Hurricane protection for new home? Garage door?

[twobearcatz]

I'm in the process of "protecting" my Florida home against hurricane winds. This is a new home with a wood/stucco construction. I've been able to find anchors to put 3/8inch plywood on all the windows. I'm not sure how much protection this will offer, but it was the best I could do by myself. I've heard that the garage door is also a weak spot on the house. Does anyone know what kind of wind a new garage door can withstand? Mine is a (standard?) metal door with the reinforcing horizontal metal straps going all the way down. I've seen kits, and heard ideas from other on reinforcing the garage doors. Is this only worth it for old or really cheap garage doors? Also, what about the sliding patio doors? I didn't bother to cut boards and get anchors to try to protect it any further. I've been told the home has the standard "hurricane" glass installed on all new homes in Florida. In other words it is rated to withstand wind pressure. It is NOT shatter resistant. TIA for any help on this. Ironically, most people don't seem to know much about it in Florida!

[Art]

Garage doors are not that expensive and probably not worth trying to protect. I would try to protect the sliding door to protect the inside of the house.

[Pat]

The idea of the wood or shutters on windows is to protect the glass from shattering from flying objects. Therefore not lettng wind into the house and lifting your roof. Definetly protect that sliding glass door.Buy 4 x8 sheets of plywood and run them horizontally. Screw a 2 x 4 on each long side of the bottom piece and a 2x4 on the bottom of the top sheet.. Cut the top sheet at least 4 inches above the opening. The wood on the plywood is to preventit from buckling on the long span. Screw them in to the foundation cement block or whatever your house is made of. You might need a hamer drill if it is cement. Rent one. Don't get a Ryobi from the box stores.

They have some new fasteners out now where you screw it into the wall and then you attach a wing nut with washer on it. Home Depot carries them.

Your best bet and easier is the storm panels . You will get tired of putting up those darn panels every year. But it is a little late now for Ernesto. The track is screwed into the sill and top and all you do is remove panels and use them next year. and track stays in place. They even have one for your doors where the track folds down so you don't trip over it.There are a lot of other options too. After this storm is over.

I have doing this for 40 years with the wood. And been trying to get my son to install the storm panels. He is in the business and has been so busy. So I guess it is the wood again this year.

I never think of it on the off season. So I think that is what I want for xmas.

Pat

[Oren]

I would be more concerned about the pressure in the house, actually, but yes cut ply for the sliders and store with the other stuff. We took a direct hit in 1960. we had one window partially open on the leeward [sic] side of the house supposedly to even out the inside pressure (kid then). We were lucky to still have a roof and a dozen refugees or so.

If a storm takes your roof and the garage is attached to the house, chances are you will get a new garage door also.

Follow local instructions.

Oren

[Howard]

Actually when the garage door fails the interior is greatly exposed.

Suggest the OP look at >>

Also google "florida garage door" for other info

Art wrote:

[twobearcatz]

[twobearcatz]

The entrance to my attic is open and in the garage! I am caring more about the garage door protecting the house than the door itself :)

[Norminn]

gar. door, other than it being the weakest part of the structure. A friend just had a new door put in which has steel braces which are put up for storms - they anchor into the floor and the top frame of the gar. door. You should cover your sliders, as they have greater potential to shatter and leave your home wide open.

On a dollar for dollar basis, I would buy hurricane shutters (which we have). MUCH more protection against flying trash cans and street signs. Under water in a storm surge, not much good :o) Worst storm we got was 70 mph wind, and that is all I ever want to see. Our atrium skylight, probably 500 lb, went flying. Hubby, a very, very strong guy, wrestled a wind-blown trash container (very heavy) and it took all of his strength to get it back and secured. Welcome to Florida. Looks like Ernesto might have me in his sights.

[*Rick*]

Might want to bookmark this.

This site has link with tips that will help with Hurricane or other disaster information. Waiting on Ernesto now. Tampa Bay area here.

[jerryl]

You're not protecting the garage door. You're protecting the house if the garage door blows out. The resulting wind entering the main house will blow out the windows and possibly the roof. They have available a vertical bar that fits into a socket in the floor and is strapped to the door during a hurricane. If you don't have this, put a piece of plywood between your car bumper and the door and have someone guide you to just touch the door.

[JimR]

If this is new construction (you said it was a new house) then it has to meet current codes, which include some level of protection against hurricanes. The level depends upon the county in which you live, with Miami-Dade being the most stringent. The company which built the house (if it's new) should already have given you details about the garage door specifications -- you can also consult with the door installation company or go directly to the manufacturer who can give you specifics.

If it's old construction, its level of protection will depend upon the year it was built, because the codes got stricter after the '91 hurricane and again after more recent events.

If it's old construction, your primary concern may be the roof, because of the unknown status of the roof shingles and structure. In the several hurricanes which have come through our area in the last two years, by far the most serious damage came from roof damage that let in water, or which then compromised the structure of the house.

You should probably IMMEDIATELY sign up for the "Safe Florida Home" initiative. This is $250M program which Gov Bush has signed, providing grants of up to $5,000 to homeowners to upgrade home safety. It's only been in existence for a week, and may already be oversubscribed. However, the very first item in the program is a free home inspection to identify areas where safety can be improved. You can sign up at

Regards --

[JimR]

[jerryl]

.

Only available for homeowneres EAST of I-95 and registered Republicans.

[twobearcatz]

Are you serious? I just applied! Not East of 95 or a registered Republican! :(

[Rich]

[Richard J Kinch]

OK, that's a good joke.

The sad truth is that the program only applies to the insurance industry's customers, not to those of us who self-insure who are automatically ineligible. It is basically and insurance industry subsidy, not a homeowner program. Bah.

[jerryl]

When the program came out it was announced that it pertains to houses east of I95. The below gives a slight explanation and when you apply, you'll be later told that you are not eligible at this point if you live west of I95. Call the Sun-Sentinel up and ask for the archived news document stating the above.

Congratulations! You are eligible to apply for a free home inspection in the program. Free inspections will first be done in selected (this is where they mean East of I95) hurricane-vulnerable areas where inspectors are available.

Please remember that applying for a free home inspection does not automatically qualify you for a grant.

Once you receive a free home inspection and you live in a high-risk area, you will be able to apply for a matching grant of up to $5,000 to do the recommended improvements outlined in your free inspection report.

In 1999 or 2000 the Feds gave money to Tallahassee to help with the hurricanes. This money was to be distributed to home owners East of I-95 to install hurricane shutters on their houses. Home owners were to get up to

10000 dollars each for this. Your beloved governor, Jeb Bush changed the criteria from East of I-95 to East of A1A. The homes east of A1A run from 1 million to 40 million apiece. They really needed the free 10K. A few blocks away are homes that are worth 70 to 150K and could have used that money for shutters but they were excluded. Why? They were not rich and republicans. When you call the Sun-Sentinel for the stories abovie, ask them for this one too and you'll see what I mean.

[jerryl]

The article as in Sun Sentinal, Aug 16th. Read the whole article. Way down it states "east of I-95 in Broward and Palm Beach counties:

[Jean]

...snip

I live in Florida and recently looked into getting flood insurance because the lake at the back of my house sometimes overflows onto my lot (but not the neighboring lots). My agent told me that flood insurance will only kick in if the houses on both sides of you are affected by the "flood", so the insurance wouldn't benefit me. Bottom line: you need to know or be able to guess the flood pattern for your locale.

Jean

[Norminn]

Program is getting a lot of publicity here, far west of I95 - this is first I have seen mention of that limitation. But, gosh, by the time the details are known and the inspectors hired, November elections will have come and gone. Gotta have an inspection done first, and they have no inspectors. And gubernatorial hopeful, Tom Gallagher, just this week sent around an email about the program (passed on to me by local chapter of Red Cross). Living in coastal Florida, I would not be without hurricane shutters - two layers of glass with plastic film doesn't seem strong enough to withstand a roof tile or 4x4 going 100 mph! Of course, a 20 foot storm surge would make it all irrelevant :o)

One storm, whose name I can't recall, was 100 mi offshore. The storm surge put the ocean over our seawall, at least two feet higher than the highest tide I normally see. Another ?six feet would make my condo flood. Twenty feet would drown my upstairs neighbors. Forty foot waves on top of that?

My reasoning is that the largest glassed areas, along with garage doors, are the weakest link in strong exterior protection, so need most reinforcement. A small broken window would let in less wind, rain and debris, so I'm thinking it is a bit less concern. We have triple sliders on two sides - one movable panel and two fixed - so hur. wind would probably take them all out.