What Should You Check About Hurricane Shutters and Impact Windows Before Buying a Home in Bonita Springs?

Find out what protects each opening in the home, including the sliding glass doors, the entry doors and the garage door; whether that protection is rated and documented; whether it was installed under a permit that was closed out; and whether every piece works and is still there. Those answers shape the homeowners insurance quote, what you or someone you trust will have to do each time a storm approaches, and what you may need to budget for after closing.

I am Kris Asquith, Broker Associate at Premiere Plus Realty, and I help buyers and sellers across Bonita Springs and eight other Southwest Florida markets. Homes in Bonita Springs range from older resales to recent construction, and on an older home the storm protection may have been added or upgraded in stages over the years. Two homes on the same street can be protected very differently, and listing photos rarely show the difference.

Mostly four kinds, and one home can have a mix of them. Impact-rated windows and doors use laminated glass in reinforced frames built to resist wind-borne debris, so the opening is protected without anyone putting anything up. Roll-down shutters sit in a housing above the opening and lower by motor or hand crank. Accordion shutters fold out from the sides and lock in the middle. Removable storm panels, in aluminum, steel or clear polycarbonate, slide into tracks or fasten to anchors around each opening, and fabric storm screens work in a similar way.

Each one asks something different of the owner. Impact glass protects the home whether or not you are there. Shutters and panels only protect it once someone closes or installs them, so if the home will sit empty for part of the year, think about who will do that and how much notice they need. Panels also need dry storage, usually in the garage, and each one has to be matched to its opening.

By the paperwork first and the glass second. Products sold as hurricane protection in Florida carry a Florida Product Approval or a Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance, and the permit, the installer's invoice or the product documents should name it. Many impact windows also carry a small permanent mark in a corner of the glass identifying the maker or the standard, which a home inspector will look for.

Do not go by appearance. Tinted or laminated glass that is not impact-rated can look the same from inside, and a listing that says "impact windows" may mean some of them rather than all of them. Ask the seller for the permits, the product approvals and the invoices, and ask exactly which openings they cover.

Because the insurer looks at the home as a whole. Florida insurers are required to offer premium credits for wind-resistant features, and the state's standard wind mitigation inspection form has a section on opening protection. To earn the strongest rating in that section, every glazed opening needs rated protection, and the form also asks about entry doors and garage doors. A home with new impact windows and an older garage door, or an original front door with glass in it, may not receive the full credit.

A wind-rated garage door usually carries a label, often on the inside edge of the door or on the track, showing the maker and its rating. Ask your inspector to photograph it. My article on why two similar Bonita Springs homes get different insurance quotes explains what goes on the wind mitigation report and when to order one.

That they are complete, that they work, and that you know how to use them. For storm panels, count the panels against the openings, check that each one is labeled for its opening, and make sure the tracks, wall anchors and fasteners are all there. A set with a few panels missing is a gap in the home's protection and a gap on the wind mitigation report.

Run each roll-down shutter all the way down and back up, and ask where the manual override is, because the power can go out before a storm arrives. Open and lock the accordion shutters and look for bent tracks, stiff wheels and broken locks. On a home near salt water, look closely at tracks and fasteners for corrosion. Ask the seller how old the shutters are, who installed them and whether they have been serviced. A motor or track that needs replacing is ordinary upkeep, but it is better to know before you commit than after.

They should have been. Replacing windows and exterior doors and installing shutters generally requires a building permit in Florida, because the product has to be approved for the wind loads where the home sits and installed the way the maker tested it. For most addresses inside city limits, permits are handled by the City of Bonita Springs, which runs its own building permitting, while homes in unincorporated areas fall under Lee County. A Bonita Springs mailing address does not settle which one applies, so confirm the jurisdiction for the parcel first.

Then compare the record with what you see. New windows, a new garage door or shutters with no permit behind them are a question for the seller, because unpermitted work passes to you at closing and an insurer or a future buyer may ask about it. My article on checking a home's permit history in Bonita Springs explains how to search the record and what an open permit means.

Read the rules before you plan any change. Many Bonita Springs communities have an architectural review process, and window frames, shutter styles and colors often need approval. Florida's homeowners association law lets an association adopt specifications for hurricane protection, such as color and style, and limits its ability to refuse protection that meets them. Ask the association for its current specifications and how long approval takes, especially if you want to add protection before your first storm season.

In a condominium, the declaration decides who owns and maintains the windows and doors, and Florida's condominium law requires the board to adopt hurricane protection specifications. Ask whether the building plans to replace windows or add protection, and whether that would be paid from reserves or by special assessment. My articles on HOA and club financials in Bonita Springs and condo milestone inspections in Bonita Springs cover what to ask an association before you buy.

Get the insurance quote during your inspection period, with the wind mitigation report in hand, so you know what the home's storm protection means for the premium before you are committed. If some openings are unprotected or undocumented, ask a licensed contractor for a written estimate, then decide whether to ask the seller for a repair, a credit or a change in terms. The roof and the opening protection are read together on the same form, so my guide to checking the roof before buying in Bonita Springs is worth reading alongside this one, and my step-by-step buying process shows where the inspection period falls.

If you are selling, gather the window and door permits, the product approvals, the installer's invoices and the latest wind mitigation report before you list, and keep the storm panels where a buyer can see they are labeled and complete. My page on buying a home in Bonita Springs covers the wider picture, and I am glad to go through the documents on a specific home with you. Get in touch or call (239) 300-1427.

This article is a general overview and is not legal, insurance or construction advice about any particular property. Confirm the specifics with your home inspector, a licensed contractor, your insurance agent, a real estate attorney and the building department that covers the address.