Building Your Own Emergency Shutters
Posted on: 23 January 2017
Few things quicken the pulse like an approaching storm. Whether the storm takes on the organized fury of a hurricane or simply rolls through like a frontal system, inclement weather puts your home at risk – particularly your windows.
If you have the time, it is always better to contact shutter-installation professionals who can use their skills and expertise to protect your windows, and by extension, your home. However, storms can pop up suddenly, leaving you without the time do so. The best path forward in such situations is to install your own emergency storm shutters. While these types of makeshift shutters will never work as well as professionally designed and installed shutters will, they can help provide some protection.
Building your own emergency shutters is pretty simple, you only need to accomplish a few steps:
- Measure all of your windows and glass doors. Make sure to include the full width of the window frames in these measurements, as you want to protect these areas as well. This will help prevent water from soaking through along the edges.
- Purchase 5/8-inch plywood, and have it cut (or cut it yourself) into the appropriate sizes for your windows. Once cut, mark the boards to indicate which window they match with. If you have windows that are larger than a single piece of plywood (most plywood is sold in 8-by-4 sheets), you'll need to use a 2x4 to connect two different plywood pieces.
- Place the plywood over the window (you'll need help to hold it in place) and drive a large screw through each of the four corners. If you like, you can pre-drill the holes, to make the process proceed more smoothly. Go back and drive another screw through each edge, about half-way between the corners.
As you can see, it doesn't take very much time or effort to slap up some plywood over your windows. The problem is, you'll likely have to repeat the entire process the very next season, as your plywood window covers will only hold up for a few storms – they'll start to deteriorate from being exposed to the constant moisture.
Again, permanent, professionally installed shutters are far superior to plywood shutters, which are essentially disposable. Proper shutters will not only provide stronger protection, they'll remain durable for years to come. Additionally, permanent shutters are much easier to install and remove than emergency, plywood shutters are, and they are sure to look much better when attached to your home. Contact a company like Ardy's Gallery of Window Coverings to learn more.
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