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It's kind of like a pool. They say always buy a home with a pool if you want one. Building one will cost a fortune and you won't get 100% back at resale. I don't know the percentage impact windows will give you back. Maybe 50%? But probably more coat effective to wait until the original windows need replacing
It won't be terribly long if they are 30 years old.
I would not go the plywood route, much too heavy as one ages and hard to get yours done by handyman when a hurricane approaches (everyone else in the same mode) and will add to your stress. They block all light when you are inside and after the difficulty of getting the plywood up you will be tempted to leave them up all through hurricane season and OMG what a depressing way to live.
There are also steel shutters which can be put up in sections. I also vote no for these for the same reasons as plywood: heavy, hard to get someone to put them up and take them down and dark inside your condo. Where will you be storing plywood or steel shutters when not using them?
The best answer is either the mesh hurricane fabric type (easy to store) or the rigid clear plastic type. Much easier to install and many people leave the clear plastic type up all year long. We have a single family home and installed sliding aluminum shutters on 75% of windows and the rest are clear plastic, the clear plastic stays on those windows permanently.
Even being hurricane fortified my husband decided we should leave the area during Irma and talking with some neighbors who stayed (few left) they said they would leave next time due to the wind sound causing distress and fear that they were in danger.
I believe you would get a future higher sale price equipping your condo the lower cost mesh and clear plastic type because it's a way to make your condo stand out from others who have the same square feet and floor plan. (I am not a realtor but have owned several condos).
I would not go the plywood route, much too heavy as one ages and hard to get yours done by handyman when a hurricane approaches (everyone else in the same mode) and will add to your stress. They block all light when you are inside and after the difficulty of getting the plywood up you will be tempted to leave them up all through hurricane season and OMG what a depressing way to live.
There are also steel shutters which can be put up in sections. I also vote no for these for the same reasons as plywood: heavy, hard to get someone to put them up and take them down and dark inside your condo. Where will you be storing plywood or steel shutters when not using them?
The best answer is either the mesh hurricane fabric type (easy to store) or the rigid clear plastic type. Much easier to install and many people leave the clear plastic type up all year long. We have a single family home and installed sliding aluminum shutters on 75% of windows and the rest are clear plastic, the clear plastic stays on those windows permanently.
Even being hurricane fortified my husband decided we should leave the area during Irma and talking with some neighbors who stayed (few left) they said they would leave next time due to the wind sound causing distress and fear that they were in danger.
I believe you would get a future higher sale price equipping your condo the lower cost mesh and clear plastic type because it's a way to make your condo stand out from others who have the same square feet and floor plan. (I am not a realtor but have owned several condos).
Yes, the plywood would not be practical for me -- I have nowhere to store them, wouldn't be able to install them and I doubt the association would allow plywood anyway. Speaking of which, I am surprised that this issue has never come up, at least that I know of. I can't imagine the association could prevent an owner from doing whatever they need to do to protect their home, whether it's plywood or shutters.
Right, I did hear from neighbors who stayed during Irma that the noise during the storm was frightening. And the thing is, it can last for HOURS....and with no power, you have no idea where the storm is or how fast it's moving. We didn't hear much of it inside the shelter (school) but I do know that about 2 AM, it sounded like all hell was breaking loose out there. And that was Cat 2, with the eye being about 50 miles east of us.
The things that would give me pause are: Spending a few thousand on hurricane shutters to protect windows that are 30 years old. Plus, still not feeling safe inside the condo despite all these protective measures.
I guess you are sure the windows are your responsibility versus the condo association's responsibility.
Anyway, I vote no. The roof is just as much risk as the windows since the place is over 30 years old.
Besides, even if you got new windows, other condos in the same building could have old windows. If their windows break out during a hurricane, it could cause all the units in the same building to have damage because once the windows go, the roof of the unit and building can go too. Although the roof can be damage even if no window damage.
When selling, you'll be comped against other units in the complex and won't get much more, if anything, from the windows.
Whether a condo owner can do something to the OUTSIDE wall that is not approved/uniform for the entire condo development is the question...
Our SIL has a condo in older building on Venice Island--on Esplanade--so just across the street from the water.
They face the Gulf and have original jalousie (the individual cranking glass panes) windows on their small lanai.
I think ALL the condos would need to have their lanai Windows replaced to meet the COA CCRs...
They had to repaint the bright color they painted that area because it was visible from the lawn and considered not within the HOA's code requirements...
They had no damage from Irma but that had more to do with the LZ and force than anything they (or the other condo owners) had any control over...
They also can't put wood/shutters on the outside...
I guess in dangerous times they could add to the INSIDE as a temporary measure
FWIW--this condo association had the interior water piping replaced for all units several years ago--maybe 12--when our daughter and SIL were still living there...
It was done as an assessment on ALL owners, bids requested/taken/approved by the Board, and took long time to accomplish---but I think everyone knows that the water in this area can eat through copper pipes...
I think the reason the Board has not done something similar regarding the exterior windows likely is because half the condos face the parking lot--and thus have less vulnerable side to storm force elements and because while you can't afford to have leaking water pipes which is a 24/7 situation, the reason to change exterior windows because of hurricane threat is much less likely...
They pay their hurricane insurance /homeowners' coverage though the HOA/monthly HOA dues which also includes items like pool/yard maintenance....so have no idea if it has increased since Irma...
Yes, the plywood would not be practical for me -- I have nowhere to store them, wouldn't be able to install them and I doubt the association would allow plywood anyway. Speaking of which, I am surprised that this issue has never come up, at least that I know of. I can't imagine the association could prevent an owner from doing whatever they need to do to protect their home, whether it's plywood or shutters.
Right, I did hear from neighbors who stayed during Irma that the noise during the storm was frightening. And the thing is, it can last for HOURS....and with no power, you have no idea where the storm is or how fast it's moving. We didn't hear much of it inside the shelter (school) but I do know that about 2 AM, it sounded like all hell was breaking loose out there. And that was Cat 2, with the eye being about 50 miles east of us.
The things that would give me pause are: Spending a few thousand on hurricane shutters to protect windows that are 30 years old. Plus, still not feeling safe inside the condo despite all these protective measures.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.
It might be possible to retrofit interior wood panels although I know that is not the most effective way to stop intrusion of storm winds...there are people who deal with things like putting up shutters for seasonal people and some of them might be able to store YOUR shutters for small fee...we had to use one of them to help cut down our heavy polycarbide panels and put them up one year...
My husband's sister lived in Victoria TX when the Texas hurricane hit last summer...
She is 86, was alone--was caught by sudden shift in direction/strength that wasn't advertised until about 8 hrs before landing--and at like 2AM...
She was afraid to be caught on the road if she tried to leave at last minute
She had a small dog and her son who lives about 15 min away has a wife who doesn't like dogs in the house--
Even though my SIL's dog is well-behaved, small (under 8 lbs), and can be crated...so SIL was not welcome in her son's house...
The noise of the storm which passed over Victoria after it demolished Rockport on the Gulf Coast was like being in a jet engine she said...and she lost power at the house for more than a week...
Luckily she had no damage to her house (newer build) but she could not raise her garage door w/o power
She lasted about 2 days before her daughter and SIL came to get her and her dog and take her back to their house farther inland and w/o damage...
I know several people who left for shelters--one is in her 90s--it was not a good experience from her standpoint...there was woman w/Alzheimer's from a nursing facility who caused disruption in her shelter, causing our friend to fall and open her leg--took lot of stitches to close it--
So hope you had better run shelter...
Most of the schools used took lot of damage from the people in shelters
Not lot of oversight from responsible parties--
That is something Sarasota County/FEMA really need to investigate and plan better to avoid for future situations
Condo associations cannot prevent owners from putting up plywood but some have passed rules about how long it can stay up. It looks pretty low-rent to have it up all during hurricane season for the year-round owners to look at but not many do it so it hasn't become a huge issue yet.
FWIW--this condo association had the interior water piping replaced for all units several years ago--maybe 12--when our daughter and SIL were still living there...
It was done as an assessment on ALL owners, bids requested/taken/approved by the Board, and took long time to accomplish---but I think everyone knows that the water in this area can eat through copper pipes...
I think the reason the Board has not done something similar regarding the exterior windows likely is because half the condos face the parking lot--and thus have less vulnerable side to storm force elements and because while you can't afford to have leaking water pipes which is a 24/7 situation, the reason to change exterior windows because of hurricane threat is much less likely...
They pay their hurricane insurance /homeowners' coverage though the HOA/monthly HOA dues which also includes items like pool/yard maintenance....so have no idea if it has increased since Irma...
Yeah, all condo associations are different. In ours, we are responsible for replacing the windows and exterior doors, but they have to match what's already there and they have to be approved by the Board. We also have that same rule about the paint colors on the exterior walls of the lanai. We are responsible for our own homeowner's insurance (inside the condo) and mine did go up after Irma. If we had to replace the interior piping here, it would come out of our reserves and if there wasn't enough, we'd have an assessment too.
BTW, our shelter was run by the school staff, including the Principal, and they were wonderful. I mean, they were away from their own families so they could shelter (and even feed!) us. Yes, there were a few elderly people in there who were problematic but for the most part, it was nice people from around our neighborhood. I hope the school didn't have damage. In "our" classroom, we all cleaned it up before we left and I left a note for the teacher, thanking him. But I won't do it again -- not with two dogs, it was just too stressful (on me AND them!).
This is off topic, but that's nice to hear. A friend of mine is a teacher in Sarasota and her school was completely trashed. They had to stay closed an extra week to fumigate and do a deep clean. People -- NOT animals -- had defecated on carpets, stolen stuff, and generally vandalized the place.
Oh dear Lord!!! That's awful. I did originally check out the closest shelter that took pets....it was a high school in a not-great area of Bradenton. I rode by on Thursday and saw some folks already entering, and they looked kind of sketchy. It wasn't until Sat. that they announced all Manatee County shelters were accepting pets, and I quickly went to the elementary school around the corner to make sure I got a spot before the storm hit on Sunday. Not to say we had no issues: About 4 AM Monday, I had just started dozing off and there was an argument in the hallway -- smokers were blowing their smoke out the cracked-open door and it was all coming back in. (Meanwhile, there was supposed to be NO smoking on school property...) Nerves were really frayed by the time we were released to go home.
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