Let’s face it – there are few things better than having a beach house of your own. You’ve got an amazing scenic view; not to mention the option of taking a dip in the ocean whenever you please. But as with most things, there’s another side to that coin.
For one, preserving woodware in your beach house is not always easy. Namely, because of the fact that living on the beach can routinely mean dealing with heavy weather. There are high surf and extremely strong winds to deal with; meaning that destructive elements are constantly posing a threat to your home.
And you wouldn’t believe how much interior damage these things can cause; if you allow as little as an inch of floodwater to enter your home through a damaged window, you can be looking at almost $10,000 in interior damage. That’s why you need to take the needed precautions to protect your windows and deck on time, and maintain them properly; especially in areas that are prone to storms. Such precaution methods can vary wildly, from work that’s done by professional contractors to DIY projects. And we’re here to give you a couple of suggestions!
Window Film
Before you find a moving company on bestcrosscountrymovers.com and move to the coast; you’ll need to prepare for preserving woodware in your beach house. And as we’ve already mentioned above, this isn’t something you want to leave to chance; it’s a process that you have to think about as soon as you purchase the home, and start working on it from the get-go. So, what are your options for protecting your windows, for example?
First of all, consider what could cause damage to them. Namely, if your beach house is situated in an area with a lot of storms, some kind of flying object could break them. That’s why you may want to consider getting some window film. These days, there are polyester transparent options to choose from, and they’re stick-on; ensuring easy application. While contractors had to put these up in the past, these days there are consumer-grade products that any homeowner can easily install themselves. The window film is there to reduce chances of the glass fragmenting or shattering. Naturally though, if you’re dealing with something massive like a hurricane; this won’t prevent the entire window from being blown out.
Plywood
When it comes to acute weather disasters like hurricanes or other dangerous storms, you may need to temporarily strengthen your windows further. With that in mind, what’s the best way to go about it? If you’re keen on preserving woodware in your beach house, the best option would really be making temporary shields out of plywood. It’s a no-frills, low-tech approach to the problem; but still almost certainly the most effective one. Just make sure that the plywood can cover the entirety of the window, and then some; you want it to be attached to the house, and not the window frame itself. In the latter situation, any strong wind would just blow the entirety of the window.
Naturally, there are drawbacks to this; such as possible damage to the facade of the house, and the fact that the inside will be quite dark without any natural light. Because of this, many homeowners with beach houses put off doing this until the last moment; which can be a grave mistake, as the weather can’t be predicted with complete accuracy, and you never know when the storm will strike. If you don’t think about this on time, it could be too late. So, if you hear a storm is coming, make preparations on time; protect the house as best as possible, and consider options to transport your belongings from Florida to another state.
Storm Shutters
If you want a more permanent solution for preserving woodware in your beach house, consider installing some storm shutters. These will go a long way towards protecting your exterior windows. With contemporary storm shutters, there’s the option of protecting your window with a stell or aluminum shield. And if this seems too dim for you, these days there are polycarbonate panels which can sustain high-impact hits; but they’re translucent and admit light.
Storm shutters are a great option because you can deploy them easily pretty quickly once you’ve installed them. And also, for additional speed, there are some motor-driven options that reduce the process to the touch of a button on your remote. However, if you want to properly install these, you definitely don’t want to do it on your own. This is a job for professional contractors, and it also requires investing sizable money upfront. Though, there are upsides to this. In storm-heavy areas, putting in storm shutters will qualify you for a discount when you get a homeowner’s insurance policy.
High-Impact Glass
If you truly want to be serious about preserving woodware in your beach house, one thing is certain; you want to reduce the risk of any flooding in your home to the bare minimum. And if all of the abovementioned options don’t seem enough for you; there’s always the option to go all the way and put high-impact glass in your windows.
This is made from many layers of carefully tempered glass, that also has layers of plastic in between them. Really, that’s about as safe as you can get when it comes to your windows. Especially seeing as the same glass is used by automobile manufacturers when producing windshields. If it’s good enough for automotive safety, chances are it’ll do you good.
