Residents of Florida have learned to live with the yearly arrival of hurricanes, and a number of precautions against these storms are taken, which includes installing proper doors, such as hurricane proof doors. Installing hurricane proof doors and hurricane impact doors is a great choice for contractors who are building, renovating, or repairing larger residential buildings like condos and high rises, and glass door manufacturers and others can take note of storm resistance technology and construction methods to help minimize damage and risk to life when a hurricane strikes. Contractors for these larger residential buildings can reach out to suppliers and business partners who can provide hurricane sliding doors, tough building materials, and other hurricane resistant doors and other items to make sure that any condor or high rise and its inhabitants are able to endure a storm. What are some statistics of hurricanes and the damage that they cause, and how does this factor into Florida’s construction trends and regulations?
Storms and Buildings
The occurrence of hurricanes has long since factored into the methods and laws that Florida residents and contractors use when erecting or repairing a building such as a condo or a high rise. Every year, the hurricane season for residents of Florida and similar areas is June 1st through November 30th each year, and a number of these storms may arrive per year. In 2017, for example, 10 storms in a row became hurricanes, a highly unusual occurrence that has not taken place since 1893. Because storms like these can dump billions or trillions of rain water per day and deliver very powerful winds (not to mention debris thrown around by those winds), Florida construction methods have adapted. The Florida Building Code, the FBC, mandates that windows be impact-resistant if they are located within one mile of the coast where wind speeds above 110 MPH may occur, and of course, hurricane resistant doors are also essential to minimizing damage to property and life in areas where these storms and their damage will happen every year.
Contractors will know the correct building materials for constructing and installing hurricane resistant doors, and this may include the glaze. In general, doors will have an impact-resistant glaze system of +105/-130, and this allows them to endure hurricane force winds that are stronger than 100 MPH. The door frame may also be engineered so that a door is not easily blasted inwards from strong winds, nor will the door be easily knocked inwards by being struck with flying debris. High impact glass may also be use for sliding doors for similar reasons. Once such a door is installed at a fair price, it can be a very worthwhile investment as compared to a door that gets blasted down or badly damaged from strong hurricane winds or the debris that they throw around. This reduces the number of repair and replacement jobs needed. Such doors may also resist the huge barrage of water that hurricanes bring with rising tides and heavy rain, and preventing water damage in the home can also make such a door a very good investment that pays for itself every hurricane season. High rise buildings and condos with all these hurricane proof doors installed and ready for hurricane season will be a welcome place for residents looking to endure another hurricane season.
