Hi, my name is Charlie from American Hurricane Shutters a leading provider of storm protection in Wilmington, NC, serving areas from Myrtle Beach, SC to New Bern, NC. Today I’d like to take a moment to talk to you about shutters, which are great hurricane protection for your home. For hundreds of years, people have relied on storm shutters to protect their home and valuables against hurricanes and wind-driven events. We at American Hurricane Shutters offer several options to do this.
Understanding Different Types of Storm Shutters
The most popular kind of storm shutters are Bahamas, commonly called pushouts, or Colonials, which are also known as side hunks. Bahama shutters are hinged at the top, while Colonial shutters hinge at the side. Both are made of aluminum and do a great job of protecting windows and your home from storm events. They’re available in two types, a mitered corner or a square corner, which is available with a slightly shorter lead time and also is slightly more economical.
Options and Features
There are several options available for side-hung and pushout shutters. Pushouts, for example, have an astragal, which is a piece that covers where the two panels meet in the center. There’s also a mullion or a mull bar, as they’re commonly referred to, which offer a vertical or horizontal decorative appearance to that shutter panel. They’re available in a variety of colors. We have about a dozen standard colors, and we also can custom color match if you should need to as well.
Rolling Shutters: Convenience and Security
The next most popular type of shutter is called a rolling shutter. These can be found over top of windows and doors and rolled down for the storm event. They offer locks for security purposes and are available as a manual operation or a motorized one or a motor with an override in case you should lose power during the storm. You have the option of a remote control as well as a vision panel so you can see what’s happening outside while you’re safely inside.
Accordion Shutters: Versatile Protection
Accordion shutters either slide to one side or the other, or they can be center meet for larger openings. They’re available with locks for security and can have vision panels so you can see outside as well as the standard and custom match colors as discussed earlier.
Storm Panels: Economical and Effective
One of the most economical solutions for storm protection are storm panels. These are only installed during wind events and are available in clear lexan, galvanized steel, and aluminum. They’re supplied with the hardware, including anchors and tracks, which can be installed ahead of time, helping to simplify and ease installation in preparation for a hurricane.
The Future of Shutters: Fabric Solutions
The future of shutters is looking toward fabric, namely a high-strength nylon hybrid fabric. This comes as two types, either something similar to a rolling shutter, which comes down in a track, or a storm panel type, which is only installed during the wind event.
Conclusion: Expert Assistance for Your Shutter Needs
As I’ve mentioned, there are a variety of construction methods, applications, and different considerations when discussing shutters. Our experienced experts know the questions to ask to make sure of a trouble-free installation. Thanks for reading and visit our website ahscarolinas.com if we can be of any assistance.