Cape Cod Security ♦ Services ♦ Storm Protection
Storm Protection
Storm protection services for Cape Cod homes and businesses. Protective wind and storm damage solutions for residential and commercial buildings. Disaster preparedness assessments for your Cape Cod property.
Need a storm damage report done for your Cape Cod property after a major weather event like a severe winter storm, Nor’Easter or hurricane? See our Property Check Service.
With the current state of homeowner’s insurance for Cape Cod residences, storm preparation and storm protection are something that every Cape Cod homeowner should be concerned with. For those able to secure insurance coverage, wind damage deductibles have risen to unrealistic levels. In most cases wind damage deductibles are well into the tens of thousands of dollars. So unless your home suffers catastrophic damage, you are left with having to pay a wind damage deductible that may exceed the cost of needed repairs. With insurance companies able to drop you at any point, do you really want to file a claim and pay a huge deductible for a few broken windows?
There is talk that insurance companies may not offer coverage to homeowners that do not have some sort of wind damage mitigation in place. This is currently happening in Connecticut with any home within a half mile of the coast being required to have a mitigation plan in place to secure insurance coverage.
Years ago, most seasonal properties were “boarded up” for the Winter. This is rarely seen today, except for homes right along the coast. Traditionally this was done with plywood, but technology has changed this. Now there are many alternative options available for securing homes against storm damage. These include products from roll-up shutters to steel, aluminum and polycarbonate storm panels.
We have been researching options for homeowners here and have tested many samples of the different products available. For the average homeowner, the more expensive hurricane rated options like roll-up storm shutters, impact resistant windows and colonial swing shutters are just too expensive to be practical.
Storm panels however, are much more affordable and can be custom made to fit any window configuration. Some of these products can only be installed temporarily before and during an impending storm as they will degrade if left exposed to the sun, like over the Winter season.
The ones we prefer are UV Resistant clear polycarbonate panels that can be installed either before an impending weather event or can be left on to protect the home during the entire off-season. One advantage of the clear poly panels is letting 95% of natural light to enter the building. This is especially important in the case of a storm related power outage. With plywood or metal you are left in the dark even during the daylight hours. (see the photo to the right for an interior view of this type of storm panel) While protecting your home from storm damage and vandalism during the off season, they also allow security personnel, law enforcement and neighbors to see any unusual interior lights or fire from outside.
These Storm Panels are made of clear UV Resistant Polycarbonate which can be left exposed to sunlight year-round. They will protect your windows and doors from hurricane force winds, flying debris and severe weather and yet allow light in. They passed the Dade County Hurricane test, and can resist Large Missile Impact (9 lb 2 X 4 missile shot out of an air cannon). The missile bounced off the 16mm / 25mm RDC Storm Panel preventing any damage to the panel or the glass behind it. Florida Building Code Approval #FL5723 (Florida Large Missile Test Video)
The panels were also exposed to high air pressure simulated 170 MPH wind and passed the test!
Every Cape Cod homeowner should get a storm preparedness assessment done and have a storm preparation plan in place. Don’t wait until the storm is forecast to hit to get your property ready. We have all seen the lines of people on tv trying to buy heavy plywood at Home Depot and get it installed right before the storm hits. Don’t let this be you! Be prepared, get ready now. You may qualify for a discount on your homeowners policy if you have a storm readiness and wind damage mitigation plan in place.
Contact us about our Storm Protection services.
