If you’re looking to upgrade your Stuart, FL home to get rid of vulnerable spots that put you at risk during hurricane season, it makes sense to consider impact doors. But since not all of us can afford to just upgrade all our doors at the same time, which ones benefit the most from an upgrade?
Which Stuart, FL Entry Points Benefit Most From Upgrading to Impact Doors?
Garage Doors
Believe it or not, your garage doors should be your number one priority, and that’s because they cover a huge area compared to all the other doors in your home and often are the first to fail in a storm. If that happens, wind can rush inside and build up pressure that can lift your roof or push out your walls. Garage door failure is actually one of the biggest reasons for home damage in hurricanes. Up to 90% of wind-related damage to a home starts with the garage.
Patio/Sliding
Next on your list should be your patio or sliding glass doors, especially if these have direct access to the backyard. Because these are made of glass, and because they’re also larger than front doors usually are, they are a bigger risk for buckling under pressure or letting debris crash through. You want special, heavy-duty tracks and multi-pane glass here.
Front Entry
The front door should be your next consideration, because typically these doors face direct exposure to the wind and rain. A great front door doesn’t have a lot of glass in it, and any glass it does have is laminated so it won’t shatter. The door should also have a steel or fiberglass frame so that it can’t bend easily, and this will protect your door from hurricane damage and also make it safer against break-ins.
Back Doors
While the other doors mentioned might have priority, don’t forget the back door as soon as you can get around to it. Back doors don’t always get a lot of love and are often lower quality to begin with. They tend to be made of simpler wood or metal and are likely to deform under repeated exposure to moisture and wind.
Making Your Choice
All your exterior doors can benefit from being switched over to impact-resistant models, but you should budget based on the layout of your home. As mentioned above, garage doors are at the most risk, so they should be at the top of the list. After that, prioritize doors on the windward side of the house, since this is the direction the storms will usually come from. Also, check the existing doors. If you’ve got one that’s already made of solid wood or has a metal core, even if it’s not technically impact resistant, it’s going to hold up better than a less well-constructed door in another part of the house that may need to be changed out first.
For expert advice on door upgrades and to see all your options, talk to us today at Liberty Impact Windows and Doors here in Stuart.
772-208-3299
257 SE Monterey Road #4469
Stuart, FL 34994