Storm Shutters - DIY

[Jim Gunther]

I am so mad I could SPIT!

After 27 years with the same Homeowners (and Auto) insurance company - with no claims - and never having pushed them on price, I find myself needing a new insurance company.
They just discovered I'm directly on the waterfront! (Grrr!)

Several insurers have insisted on the "need" for storm shutters.

I thought my crank-out windows would be simple to protect (not that they really need it) but, each unit is exactly 48" high by 96" wide. So, a single 4' x 8' plywood panel doesn't allow any overlap.

Any suggestions how to deal with this (in a manner that won't break-the-bank) and actually provide some protection.

Is there some kind of clasp (or sometthing) that would allow me to hang a 4'x8' plywood panel over the glass yet attach to the wood adjacent to the jambs?

Again, any suggestions will be appreciated.
TIA, Jim

[Dan Babb]

How many windows?

How about putting some long pieces of C channel under the windows...then sliding the plywood into the channels.

Secure them to the channels with bolts.

You'd have to put some permanent anchors into the walls, but then you could remove the C channel.

Not sure how much money it would cost to do it though....depends on how many big windows you have to protect.

[mn12]

Can't speak for CT but in FL plywood wouldn't pass any insurance companies muster. Will most likely need to be a real certified shutter

[expat]

Our friends with a property on Sanibel Island went with the equivalent of bullet proof glass......but they could afford it.
One concept we saw in Darwin Australia (for cyclone protection) was a roll down shutter system, it reminded me of workshop roll-up/down doors, but not as commercial looking & the mechanics were hidden under the eaves.
It would be great for security as well but again more expensive than the old plywood fix.

[crash]

Don't even get me started about insurance companies.

We had our homeowners insrance canceled in 2004. The stated reason was because we lived in a high fire danger area. That would be just six months AFTER the 2003 wild fires that came through our neighborhood and destroyed 2000+ homes! Does that make ANY sense whatsoever? I mean wouldn't you think that they would WANT to insure houses that just survived the worst fire storm in 30 YEARS?!? Seems like their probability of new claims would be pretty low after an event like that, but some pencil pushing ass-douche didn't see it that way. All he/she saw was a big loss in a particular area for a particular reason.

That worked out OK though, because the agent on scene after the 2003 event that thanked me for saving two of the houses that HER agency insured not only said to me when I called her "I don't care what underwriting says, we will get you insured" but she did it for LESS than my previous company!

Like I said, don't even get me started!

[MVM]

4'x10' stainless steel or metal sheet?

4'x10' is a standard size for sheet metal.

[John / My427SC]

I went to visit my son when he was stationed in Corpus Cristi. The townhome complex he was living in was right across from the beach. All the units had these corrugated metal shutter that you could easily install horizontally across the windows and were pretty easy to store.

I tried to find some pics - this is the best I could do

[Mikey_P]

There are a lot of those corrugated metal shutters here in Florida. They slide into a channel on the top and use wingnuts on an L-shaped bracket on the bottom for sliding doors. I think for the windows I've seen they use the L-bracket and it is fastened into the window sill with removable bolts.

[skunkman]

Originally Posted by Mikey_P

There are a lot of those corrugated metal shutters here in Florida. They slide into a channel on the top and use wingnuts on an L-shaped bracket on the bottom for sliding doors. I think for the windows I've seen they use the L-bracket and it is fastened into the window sill with removable bolts.

They also have corrugate plexiglass. I think they look ridiculous but would pass your insurance requirements.

[Jim Gunther]

Thanks for ALL the suggestions - everybody.

My main concern is, 6 sets of casement windows which face the water. That is, 1st floor has 3 48" high by 96" units (4 crank outs per unit) and the second floor has the identical complement of 3 - 48" by 96" units of 4 crank outs each).

I'm "THINKING" of 1 - 4' by 8' sheet of 5/8" for each unit with some kind of "strapping" to fasten each unit. Think of the Roman Numeral for 2 or 3 (II or III) over each plywood sheet extending, maybe 6" or 8" (i.e. 60 inch 2x4 screwed to each sheet then fitted over permanent (weather protected anchor bolts(?) and bolted on before threatening weather.

I'll try to fiiger a way to post a photo of the existing windows and a drawing of my suggested (?Rube Goldbergian?) solution later today.

BTW: I did ALMOST have a an agreement with another domestic insurance company but they wanted storm shutters over EVERY window and door in the house. I didn't consider their suggestion reasonable. (Criminy, I'd be more likely to break my neck installing the damned things than I would losing the windows to wind.)

Originally Posted by Dan Babb

How many windows?

How about putting some long pieces of C channel under the windows...then sliding the plywood into the channels.

Secure them to the channels with bolts.

You'd have to put some permanent anchors into the walls, but then you could remove the C channel.

Not sure how much money it would cost to do it though....depends on how many big windows you have to protect.