Weathering the storm

During hurricane season, residents of Florida, the Gulf Coast and some areas of the East Coast of the U.S. must prepare for potential impact, sometimes with little warning. Boarding up vulnerable glass windows well before a hurricane makes landfall and then removing those boards once the storm has passed can take hours.

JELD-WEN impact-resistant windows and doors, which are designed to stand up to high winds and flying debris, provide a better solution.

What can a hurricane do to a home?

As well as the labor-saving advantages, storm-resistant windows help keep the whole house safe and sound. During a hurricane, the force of the wind and water infiltration can break windows and doors and cause weak places in your home to fail. Once the wind gets in, the increased pressure inside the structure can lift the roof and push the walls outward so they collapse. The right glass helps protect against that.

Debris flying through the air in hurricane-force winds can wreak severe damage, so JELD-WEN utilized the industry’s leading laminated glass technology to develop storm-resistant ImpactGard® windows that can withstand a nine-pound piece of lumber striking them head on. Even if the glass cracks on impact, the inner layer is designed and built to remain intact under most storm conditions.

Homeowners living within wind and windborne debris zones in the US must have high-impact, missile-resistant windows to comply with their local building codes. The zone you live in determines the design rating of your home’s windows and doors and JELD-WEN offers a wide range of products designed to meet the toughest codes. Zone 4, where wind speeds can exceed 160 mph, has the most stringent requirements and JELD-WEN offers doors, tested to strict quality-control guidelines by independent third parties, that meet the mandates.

Some insurance discounts and other financial incentives encourage homeowners to upgrade to hurricane-resistant windows and doors. For example, the Florida Department of Revenue provides a sales tax exemption for impact-resistant windows and doors through June 30, 2024.

Storm-resistant windows operate in the same way as other windows and come in beautiful custom wood, vinyl and aluminum frames.

Find out more about JELD-WEN's commitment to innovation in the company’s 2022 ESG report.