That is going to be an investment of some significance to just change out the operator style. It is likely that the windows, given their abbreviate age, have low-e in them.

I am not sure where you live but impact windows are quite heavy duty and typically remanded for just those type of coastal applications.

3M impact films do help with impact resistance if only from the standpoint of keeping the glass intact.

I prefer outswing doors on storm applications but there is mixed reviews on that.

You have to go with what code allows for so be sure that you are staying within that.

You wan to spend 60K for style's sake, but don't want to spend 1/4 that to actually make your home functionally safer during a storm????

I should have worded this better. Im trying to decide between impact windows, or regular windows and shutters. A problem IM running into is the window estimators dont feel they can make an impact rated window in the size needed for some of my openings (hight) and thats why I was asking. Also not just for style sake. A lot of the windows have lost their seals, and also are somewhat drafty, and I account this to being double hung instead of casement. When the wind blew on the casements, it just shut tighter. On the double hung, they creak and make noise when a big gust comes up. I had simonton storm breaker casement windows in my old house and they were excellent. Also had jeldwen atlantic vinyl sliders and they were good as well, but the new house has no sliders. So sorry for the confusion. But yes I am fully prepared for the sticker shock of the new windows. But want the piece of mind of todays technology instead of almost decade old before window manufactures got serious about energy efficiency or storm protection.

If it fits with the layout and style of the home, casements are my preferred operator in the scenario you describe as well.

Even the larger openings should be hurricane impact rated as twin casement units.

Good luck with the project.

RTawp,

Since in your earlier posts you were asking about both shutters and after-market film with new windows, I would suggest that installing impact windows covers both of those options without the additional fuss of an after-market add-on.

Also consider that if you add an after-market film you will void the glass warranty of the new windows. This for potential impact protection that is not comparable to the protection that you would receive from properly designed impact windows. There are no after-market films that meet the requirements of Dade County, for example.

One way to look at it is to consider that your car's windshield is laminated glass, just like the laminated glass used in impact windows - except that windshields are typically constructed using 2.7mm ( 7/32") glass sandwiching .030" interlayer while impact glass is going to be thicker than a windshield with an interlayer that will be at least three times the thickness of the interlayer in your windshield.

Ever worry about wind on your windshield when you are flying down the freeway? What if the odd rock were to hit your windshield at only 70mph? You get a chip. Imagine the same scenario with "ordinary" glass as your windshield. There is a reason that DoT has required "impact-rated laminated glass" for motor vehicle windshields for the past 80 years.

There are also less tangible advantages of laminated glass in windows including passive protection of your home if you are away - passive protection from storms and from unfriendly people who may want in your home when you would prefer that they stay out.

Laminated glass blocks better than 95% of the UV light. Combine that with a LowE coating and fading of your walls, floors, and furnishings is substantially reduced.

Impact windows using laminated glass are also typically much quieter than "ordinary" windows. In the event of a major storm (one that doesn't require evacuation), you may find that even a severe storm seems less severe when the windows are keeping a good bit of the noise and chaos outside.

If your only concern was the age of the windows, or that they lack the energy performance of 366, then I would suggest that you would be totally wasting your money to change them.

Andersen High Performance windows use LoE-272 coating and argon fill in the glass package. LoE-366 does have better performance numbers than 272, but not by any stretch would changing windows for that reason alone make any sort of economic or energy-performance sense.

Per doors, multi-point locks are a given. In your situation I wouldn't even think about looking twice at a door that didn't have a multi-point locking system.

Per DP, higher is obviously better, but keep in mind when looking that the comparison between DP and wind-speed is not linear.

For example since a DP 25 is comparable to 100mph wind speed, does it stand to reason that a DP 50 should be about 200mph?

Not so much.

Actually DP 50 is just a bit over 141mph. And if we double DP again to 100? Now we have our 200mph wind speed.

As clearly seen, from our initial DP25 and 100 mph wind speed we need to quadruple the DP in order to double wind speed performance. This is consistent from any selected DP / windspeed comparison.

DP16 = 80mph. Multiple 16x4 = DP64 which equals 160mph...and so on.

This post was edited by oberon on Sun, Mar 9, 14 at 22:07