By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Units in the Lalea condominium project are
fitted with Bahamas shutters.

Windows are one of the most vulnerable places at home when high winter winds and hurricanes can send rocks, lumber, lawn furniture, coconuts or tree branches crashing through glass. Once the wind is inside, the pressure can take off the roof.

While the hurricane season ended in November, winter's high winds are just starting.

Shutters can help to solve your problem. Several companies offer shutters but you really must do your homework to check out wind loads, impact resistance, materials and any installation peculiarities that may make a product unworkable for your home. Shutter companies normally offer design assistance.

Some shutters are only put up before storms arrive, while others are permanently fixed to the home, either at the side or top of the window.

Salesmen will be talking about products approved by Dade and Broward counties in Florida, which adopted high standards because of devastation from Hurricane Andrew. After January, consumers can look for stickers on products which show Florida code approval.

Prices, by the square foot, include these estimates: removable storm panels, about $8 a square foot; Bahama top-mounted and Colonial side-style shutters, $7 to $17; folding accordian-style shutters, $12 to $20; and roll-down shutters, $20 to $55.

You also can get protective film which prevents the glass from shattering, up to a certain wind force. The 3M company's "safety and security" film costs about $5 per square foot.

So for a typical 1,200 square-foot home with 150 square feet of windows the approximate total installed costs would be: storm panels, $1,500; Bahama and Colonial shutters, $2,250; folding shutters, $3,000; and roll-down shutters, $7,000.

These prices are general and vary according to installation conditions at your home, and the material used. Aluminum and steel roll-downs are more expensive than those made of PVC (polyvinylchloride) plastic but the PVC roll-downs can be damaged by ultra-violet sun rays.

While roll-down shutters are the most expensive, they are often used for high-rise condominiums.

"We have a product that has been laboratory tested and approved in Dade and Broward counties in Florida for both wind load and impact," says John Tomlinson, chief executive officer of Sun Dancer Inc., based in Phoenix.

He has been working with condominiums and commercial buildings in Hawaii for 15 years and done work for the National Weather Service in Manoa and U.S. Coast Guard on Kauai.

The roll-down slats are made of extruded aluminum with polyurethane foam by American Shutter Products of Fort Myers, Fla.

Sun Pro Hawaii offers foam-filled, roll-down shutters from Germany, says Wilfred Lauprezht, Sun Pro Hawaii owner.

Hawaii Security Shutters is a newer company in Hawaii and offers more options, including lightweight storm-panels by Anchor Safe 50/50 in West Palm Beach, Fla. which screw down to the home, but are only put up when you need them.

"We've also been doing a lot of Bahama shutters because they have a dual role with sun protection that people like," said Brent E. Wurthner, account executive with Hawaii Security Shutters.

Nearly all home builders have avoided using hurricane shutters because of the costs involved. Castle & Cooke did make the move, however. Bahama shutters are being used for the Lalea condominium project in Hawaii Kai, mainly to create a nautical effect, but they can be closed up for wind protection, says Mike Lum, the company's director of product development.

If you are on a limited budget and want to do something, you might consider plywood panels but only if they are connected properly to the stud framing. Thomas Thompson, general manager of Hawaiian Hurricane Clinchers, offers a system of brackets, hooks and wing nuts which make it easier to fasten the panels and take them off for storage after the crisis passes. He says cost of the fasteners, per panel, is less than $25.

Kurt Winner, president of Coastal Windows Inc., says manufactured products are better than the basic plywood panels nailed over windows.

"This system (wood panels) does not work well because the pulsating wind (pushing and pulling on the panel) eventually works the nails free," says Winner. "Screws are much more effective."

The company also features "hurricane safety glass" which is two layers glass with two layers of plastic on the inside. Winner says that when unprotected window glass is broken, thousands of tiny shards of glass are imbedded in carpeting and upholstery, requiring expensive replacement of interior fabrics.

Coastal Windows says a typical mid-sized home of 1,500 square feet could have 12 to 15 windows with a total of 250 to 300 square feet.

Hurricane glass can be purchased at discounted prices, perhaps $14 to $18 a square foot plus shipping costs, says Bob Barrett, company vice president and general manager.

One Stop Window and Door started selling roll-down shutters about four months ago, says company owner Eric Wong.

"They are great for homes on the ridges like Hawaii Loa, Kamehameha and Waialae Iki where the wind loads are greater," says Wong. The roll-downs can be designed even for large windows, up to 15-feet wide but you need reinforcement bars.

Homeowners should check with Scott Clawson at the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund to find out what the installation of hurricane shutters or panels can do to lower the hurricane insurance premiums.

Guidelines are complicated, and depend on overall strength of the home, but homeowners can save up to 70 percent on insurance.

Accordion Doors: Fold at the center of a window or door. During Hurricane Andrew, these performed as well as roll-down shutters.

Bahamas: Easy to fasten before storm; the shutter is lowered and is fastened to a storm bar at the bottom of a window.

Colonial-style: Decorative, louvered shutters are attached to the side of a window. If solidly made, these can provide adequate protection. During a storm, they must be shut, with storm bars screwed over them.

Roll-down: The shutter is convenient, simply rolling into a horizontal casing above a window or door. Mechanisms can be hand-cranked or electronic.

Storm panels: Aluminum or steel panels are screwed into a storm bar as a storm approaches. Until then, they are easy to store.