Hurricane Shutters: How Storm Panels Work at Hadley Place
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"Hurricane shutters are covers that protect a home's windows and doors from wind and flying debris during a storm. The most common types are storm panels, accordion shutters, roll-down shutters, colonial and Bahama shutters, and fabric screens. The D.R. Horton features sheet for Hadley Place in Florida City lists hurricane storm panels, not impact glass. This guide explains how each type works, what storm panels mean for you as an owner, and the questions to ask before hurricane season.
What Are Hurricane Shutters?
A hurricane shutter is a cover for an opening in your home. It goes over a window, a sliding glass door or another opening. Its job is to stop wind-blown objects from breaking the glass.
That matters because a broken window lets wind and rain into the house. Keeping the openings closed is a big part of protecting a home in a storm.
There are two main ways to protect an opening:
Put a cover over it. That is what hurricane shutters do.
Use glass built to take a hit. That is impact-resistant glass, often called impact windows.
Some homes use one, some use the other.
The Main Types of Hurricane Shutters
The Home Depot's guide to types of hurricane shutters describes five common types. The Wikipedia article on hurricane shutters adds fabric coverings. Here they are in plain words:
Type | How it works |
|---|---|
Storm panels | Metal or clear panels that are put up over the opening before a storm and taken down after |
Accordion shutters | Folding shutters that stay attached beside the window and slide closed |
Roll-down shutters | Shutters stored in a box above the window that roll down, by hand or by motor |
Colonial shutters | Hinged shutters on each side of the window that swing closed |
Bahama shutters | Louvered shutters hinged at the top that prop open for shade |
Fabric coverings | Heavy fabric screens that are attached over the opening |
Each type has trade-offs. Panels take more work to put up. Shutters that stay attached are faster to close but are always on the house.
What Are Hurricane Storm Panels?
Storm panels are the type listed for Hadley Place. The Home Depot guide describes them as aluminum or steel panels. Each panel is cut to fit a certain opening.
Here is how they usually work:
Before the season, the panels are stored, often in the garage.
Before a storm, you carry the panels out and fasten them over the openings, following the maker's directions.
After the storm, you take them down and store them again.
Storm panels need no power and have few moving parts. The trade-off is time and effort. Putting them up takes planning. It helps to do a practice run before the season starts, so you know how long it takes.
Storm Panels vs. Impact Windows
Storm panels | Impact windows | |
|---|---|---|
Where the protection is | A cover you put up | Built into the glass |
Effort before a storm | You have to put them up | Close and lock the windows |
Storage | The panels need a place to live | Nothing to store |
Light during a storm | Most metal panels block light | Light still comes in |
Neither option is magic. What matters is that the product is approved for where you live and used the right way.
Why Miami-Dade Is Different
Miami-Dade and Broward counties are in what the Florida Building Code calls the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. The Wikipedia summary of the Florida Building Code notes that both counties fall inside it. That means the rules for building products here are strict.
Miami-Dade County runs its own product approval program. It approves products such as windows, exterior doors, roofing and shutters. An approval is issued as a Notice of Acceptance, or NOA. If you ever replace or add shutters, ask the seller to show the Miami-Dade NOA for that product.
What Hadley Place Lists
The Hadley Place features sheet, in the ""Architectural Artistry"" section, lists:
Masonry exterior walls
A professionally engineered roof with hurricane clips and bracing
A Therma-Tru insulated fiberglass front door
Sliding glass doors
Hurricane storm panels
The sheet does not list impact-resistant glass. By comparison, D.R. Horton's Tradition Series sheet at Parker Pointe in Homestead lists impact-resistant glass windows and sliding glass doors. That is a real difference between the two communities. Read what the Express Series includes at Hadley Place for the full list.
Questions to Ask Before You Buy
Take this list to your visit:
Which openings do the storm panels cover? Windows, the sliding glass door, or both?
What are the panels made of, and how do they attach?
How are they handed over at closing, and are they labeled for each opening?
Where should they be stored? The garage is the usual place. Both Hadley Place plans have a 12'0"" x 21'0"" one-car garage. Our guide to one car garage dimensions shows how to plan that space.
Can I upgrade later? Ask whether other protection can be added and what approvals it would need.
Features can change without notice, so ask for the current features sheet for your home.
Getting Ready for Hurricane Season
Protecting the openings is one part of a plan. The official sources are the best place to build the rest:
Miami-Dade County keeps its hurricane guide on the Miami-Dade hurricanes page.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has a family plan guide at Plan and Prepare.
My Safe Florida Home, run by the Florida Department of Financial Services, offers a free home inspection that points out ways to reduce hurricane damage. Learn more at My Safe Florida Home.
Insurance is part of this too. Ask your insurance agent early which home features they want to know about.
About Hadley Place
Hadley Place is a D.R. Horton Express Series townhome community in Florida City, FL 33034. It has two floor plans. Both have 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, two stories and a one-car garage.
Bella: 1,446 square feet. Bella homes have recently started in the low $370,000s.
Terra: 1,472 square feet. Terra homes have recently started in the low $390,000s.
Prices and incentives change, so call 561-704-0091 for today's numbers. Compare the two plans in Hadley Place floor plans: Bella vs. Terra.
Common Questions
What are hurricane shutters?
They are covers that protect windows and doors from wind and flying debris in a storm. Common types include storm panels, accordion, roll-down, colonial and Bahama shutters, plus fabric coverings.
What are hurricane storm panels?
Storm panels are metal or clear panels cut to fit an opening. You put them up before a storm and take them down after. They need no power, but they take time to install and a place to store them.
Do Hadley Place homes have impact windows?
The Hadley Place features sheet lists hurricane storm panels, not impact-resistant glass. Ask which openings the panels cover and how they are handed over at closing.
Is Florida City in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone?
Florida City is in Miami-Dade County, and Miami-Dade is inside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone under the Florida Building Code. Products used here go through Miami-Dade's product approval program.
What is a Miami-Dade NOA?
An NOA is a Notice of Acceptance. It is the approval Miami-Dade County issues for building products such as shutters, windows and doors. Ask to see the NOA before you buy any new hurricane product.
Where can I get a free hurricane inspection in Florida?
My Safe Florida Home, run by the Florida Department of Financial Services, offers a free home inspection that points out ways to reduce hurricane damage. Check its website for current rules.
Call 561-704-0091 or Visit Hadley Place and Ask About Storm Panels and Simon will go through the features sheet with you, line by line.
Related reading: D.R. Horton Express Series: What Is Included at Hadley Place, One Car Garage Dimensions: What Fits in a Hadley Place Garage, Hadley Place Floor Plans: Bella vs. Terra Compared, Florida City ZIP Code: 33034 and Where Hadley Place Fits, and the Hadley Place community page."