What is wind mitigation, and why do you need it? In areas such as Florida, wind mitigation is the process of installing improvements to your home that will protect it against hurricanes and other string winds. When these winds occur, they can cause a huge amount of damage to your home. More and more people are looking into these techniques as they give them peace of mind, as well as making their house safer to live in.
The law and hurricane proof garage doors
Many states, Florida included, have laws that state that homes must be fitted with wind mitigation kits such as hurricane proof garage doors. These laws come under the International Building Code (IBC), that Florida has adopted.
You can call on your local Davie garage door repair company to give you a quote on installation, as well as advice on making your home wind proof. It’s also well worth getting in touch with FEMA, as they can give out 75% grants towards protecting your home.
Your insurance
Another reason to start looking into wind mitigation is that of your home insurance. Many providers will give you credits or discounts on your policy, if you’ve got these features in place. To get these discounts, an inspection will often need to take place. Before you get started with installation, it’s a good idea to call your insurance policy and ask what they can do for you. You may be pleasantly surprised.
How to prepare your garage door for wind mitigation
There are several different things you can do to mitigate wind damage against your home. Before making any alterations, you should call a Davie garage door repair contractor, in order to get a quote on the work. If you’re handy about the house some of these tips are possible to do yourself, but it’s always best to get a professional in.
– Pick garage doors with no windows: As you’ll find with most wind protection techniques, exposed windows are usually a don’t. An exposed window can easily be broken by flying debris, letting the elements into your home and putting your family in danger. Any wind resistant door should not have windows in it.
– Use doors that have steel bracing: There’s a growing range of hurricane proof doors making their way onto the market, so they’re well worth looking into. A good hurricane proof door should be impact resistant. This means that if something heavy hits the door, it should be able to take the impact without buckling or breaking. It can do this thanks to the steel bracing it has, making the door much stronger than standard garage doors.
– Install a garage door bracing kit: As well as replacing the garage door, you can strengthen the door by installing a door bracing kit. A kit will typically braces and hardware needed to give additional support to the garage door, meaning that in the event of a hurricane the door shouldn’t bend or break at all. Again, these can be fitted yourself, but for real safety it’s better to ask Davie garage door repair services to fit them in for you. When it comes to your safety, it’s always worth erring on the side of caution.
– Consider installing other wind mitigating improvements: There are plenty of other improvements you can make to your home that will improve its safety in the event of high winds or hurricanes. You can install water barriers, that will prevent water leaking into your home should the roof shingles be blown away. This also has the added bonus of being an insulating layer, saving you money on your energy bills.
It’s also a good idea to install shutters over your windows and doors. As mentioned above, flying debris can easily break them and cause damage to your home’s interior. They’re an easy way to avoid damage, meaning you’ll spend much less on repairs. Roof to foundation anchoring is a good way of distributing the load of the house evenly, meaning it’s much more able to withstand strong winds.
The safety of your home
Installing all these measures means that you’ll save money and be complying with the law, but most of all, it means your family is safe. Nothing is more important than making sure that your family are protected should the worst happen.
The good thing is that these changes aren’t too hard to make. It will require some upfront costs, but you’ll easily make that back in insurance and repair savings. Once they’re done, you can relax knowing that your house will be able to take a hurricane and still remain standing. Now that’s something to boast about.
Call your Davie garage door repair company today to find out more.
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.