If you reside in an area that frequently suffers from hurricanes and other natural disasters, you should weather-proof your garage door with appropriate materials. A lack of adequate preparation may lead to the destruction of your garage door. Ultimately, losing your garage door during this severe weather may build up pressure within your home, which causes blowouts of the supporting structure.
To avoid this occurrence, homeowners must take proper hurricane preparation measures to protect themselves and their valuables from harm. But that’s not all! Apart from ensuring safety during challenging times, hurricane rated garage doors offer you an array of incredible benefits. Let’s take a look at these:
What are Hurricane-Rated Garage Doors?
Featuring a plethora of designs and styles with different wind load requirements, hurricane-rated garage doors may differ based on your location. When combined, they offer the best of both worlds with increased durability, impact-resistance, and enhanced aesthetics.
These doors must meet the local International Building Codes (IBC) of your area. You may contact a storm protection professional to help you figure out your region’s hurricane ratings. Moreover, before the installation process, the workers will perform an in-depth analysis to determine the type of door that best meets your needs.
Top Benefits of Hurricane-Proof Garage Doors
Here’s, we have discussed numerous benefits of installing a hurricane-rated garage door
1. Tough and Resistant Finish
Your hurricane-rated garage door is tough enough to survive dangerous hurricanes, as well as day-to-day wear and tear. Here, manufacturers utilize high-quality material alongside top-notch quality paint to offer a stunning finish.
Moreover, hurricane-proof doors boast paint that doesn’t peel off easily. Neither does it contain lackluster material that starts warping during the hot weather.
2. Less Maintenance Than Other Garage Doors
Manufacturers build garage doors to ensure sustainability. Thus, it boasts a design resistant to extreme winds and rain.
That way, not only does your garage door stays in place, but it also requires minimum maintenance. Whereas conventional garage doors require regular inspections and improvements, unlike hurricane-rated garage doors.
3. Quality Construction
The top-tier materials and heavy-duty hardware make hurricane-rated doors robust and durable. Not only does their sturdy design protect you from objects flying around, but they also ensure longevity and years of useful service.
4. Convenience
Wind-resistant garage doors don’t require any extra set-up steps. That way, homeowners don’t have to spend a fortune every hurricane season installing panels and then removing them later.
5. Prevents Water Damage
Unfortunately, even the smallest water damage can lead to more significant problems and massive bills. Luckily, hurricane-rated garage doors protect you from flying debris, as well as ensure no water enters your house. This means no rusting or corroded garage doors, which, in turn ensures aesthetically appealing curbside.
6. Lower Insurance Costs
Homes in areas that often experience storms and hurricanes usually feature insurance premiums that are far too expensive. However, a variety of upgrades and additional security measures help lower premiums. One such way is by installing hurricane-rated garage doors free of all kinds of insurances.
As these are built of high-grade materials, lowering the risks of damages and accidents. Thus, you won’t be paying for hefty insurance claims.
7. Enhance Security
One incredible advantage of installing a hurricane-proof garage door is that it increases security. The rigid brackets and hinges prevent others from breaking into your house.
That way, homeowners can enjoy their vacation knowing their house boasts adequate protection against theft.
8. Peace of Mind
Installing sustainable and first-rate quality hurricane rated garage doors in your house gives you the peace of mind that your house is safe from damage.
Hurricane-Proofing Your Current Door
More often than not, homeowners question ways they can hurricane-proof their garage doors. The majority of hurricane-proofing techniques are add-on methods that are comparatively less effective against harsh weather. Besides this, hurricane-proofing strategies offer low aesthetic appeal and require more labor.
Homeowners may utilize these strategies to hurricane-proof their homes and valuables. However, it’s critical to remember that these are less effective. Following are two common ways to transform your doors to hurricane-proof doors:
1. Braces
A popular yet short-term strategy to protect your house from storms is to install braces on your pre-existing garage door. Users may install braces vertically or horizontally behind the garage door.
Typically braces use sustainable aluminum or steel to offer a layer of protection. Moreover, owners place braces into brackets on the floor.
2. Hurricane Panels
Another typical option homeowners can go for is adding hurricane panels over their current garage doors. These panels look similar to those present on residential doors and utilize steel, aluminum, or polycarbonate to offer a somewhat sturdy construction.
Why Should You Hurricane-Proof Your Garage Doors?
Garage doors lacking adequate hurricane-proofing may buckle and break when high winds and storms occur. You can prevent such accidents and instead expedite your property’s safety by installing a hurricane-rated garage door. Moreover, it ensures you don’t have to sacrifice your curb’s appeal to receive adequate protection. Instead, it allows you to sift through an array of captivating styles and vibrant colors.
Research shows that about 80 percent of property damages after a storm or hurricane result from weak or poorly-fitted doors. Not to mention, a garage door collapse can cause a change in the air pressure inside your home. In turn, the storm may destroy your home’s roof.
Your home may notice a drop in dents occurring due to hurricane debris and garage door penetration after you install a reliable and effective hurricane rated garage door in your home.
The Takeaway
The primary reason for seeking a hurricane rated garage door is to ensure adequate protection when a storm hits. Other than this, these high-quality and sturdy garage doors boast longevity and require little to no maintenance.
Not to mention, you can enjoy looking through various attractive styles and colors to spot one that matches your home decor and style.
