit, which should be expected when living in Florida, having impact rated doors and windows or hurricane shutters is a must to protect your home.
While hurricane shutters are effective, they only work if installed before the storm arrives. Impact windows and doors provide the same opening protection without the additional effort of hauling, installing, removing and storing shutters. They are always ready to protect your home – no additional effort needed.
Impact windows are built with a laminated glass which is resistant to high wind pressure, wind-borne debris, and forced entry.
Glass in windows and doors are often the most vulnerable part of a home’s exterior envelope. So, when hurricanes hit, which should be expected when living in Florida, having impact rated doors and windows or hurricane shutters is a must to protect your home.
While hurricane shutters are effective, they only work if installed before the storm arrives. Impact windows and doors provide the same opening protection without the additional effort of hauling, installing, removing and storing shutters. They are always ready to protect your home – no additional effort needed.
The terms are used interchangeably in the industry. People may call impact windows “hurricane-rated impact windows” or “storm windows” but they generally mean the same thing.
We only sell impact windows and doors because of the overwhelming protection quality they provide. When you have impact windows, there is no need for hurricane shutters, plywood, or any other addition to protect your home. Impact windows are the armor of your home, they protect against wind, water and debris, even after they are impacted.
Both hurricane shutters and impact windows are approved by the Florida Building Code to provide protection against wind-borne debris during a hurricane. The primary benefit of impact windows versus shutters is that they are always ready to protect your home. Hurricane shutters, on the other hand, must be installed prior to the storm to provide protection. Hauling, installing, removing and storing hurricane shutters is the last thing anyone wants to be doing in the hours before and after a major storm event.
Impact windows provide effortless protection for your home, making them the most effective type of hurricane protection. They also offer several other benefits that hurricane shutters do not. Energy efficient impact windows will lower the temperature of rooms with direct sun exposure, letting in more light without the heat and lowering your utility bills. Impact windows are also very effective at keeping outside noise to a minimum. This lesser-known benefit is great for those working at home or living close to busy roads or common areas. New impact windows also solve the simple problems you likely have with your current windows. They operate easily, keep bugs out with new seals and screens, and bring a new fresh look to your home.
Taking all these benefits into consideration, impact windows are the clear winner for protecting your home and getting the most for your money.
Most impact window manufacturers offer tinted glass as an option. Before Low-E coatings, tinted glass was often used to decrease heat transferring through the glass from direct sunlight. The downside to tinted glass is that it reduces the visible light coming through your windows.
Low-E coatings are designed to let more visible light in while blocking the non-visible light that heats your home. So, if you are looking to improve energy efficiency or reduce the heat caused by direct sunlight, Low-E with clear glass is often the best option.
Near the beaches in Florida, glass that allows less visible light in is required by Florida Building Code. This is to protect sea turtles from mistaking the lights inside your home for the moon. Tinted glass is one way to meet this requirement. Homeowners may also choose tinted glass because they prefer the appearance over the green hue of Low-E coatings seen with clear glass.
Window replacement in Florida requires a building permit. This applies not only to impact window replacement but also non-impact and hurricane shutter installations.
Replacing a window on your own, without getting a permit, you run the risk of voiding any insurance benefits, causing title issues during sale or refinancing and getting fined by your local building department.
The bottom line: Mister Window has never replaced windows without a permit, and any reputable company would never entertain the idea of doing so. It’s about doing things the right way with a licensed, insured company and making sure you follow all local and state guidelines.
The majority of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties are within the wind-borne debris region, where impact windows and doors or hurricane shutters are required to protect your window and door openings.
The wind-borne debris region (WBDR) is set by the Florida Building Code (FBC). Its an area that has historically experienced high-winds and flying debris from hurricanes. Since your windows and doors are often the most vulnerable part of your homes exterior, FBC requires homes in the WBDR to protect their windows and doors from flying debris. Doing so helps to prevent more serious structural building failures and loss of life, which is the intent of the FBC.
See our FAQ discussing “What is better: impact windows or hurricane shutters?” to learn more about your options for opening protection.
It’s no secret that the price point for impact windows tends to be a bit higher than traditional home windows. Mister Window has had the privilege up helping thousands of households upgrade to impact windows. One thing we consistently hear from our customers is: “I can’t believe we waited so long to do this project. I love my new windows.”
For many homeowners, protecting their home is the primary reason they are replacing windows. Some currently have hurricane shutters but are tired of the struggle to put them up at each storm, take them down and store them. Many homeowners are also thinking about the future, and how many years they will physically be able to install their shutters. Those without any opening protection are no longer comfortable taking the risk thanks to the increased frequency of major hurricanes making landfall on the gulf coast of Florida.
With most everyone thinking about protection, it’s the many other benefits that impact windows provide that really surprise homeowners after the installation. Many of our customers are replacing windows that are 15 or more years old. They are hard to open, or don’t stay open. The screens are filled with holes and turning colors. It’s been a while since they have had a window that does its basic job, and as it turns out, that’s an important feature.
Another surprising benefit to many is how much more quiet and energy efficient your home is with impact windows. Rooms that needed heavy window coverings because of direct sunlight are now filled with light and cool inside thanks to the advances in glass technology. Your energy bill is lower than it was this time last year, even after the rate increase. Even more, the sounds of your loud neighbors and lawn care service are now unnoticeable.
Increased energy efficiency helps to keep you’re A/C unit running less, prolonging its life, and reducing your maintenance and replacement costs. Your insurance premiums have also decreased since the successful completion of your five-point wind mitigation survey.
This is a bit of a loaded question – pun intended. Depending on the range and type of round being used, impact windows can stop a bullet. The laminated glass used in impact windows is designed to withstand impact from a 2×4 traveling at 50 feet per second, all while keeping wind and rain out of your home after the impact. It’s very powerful stuff
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The construction of impact windows differs between manufacturers and product lines. Two things all impact windows have in common is the type of glass used and the testing that they must pass to be installed in the State of Florida.
Impact windows are built with laminated glass, which consists of two pieces of glass that are laminated together with plastic resin. It’s this resin that increases the strength of the glass and allows impact windows to stop flying debris and still keep rain and wind outside after the impact.
All impact windows used in the State of Florida must go through the same product approval process. During this process, windows are hit with a 2×4 traveling at 50 feet per second, and then put through a simulated hurricane to test what level of pressure the window can handle. This level of pressure is known as the design pressure and is used to determine whether a window meets the requirements for opening protection at specific wind speeds and design criteria.
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Most impact windows are designed to withstand a minimum wind speed of 150-160 MPH. Category five hurricanes have sustained wind speeds of 158 MPH+, which means that most impact windows are designed to weather a category five storm. At 150-160 MPH, they also exceed the design wind speed of 140-155 MPH required in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota counties.
Requirements for design wind speed increase as you go south down the Florida coast, topping out at 180 MPH. Selecting windows designed to meet this wind speed typically require looking at frame and window types with higher design pressures, as well as optional glass and frame reinforcements.
The same qualities that make impact windows so effective as hurricane protection make them a great solution to protect against forced entry. The amount of noise and effort required to penetrate laminated glass will send the burglar running long before they gain entry to the home.
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Outside noise is absorbed by laminated glass rather than transmitted inside. Because of this, impact resistant windows and doors significantly reduce ambient noise in the home. For homeowners working from home or living close to noisy roads, airports or common areas, this can be one of the most important benefits of upgrading to impact windows.
Window replacement consistently ranks among the top 10 remodeling projects for return on cost. Remodeling magazine’s most recent study ranked window replacement as the 5th best return on cost project at 67.5%.
See our FAQ “Are impact windows worth it?” to learn more about why homebuyers and owners see big value in impact windows.
Window manufacturers do not hold stock inventory. All sizes, whether standard or custom, are made to order. While some retailers carry select standard size windows, custom sizes work better for most replacement installations. During new construction, your windows are installed before interior and exterior finishes are completed. For example, drywall on the interior and stucco on the exterior. Replacement windows should be ordered in sizes that allow installation with minimal damage to existing finishes, making most of these sizes custom.
Doors
The cost of an impact door can vary widely based on door type, size, frame color, glass type and many other options. Because of this, looking at an average cost for all impact doors is not a helpful reference point. Two-panel sliding glass doors are some of the most common replacement doors in Florida. For this type of impact door specifically, in a 72” x 80” size, the average cost is going to be roughly $5,500. That includes labor, permitting, removing, and replacing. That price will go up or down based on the type of door and its options, but that is a safe estimate.
Entry doors, or swing doors, will have the largest price range due to the many options that are available with this type of door. The type of glass used and finish (e.g. primed, painted or stained) are the two most common factors impacting price for this type of impact door.
The best way to get an accurate budget for your impact door replacement project is to call a reputable door replacement company for a free on-site consultation. Because the options make such a big difference in impact door pricing, it’s important to make sure your quote is specific with the options that have been priced. This way you can avoid surprises early in the process and compare apples to apples pricing between companies.
Steel doors are available in both impact and non-impact rated models. Entry doors made with fiberglass and other composites are more popular than those made with steel because these materials hold up better to Florida weather conditions.
Fiberglass doors are available in both impact and non-impact rated models. They are the most popular type of impact entry door because fiberglass and composites hold up better to Florida weather conditions than most other materials.
The construction of impact doors differs between manufacturers, door types and product lines. Much like impact windows, there are two things all impact doors have in common. The type of glass used, for doors with glass, and the testing that they must pass to be installed in the State of Florida.
See our FAQ “What are impact windows made of?” to learn more about the type of glass used in impact rated products and Florida Product Approval testing.
The majority of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties are within the wind-borne debris region, where impact windows and doors or hurricane shutters are required to protect your window and door openings.
See our FAQ “Are high impact windows required in Florida?” to learn more about impact window and door requirements.
Installation
Impact windows should be installed per the manufacturers installation instructions. These instructions tell window installers how the window was installed during Florida Product Approval testing. By following the same installation method, installers can make sure the window protects against hurricane winds, rain and flying debris, just as it did during testing.
Installing impact windows in a way that prevents water intrusion and allows for easy operation falls outside the manufacturers instructions. This is where the experience and focus of your window installer makes a big difference. Quality window installation is not hard to do. But it does take more time to do it right. If the focus of your window installer is cost and speed over quality – you are likely to have issues over the long term.
Unfortunately, homeowners often won’t know if a window is installed properly until it is tested against the elements (wind, water, debris, etc.). Flaws in installation can take years to show themselves, making for an inconvenient and costly clean-up effort. That is why quality installation is a focus for us at Mister Window. Many window installers offer a lifetime warranty on their installation, just as we do. What makes us different? We are focused on making sure you never have to use it.
See our FAQ “What are impact windows made of?” to learn more about Florida Product Approval testing.
