It’s the weekend, and a stray baseball has found a windowpane the hard way. A new glass pane needs to be custom cut since the local home center doesn’t carry the same size glass. A vacation cabin is being closed up for the winter; the roads will be impassable so it will be spring before the place is open again. A strong storm or hurricane is coming and the order has come to provide protection for the home. These are all good reasons a homeowner would have to board up windows.
Different products can be used: 5/8 inch thick exterior grade plywood, custom made high-impact rated shutters and steel roll down shutters made for hurricane force winds are only a few products available to board up windows.
Companies providing custom made shutters can be found online or in local phone books. Prices vary due to window sizes, number of windows, materials used, types of shutters needed, etc. Call different contractors and get different estimates. Does the contractor have references the homeowner can check? Is there a warranty, or a guarantee of service or a manufacturer’s guarantee? For instance, a steel storm shutter is guaranteed for a 100 mph wind impact. During a storm with 60 mph winds, the shutter is destroyed and the window behind it smashed. Will the contractor or the manufacturer replace the shutter and the window?
The homeowner can board up windows with 5/8 inch exterior plywood. Instructions for doing this can be found on different sites, This Old House.com and Bob Villa.com are only two that offer advice on how to build shutters or storm covers for windows.
No matter which method the homeowner chooses the shutters should be inspected, maintained and tested occasionally to make sure they are working when they are needed the most. This insures the best protection for the home.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Eddie Frank
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