Living in Southwest Florida requires you to be prepared for hurricanes. One critical area of preparation is having adequate hurricane protection for your home. This means ensuring your home can withstand the intense wind and flying debris that happen during the storm. This involves making sure your home’s structure, such as your roof is sound and in good condition. Just as important is properly protecting your home’s vulnerable openings, such as your windows and doors. Many homes in our area still have non-impact rated windows and doors. These are very susceptible to damage during even a minor storm. So if your windows and doors are non-impact, replacing them with impact ones is a good idea. In this article we talk about hurricane impact front doors specifically. We will cover what they are, different options, and their benefits in SWFL.
Explore our hurricane impact doors in Fort Myers and throughout Southwest Florida.
Benefits of Hurricane Impact Front Doors
Impact front doors have many benefits, especially in hurricane-prone areas, such as the Gulf Coast of Florida. We talk about some of the biggest benefits of these front doors below.
Increased Protection During Severe Weather
The biggest benefit of this type of door is the storm protection it provides. These exterior front doors are made to be able to withstand hurricanes. That means they can withstand intense winds, extreme pressure, and serious impacts from flying debris. Where non-impact doors are susceptible to breaking, impact front doors are made to take a beating. This means your home does not become exposed to extreme conditions, which can cause more significant damage to your home.
Increased Home Security Year-Round
Impact doors are made with robust, heavy-duty materials, including impact-resistant glass. This makes it much harder for a burglar to break through your door’s glass and gain access to your home. In fact, it is near impossible. As a result, impact entry doors offer an additional layer of security and added peace of mind.
Enhanced Energy Efficiency
In addition to hurricanes Southwest Florida experiences extreme heat. Impact front doors offer energy efficiency performance that your older doors cannot. This helps you keep the cool air inside during the summer (and the cold air outside in the cooler months). Energy efficiency is helpful as it reduces the load on your HVAC system as well as your energy bills.
Great Looks
Another great thing about impact front doors is their aesthetics. A new front door can boost your home’s curb appeal greatly. And impact doors are no different. In fact, the amount of options are nearly endless. You can find an impact resistant door in any style, material, etc. you would like. Protecting your home doesn’t require you to give up your home’s looks. In fact, you can actually improve your home’s curb appeal with a stylish, new impact-resistant front door.
How Hurricane Impact Front Doors Work
Impact Resistance Glass
Hurricane impact front doors are constructed of impact-resistant materials. This includes the glass. The doors use impact glass (laminated glass) vs traditional glass. This is the same type of glass used in impact windows. It is rated to withstand impacts of intense wind, pressures, and flying debris.
Reinforced Materials
In addition to the glass the door itself is made of reinforced materials. These include the materials used in the actual door slab itself, such as aluminum, metal or fiberglass. It also includes reinforced frame/structure, and other components, such as hinges, that reinforce and solidify the doors vs impacts.
Different Hurricane Front Door Options Available in the Market
Styles and Designs of Hurricane Impact Front Doors
As we mentioned above, hurricane impact front doors come in every style and option imaginable. This includes different options, such as:
- Single vs double front doors
- With or without sidelights (sidelites)
- Materials – slabs are available in metal, aluminum, fiberglass, and wood
- Glass inserts – impact front doors are available with a wide range of glass inserts, all of which are made from impact resistant glass
- Style – you can find a front entry door that matches your home’s style, from modern to traditional, and everything in between
Customization Features
Working with a local door company that offers customization, such as Eurex Shutters, will allow you to create the perfect front door for your home. A wide range of customizations are available, including the size, single vs double, materials, glass inserts, colors, and more. If you interested in custom impact doors, contact us for more information.
Importance of Investing in Hurricane Impact Front Doors
Investing in a front door replacement should be looked at as an investment vs just a cost. These doors offer many benefits, peace of mind and safety being at the forefront.
Here are some reasons why investing in hurricane impact front doors is so important in Southwest Florida.
Safety and Security Benefits of Hurricane Impact Front Doors
First and foremost, living in a hurricane-prone area requires preparation and hurricane protection. There is no way to sugar coat the damage that a hurricane can cause. Hurricane impact front doors are a big component of protecting your home and family against hurricanes. Traditional doors can easily be compromised during a major hurricane. Impact doors, on the other hand, are able to withstand a major hurricane. In combination with other hurricane protection measures this helps to protect your family and your property. It also reduces the chances of significant hurricane damage, which can be extremely costly.
Home Value Enhancement
Having a hurricane resilient home is attractive in our area. It is important to you when you are living in the home. And it is important to potential buyers who are looking for their next home. Buyers look for homes with hurricane protection already installed. It gives them peace of mind from the moment they move in. In other words, it is one less thing they have to worry about. And it is also one more cost they do not have to make.
As a result, adding hurricane protection to your home, such as an impact front door, helps to increase your home’s value.
Importance of Professional Installation and Maintenance
The quality of the door itself you buy is critical. A cheap door may not perform as intended. It may not also last as long as a well-built, quality door. At the same time, the quality of the company you buy it from is just as important. Installing the door correctly will greatly affect how the door performs against a hurricane, as well as it’s energy efficiency, and function.
Make sure you pick a hurricane door company that has a reputation for quality installations.
Conclusion
If you live in Southwest Florida, having hurricane protection, including an impact resistant front door is very important. Hurricane impact front doors help keep your home safe during hurricanes and storms. They also make your home more secure and can even save you money on your power bill and insurance wind policy. A new impact door can also make your house look great.
If you need a new front door that can stand up to hurricanes, call Eurex Shutters today for a free estimate in Southwest Florida!
Best in class performance, technology & warranty
- Meet and Exceed Current Florida Building Code
- Custom, highest quality hurricane shutters
- Up to 20 year limited warranty
