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

Find out what protects every opening in the home, including the sliders, the entry doors and the garage door; whether that protection is rated and documented; whether it was installed under a permit with a final inspection; and whether it all works and is all there. Those answers shape the homeowners insurance quote, what you 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 Estero and eight other Southwest Florida markets. Estero is an inland village with no Gulf frontage, but hurricanes reach it all the same, and its homes range from older resales to new construction. Two homes on the same street can have very different storm protection, and the difference rarely shows in listing photos.

Mostly four kinds. Impact-rated windows and doors have laminated glass and reinforced frames built to resist wind-borne debris, so they protect the opening without anyone having to put anything up. Roll-down shutters are mounted in a housing above each opening and lower by motor or 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 bolt onto anchors around each opening, and fabric storm screens work in a similar way.

Each one asks something different of you. Impact glass works whether or not you are home. Shutters and panels only protect the home once somebody closes or installs them, so if the home will sit empty for part of the year, ask yourself who will do that before a storm and how much notice they will need. Panels also need dry storage space, usually in the garage, and each panel needs to be matched to its opening.

By the paperwork first, and the glass second. Products sold for hurricane protection in Florida carry a Florida Product Approval or a Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance, and the installation permit, the invoice or the product documents should name it. Many impact windows also carry a small permanent mark etched in a corner of the glass that identifies the manufacturer or the standard, and your inspector will look for it.

Do not rely on how the glass looks. Tinted or laminated glass that is not impact-rated can look the same from the lanai, and a listing that says "impact windows" may mean some of the windows rather than all of them. Ask the seller for the permit, the product approvals and the installer's invoice, and ask 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 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 but an older garage door or an original front door with glass in it may not receive the full credit. My article on how a wind mitigation inspection affects insurance walks through the whole form, and the same form is used in Estero.

Wind-rated garage doors usually carry a label, often on the inside edge of the door or the track, showing the manufacturer and its rating. Ask your inspector to photograph it. My article on why two similar homes get different insurance quotes shows how much the opening protection, the roof and the roof-to-wall connections together can change a quote.

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

Run every roll-down shutter all the way down and back up, and ask where the manual override is in case the power is out, which it often is before a storm arrives. Open and lock the accordion shutters and look for bent tracks, corrosion and broken locks. Ask the seller how old the shutters are, who installed them and whether they have been serviced. Shutter service is ordinary upkeep, but a motor or a track that needs replacing is worth knowing about before you commit.

They should have been. Replacing windows and doors and installing shutters generally require a building permit in Florida, because the product has to be approved for the wind loads where the home sits and has to be installed to the manufacturer's tested method. Estero is its own incorporated village, and the Village of Estero handles building permits for homes inside its limits, so ask your agent to pull the permit history for the address.

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 explains how to read the record, and the same logic applies in Estero.

Read the rules before you plan any change. Most of Estero's master-planned communities have an architectural review process, and window frames, shutter styles and colors usually 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 plan 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 has a plan to replace windows or install protection, and whether it would be funded from reserves or a special assessment. My article on what Estero HOA fees actually cover shows where to look in the budget.

Get the insurance quote during your inspection period, with the wind mitigation report in hand, so you know what the home's storm protection is worth to the premium before you commit. If some openings are unprotected or undocumented, ask a licensed contractor for a written estimate, and decide whether to ask the seller for a repair, a credit or a change in terms. My article on what a home inspection covers in Estero explains where a standard inspection stops and the specialists begin, 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 put the shutter panels where a buyer can see they are labeled and complete. My page on buying a home in Estero 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 Village of Estero.