All new homes must provide a way of securing all openings to protect against hurricanes. Builders generally choose to install hurricane impact glass or steel panels on all openings of a new home. Impact glass is the most expensive and steel is the cheapest. Both older and new home owners, with patios, often choose other additional protection options such as: hurricane shutters or fabric screens. Older homes often use hurricane shutters, panels, or screens as their primary line of defense, while newer homes will use Hurricane fabric screens or shutters as part of their lifestyle. But what’s the difference between the two?
Before we dive into a comparison of Hurricane Screens Vs Shutters by Atlas Armor, let’s first give you an overview of each option.
What are Hurricane Fabric Screens?
Hurricane fabric screens are designed to provide protection against all-weather elements as well as to enhance the owner’s everyday lifestyle. Designed to withstand the force of flying debris and strong winds, fabric hurricane screens are a valuable addition to any home. Not only do they protect windows, but they can also secure larger openings such as entrances, terraces, and lanais. With the ability to withstand Cat 5 winds up to 200 mph, these screens offer a formidable defense against the elements.
Advantages of Hurricane Fabric Screens
The major advantages of Roll Down Hurricane Fabric Screen are:
- Hurricane screens are designed to be easy to be used. Press a button to get the desired screen effect. Atlas Armor fabric screens are designed for comfort: just press the button on the hand-held remote control if it’s too: windy, rainy, buggy, or bright. Or if you want privacy, hurricane protection, or to save on your utility bills.
- Lowering the fabric screen, protects your family and home from harm by reducing the risk of injury and property damage during a storm
- Our roll down hurricane screens can be managed by using: hand-held remote control, home automation, or a phone app via WIFI
- Atlas Armor Hurricane Screens save you money. Our hurricane screens reduce your A/C bills because it is also a solar screen. Its solar shielding characteristics also protect homes and furnishings from damaging UV rays.
- Roll Down Hurricane Screen Fabric boosts the weather-related security of your home.
- Our hurricane screens bounce off flying objects and then reset for the next attack
- Even if damaged (cut), our screens will continue to provide protection
- Atlas Armor Hurricane Screens also increase the value of your property
- Atlas Armor Hurricane Screens also can lower your home insurance premiums
- Is warranted for every day (24/7) usage in full tropical sunlight for 10 years
- Atlas Armor’s 10-year screen warranty is transferable to the next owner. This is an exclusive. No other hurricane product can be transferred to another owner.
- Atlas Armor warranty includes free screen replacements due to a product design failure. Again, another exclusive.
Disadvantages of Hurricane Screen
The disadvantage of Roll Down Hurricane Screen Fabric is:
- Fabric can be cut by a knife so it is not an intruder security screen. It’s a hurricane screen as well as an insect screen, solar screen, privacy screen and general weather screen.
What are Hurricane Shutters?
Shutters are designed to be temporarily installed or placed over windows or doors to provide protection against hurricanes. Shutters come in different styles such as aluminum, steel, or plastic panels , aluminum accordions and metal roll downs. These shutters are designed with vertical
orientations (which allows them to withstand strong winds and resist flying debris), they are generally anchored by means of tracks, bolts, and wing nuts.
Advantages of Hurricane Shutters
- Provide weather-related storm protection
- Provide limited non-weather-related physical safeguards for your family and home
- Can lower home hurricane insurance premiums
- Can boost property value
Disadvantages of Hurricane Shutters
The noteworthy drawbacks of Hurricane Shutters are:
- With the exception of the metal roll-down shutters, all others are manually installed
- Most hurricane shutters require a lot of physical effort in that they must be physically installed before the hurricane and then removed shortly after the event which includes moving the shutters and might include a lot of work from a ladder.
- Home Owner Associations generally require that the shutters can only be installed 3-4 days before the hurricane and must be removed 3-4 days after the event.
- Additional dedicated storage is required to hold the shutters when not in use.
- Removable shutters are hard to handle due to size and shape and weight. Shutter panels (aluminum or steel) also have sharp, razor-like edges.
- Most shutters (being made of solid metal) will shut out all light from the secured area so that you lose all visual external awareness. They are not suitable for year-round protection
- If the shutter is struck by an object, it may become distorted, dented, or broken which means that it will be weakened or useless should it be struck again
Which one to Choose? Hurricane Fabric Screen vs. Hurricane Shutters
When selecting a hurricane protection solution for your home, a few key factors come into play. These include your specific needs, the amount of money you have to spend, and the design of your residence. Moreover, if you’re looking for an affordable way to safeguard your home against flying debris and strong winds, or want to use them every day, hurricane screens are the best choice for you.
In comparison with Hurricane Fabric Screens Vs Shutters
- All hurricane-specific products will help you save on your home insurance premiums.
- The initial cost of protection products raises with the convenience of using the product. A steel panel is the cheapest but also the hardest to install and remove.
- Motorized products will cost more than manual products.
- Motorized products such as our hurricane screens are perceived to hold more value and as such will increase your home’s value more than shutters.
- Roll down hurricane screens are super easy to use. Just push a button.
- Hurricane Screens are less likely to fail due to impacts
- Shutters can offer some degree of intrusion protection. Hurricane fabric screens do not protect against intrusion.
- Hurricane fabric screens blend into the home’s architecture while shutters are always viewed as an add-on.
Looking for the Best Hurricane Screens?
The best hurricane screens in Florida are Atlas Armor Hurricane Screens. Contact Atlas Armor to get a quote now.