Category: WIndows

Tampa, Florida, is no stranger to powerful storms, hurricanes, and strong winds that cause serious damage to homes. Properties with non-impact windows are especially vulnerable, as they shatter under extreme conditions, leading to severe structural failures, pressure imbalance, and mold infestations, all of which negatively impact a home’s value. This quickly adds up to maintenance and repair costs. Further, to make matters worse, early predictions for the 2025 hurricane season point to an even more active storm year; that means homes without proper storm protection could face even greater risks, making durable upgrades like impact windows in Tampa, FL, more important than ever.

Impact windows can strengthen your home against severe weather, reduce the likelihood of costly damage, lower insurance premiums, and enhance curb appeal—ultimately increasing your property’s long-term value. Curious about what these windows are, how they work, and the difference they can make? Keep reading to learn more!

What Are Impact Windows?

Impact windows are specifically designed to withstand high winds, pressure changes, and flying debris during severe hurricanes and storms. These windows feature multiple layers of tempered or laminated glass, reinforced with a durable interlayer that keeps them from shattering on impact. This means that even when they crack, they stay intact, preventing dangerous pressure buildup inside your home. Further, to ensure maximum protection, these windows undergo testing to meet strict codes like Miami-Dade standards.

Do Impact Windows Increase Home Value?

Impact Windows is a smart investment that helps provide higher ROI and appraisal value due to its storm-resistant features. But how exactly do these windows add value to your home? Let’s find out:

1. Increased Property Resilience & Structural Integrity

The shatter-resistant glass of these windows enhances structural integrity. They prevent sudden pressure changes that can otherwise compromise the home’s roof and walls.  

2. Compliance With Florida Building Code (FBC)

The FBC sets strict requirements for homes in Tampa to install impact-resistant windows that withstand high winds and flying debris. In case your property does not meet these codes, insurance companies can deny coverage and charge higher premiums, reducing its worth. Additionally, homes that meet these standards are more attractive to buyers as they do not need retrofits before sale.

3. Lower Insurance Premiums = Higher Home Value

Tampa impact windows can reduce homeowners’ insurance premiums by up to 45%. This is because Florida insurers offer wind mitigation discounts for homes with hurricane-resistant features. Lower discount costs make your property more appealing as they portray long-term savings. These properties also receive higher appraisals that directly boost your home’s worth.

4. Energy Efficiency & Cost Savings

The coastal area of Florida faces not only hurricanes and storms but also hot and humid summers. Impact windows improve energy efficiency by reducing heat transfer, which maintains indoor comfort. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, their Low-E coatings and insulated glass block up to 99% of UV rays, preventing heat buildup and reducing air conditioning costs by 10-30%. This UV protection also protects your furniture and flooring from fading, which further reduces maintenance costs, making energy-efficient homes more desirable in the market.

5. Increased Security & Protection

Impact windows in Tampa, FL, automatically enhance your home’s significance by offering the best security against break-ins and storm damage. Their construction prevents intruders and reduces burglary risks, which is an attractive feature for buyers prioritizing safety. Their 24/7 protection, even during harsh weather conditions, adds to their long-term value, enhancing your home’s appeal, marketability, and insurability.     

6. Prevents Value Depreciation After Hurricanes

Hurricanes often cause property damage in Tampa, which leads to decreased home value in affected areas. Homes with non-impact windows often suffer water intrusion, broken glass, and more, which results in costly repairs and reduces their resale value. After storms, insurers and buyers often devalue properties that lack hurricane-resistant features, making them harder to insure or sell. However, homes with impact windows encounter less damage, maintain structural integrity, and retain their worth. Preventing hurricane-related depreciation can protect long-term home equity and increase your property’s worth in the real estate market.

Why Tampa Residents Should Consider Impact Windows

1. Noise Reduction For A More Comfortable Home

The highways, urban areas, and frequent storms in Tampa cause excessive noise pollution. Opting for impact windows that feature thick, laminated glass with sound-dampening properties helps reduce the outside noise. Thus ensuring a quieter, comfortable environment.

2. Preventing Water Intrusion & Mold Growth

Tampa’s hurricanes bring heavy rain, and storm surges that often cause water intrusion. This leads to wood rot, mold growth, and structural damage. Impact windows in these situations appear as savior with their advanced sealing technology and reinforced frames that prevent leaks and moisture buildup.

3. Increases Home Value & Marketability

Homes with impact windows in Tampa are more desirable due to built-in storm protection, where buyers prefer homes that meet the Florida Building Code (FBC) to avoid costly upgrades.

4. Protection Against Tampa’s Intense Hurricane Seasons

Residents of Tampa must consider impact windows as these are specially designed to withstand force winds and debris impacts, providing year-round protection.

Choosing The Right Impact Windows And Installation Service In Tampa

Selecting the right impact window and reliable installation service in Tampa requires careful consideration of the following:

– You must check that the impact windows meet Florida Building Code (FBC) requirements and, ideally, Miami-Dade County hurricane standards, which are among the strictest in the U.S.

– Choose the right glass and frame materials like vinyl frames, laminated glass, etc.

– Look for energy-efficient features like Low-E coatings, insulated glass, and UV protection in impact windows. This will help reduce cooling costs and protect your property from damage.

– Hire a state-licensed and insured installer who has Florida DBPR verification, positive customer reviews, and gives warranties on both materials and labor.

Why Choose The Window Depot LLC For Impact Windows In Tampa? 

Looking for impact windows near you? Get in touch with The Window Depot LLC, which ensures exceptional quality and service. We are one of Florida’s largest dealers of trusted brands like PGT and Simonton, offering an extensive range of impact windows. Our family-owned business has over 60 years of combined experience in specializing in premium products that ensure security and energy efficiency. Along with this, we provide an installation guarantee and lifetime labor warranty for a better experience. Our flexible financing options, such as 60 months at 0% interest with no down payment, make investing in impact windows for enhancing your home’s value more accessible and affordable. 

Conclusion

Don’t wait until the last-minute hurricane warning. Protect your family and safeguard your home value today by investing in impact windows in Tampa, FL—an upgrade that pays off in more ways than one.

On windy days, do you hear your windows rattling? How about the curtains? Do they sway when a breeze kicks up? Drafty windows can do more than make your home grumble and sigh. They can force your HVAC unit to work harder to keep indoor temperatures comfortable, which in turn can lead to higher utility bills. In fact, the Department of Energy (DOE) recently estimated that drafty windows can cost up to $330 a year in additional heating or cooling costs. That’s enough to send a chill up any homeowner’s spine. But what causes windows to become drafty? And what can be done about it? Here are three common causes of drafty windows.    

Seal Failures

Upon installation, windows are caulked along all seams and edges, and the spaces between the jambs and framing members are filled with insulation. Unfortunately, caulking doesn’t last forever and insulation degrades over time. When this happens (and it will happen eventually) it creates gaps that allow air to pass through. How long your seals last will depend on several factors, including how often you open and close the window (wear and tear), and what kind of climate you live in. Temperature extremes cause windows to contract and expand, which stresses the seals.

Improper Installation

If your new windows are drafty, it’s almost certainly the result of improper installation. As explained above, windows must be properly caulked and insulated if they are to prevent air leakage. The window jamb must also be perfectly aligned within the frame to ensure an airtight fit once the caulking and insulation have been added. This is a precise, multi-step process, and it’s not unheard of for even professional installers to improperly position the frame ever-so-slightly.  

Deteriorated Hardware

Even the simplest window is still a complex piece of machinery, with plenty of parts that must work in conjunction with each other to provide optimal weather protection. It doesn’t take a complete component failure to cause a window to become drafty. Worn-out gaskets, subtle frame warpage, and thinning glazing can allow air infiltration even if the window is still fully functional.       

How to Tell if Your Windows Are Leaking Air

We’ve already mentioned a few of the more obvious indications that your windows are allowing air to infiltrate your home. But more often than not, drafts are subtle, elusive, and hard to detect. A professional energy auditor can conduct a pressurization test using extremely sensitive equipment to find even the smallest leak. There are also a few things you can do on your own that will give you a better idea of the state of your windows. The following techniques work best on windy days:

• Close all windows and doors
• If you have a fireplace flue, shut it
• Turn off any fans in the house
• Light an incense stick and hold it close to the edges of the window or
• Wet your palm and do the same

If your windows are leaking air, the smoke rising from the incense stick will waver. You should also be able to feel a cool sensation across your damp palm. 

What to Do if Your Windows Are Drafty

For a quick and temporary fix, there are several steps you can take to improve your windows’ ability to keep out drafts. V-seal weather stripping can be added along the sashes. Shrink-and-seal films can be added over the window’s inner frame. Even a few daps of carefully applied nail polish can be applied to cracks.

Most of these techniques eliminate the ability to open and close the window, so they are not intended to be a final fix. The surest way to eliminate drafts is to have the old windows replaced with new, energy-efficient ones. At The Window Depot, we are the Tampa Bay area’s premium exterior contractor and offer a variety of impact and non-impact windows from such leading manufacturers as PGT, Simonton, and CWS. If you’re ready to upgrade your home, reach out to us today and schedule a no-obligation consultation. You can also visit our expansive showroom in Palm Harbor to see full-scale mockups of our windows first-hand.

Vinyl replacement windows have come a long way in the decades since they were first introduced. Once considered cheap and unattractive, early vinyl windows were susceptible to temperature extremes and couldn’t match their wooden counterparts in terms of beauty. That’s not the case anymore. Today’s vinyl replacement windows have been upgraded in every way, from new additives that increase vinyl’s resistance to cracking and color fading, to advanced manufacturing techniques that have vastly improved overall quality. Thanks to these advancements, vinyl is now the most popular window material, not only in Florida, but also the rest of the country.

Of course, every window material offers something that makes it an appealing choice for manufacturers and homeowners alike, whether it’s wood, metal, fiberglass, or vinyl. The key to deciding which is right for your home will depend on your priorities, preferences, and budget. Here are five benefits of vinyl windows.      

Durability

Moisture and insect damage are the two major factors that contribute to the degradation of windows, and unlike wood and metal options, vinyl is impervious to both. Vinyl will never rot or swell. That means they’ll continue to function properly for decades. You won’t have to worry about sticking sashes making opening and closing a struggle or impossibility. And termites have no interest in vinyl. What’s more, unlike metal, vinyl will not oxidize or pit over time. Vinyl windows are also impact resistant. And while vinyl does expand and contract in temperature extremes, unless your home routinely reaches temperatures above 165 degrees Fahrenheit, there’s no danger of warpage.

Affordability

When comparing the cost of various window materials, it’s important to remember that each type falls within a range. There are low-cost and premium options in every category, with plenty of overlap. For example, the most expensive vinyl windows will cost more than the least expensive wood windows, but the quality will correspond to the craftsmanship. In other words, you’ll get what you paid for. With that in mind, vinyl is one of the most economical window materials on the market. On average, it’s more affordable than wood, composite, fiberglass, and most aluminum collections. 

Ease of Maintenance

Vinyl windows require very little care to keep them looking great year after year. As previously mentioned, they will never succumb to rot or insect damage, so there will never be a need to make spot repairs. And since the color is infused throughout the frames, there’s not a coating of paint that can chip or crack. In fact, a quick wipe down with a damp cloth should be all that’s required to clean the frames. And here’s a bonus: many double-hung models have sashes that pivot inward to provide easy access to the outside glass. That’s an invaluable plus, especially on upper-story windows.   

Energy Efficient

Unlike metal, vinyl is a poor thermal conductor. And that’s a good thing! It prevents the outside and inside temperature of the frame from quickly equalizing. This, in turn, helps keep the inside of your home warmer or cooler than the ambient outdoor temperature. The thermal performance of vinyl windows can also be further enhanced with options such as insulation-filled frames, warm-edge spacer systems, and triple-pane glass with argon or krypton gas fills. Low-E glass coatings are also a good idea since they block damaging UV rays responsible for color fading in sun-exposed fabrics such as drapes, curtains, and upholstery.

Faster Installation

Vinyl is lightweight and easy to work with. That makes installation generally easier than other window options such as wood and aluminum. When necessary, minor adjustments can be made to ensure a proper fit. With heavier windows, this may require more time and effort. It also increases the chances of something being damaged in the process, either on the new window or the opening it’s being fitted into. Vinyl windows are a little more forgiving when it comes to minor alterations.

If the time has come to replace your windows, the company to turn to in the Tampa Bay area is The Window Depot. We offer a wide selection of premium vinyl windows from PGT, Simonton, and CWS, including high-efficiency and impact-resistant options that will stand strong against the summer heat and extreme storms common in our semi-tropical climate. Contact us today to learn or more. You can also drop by our Palm Harbor showroom or schedule an in-home consultation.