Be Prepared for Mother Nature with This Guide to Installing Hurricane Shutters
Preparing your home for hurricanes is one of the number one things one should consider, especially if you live in the southeast. For those of you who frequently deal with hurricanes, heavy winds and rain you may want to consider installing hurricane shutters, to better secure your home. This guide will provide you with instructions on how to install hurricane shutters, you’ll have to do a little heavy lifting, but this is a fairly simple project you can accomplish within a day.
Follow the instructions below and let us know if you have anymore tips to preparing your home for bad weather!
1. Measure Your Windows
The first step to installing hurricane shutters is to measure your windows, simple right? The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes states storm shutters should overlap the window frame by 4 inches on all sides. Make sure to measure and add carefully!
2. Gather Your Supplies
If you’re a little more handy, and want to build your own hurricane shutters, gather these supplies to build your own:
- A sheet of CDX plywood per window, at least 5/8 of an inch thick, cut to size
- Most hardware stores will cut your plywood for you
- 2 ½-inch Phillips wood screws
- Tape measure
- Drill and Phillips driver bit
- 5/16 drill bit
If your home is made of concrete block instead of wood, replace the wood screws and drill bit with the following supplies:
- Phillips concrete screws
- 5/16 x 3-inch hanger bolts (10 per window)
- 5/16-inch wing nuts (10 per window)
- Washers (10 per window)
- Concrete drill bit
The process of installing storm shutters differs depending on whether your house is frame-built or concrete block. Luckily, both processes are pretty simple for anyone with a little DIY experience. If all goes as planned, you should have all of your shutters installed within a few hours using one of the following methods. If you’re not a DIY bug, ask a friend or relative who is to help you out!
Below are the two methods for installing hurricane shutters depending on the type of home you have:
Installing Hurricane Shutters on a Frame-Built House
- Locate the framing studs above, below and on either side of the window using these steps:
- From the inside of your home, use a stud finder or the tap method to find the studs around the window.
- Measure from the edge of the window glass (NOT the frame) to the stud.
- Transfer those measurements to the exterior of the house.
- While helpers hold the shutter in place, drive plenty of Phillips wood screws through the plywood and into the studs on all sides. Make sure the screws sink solidly into the stud.
Installing Hurricane Shutters on a Concrete Block House
- Using a concrete bit, drill 10 holes around your window, each 3 inches from the window’s edge.
- Insert hanger bolts into each hole.
- Carefully transfer these measurements to the plywood and drill a 5/16-inch diameter hole for each of the hanger bolts.
- Slip the plywood over the window. The hanger bolts should protrude through the holes.
- Slide a washer onto each bolt, then tighten each with a wing nut.
After about an hour your work should be done! After finishing you’ll be left with perfectly protected windows that will outlast the worst of storms. If you have more storm preparation tips, leave them in the comments section below this post!
Remember, cleaning up a home that has been effected by a hurricane or natural disaster is not an easy task. If you are one of the many whose homes have been damaged during this hurricane season, you may need a dumpster to help clear away the mess. Call us at Dumpster Rental Inc for an affordable roll off dumpster, let us know if we can be of any assistance to you!
