Why We Sell Astroguard Hurricane Shutters

In 2013, I was helping a client remodel their kitchen, and one day the husband turned to me and said, “my wife has declared that she absolutely will not, ever again, put up our plywood hurricane shutter panels before a storm. Please find me an alternative.” A little bit of research turned up Astroguard hurricane shutters, which had not long before received approval from Miami-Dade County as an approved hurricane protection shutter capable of withstanding winds up to a Category 5 hurricane.

We performed the install, and waited for the first subsequent storm to hear our client’s feedback. To our delght, they were very excited about the product. It was lightweight and easy for the client to install, and best of all, it all fit into a storage bag that fit on a shelf in the storage room Gone were the plywood panels stealing half of the storage room floor.

Seven years later and this client is still using their Astroguard hurricane shutter panels. We reached out to them after Hurricane Florence to see how they fared, and they raved again about how well the panels worked.

As this story shows, we sell Astroguard because it is a simple, smart answer to a frustrating problem that most all coastal homeowners face.

Since 2013 we have heard a similar story repeated - “I’m frustrated with putting up OSB panels,” “I have the metal panels but I don’t like to use them.” And this one, “I have OSB panels, but I haven’t used them in the last few storms because they are so hard to put up and to take down.”

Have you dealt with this frustration? We are here to help.

How Much Do Hurricane Panels Weigh? (A Comparison)

A potential client called yesterday to make an appointment for measuring for an Astroguard quote, and during the phone call he asked the question, “so, just how light is this product? I’m thinking it has to be lighter and easier to handle than plywood, right?” Short answer, yes. Long answer, “Astroguard weighs only eight ounces per square yard, so a regular single window-sized panel will weigh less than 1-1/2 pounds. Each fastening clip plus screws is 0.2 pounds, so the panel plus the clips, total weight, is 3.83 pounds. Less than 4 pounds for better hurricane protection than osb, plexiglass, or corrugated metal.”

Let’s take a look at how much other types of panels weigh vs Astroguard.

As you can tell from the sweet infographic above, it’s not even close, there is no competition, Astroguard is lighter by far than any other type of hurricane protection panel.

How does this translate into the real world? Picture this: you are standing at the base of an extension ladder, staring up at your second floor window, your hands gripping the edges of a sheet of osb cut down to the size of your window, drill hanging from your pocket (if you’re prepared/lucky enough to have the hook attachment on your power tools), screws in your mouth. Or, you are standing at the base of the ladder, looking up at the second floor window, your screwdriver in your pocket, or in your hand, because you have a free hand due to the Astroguard fabric panel you are about to install being folded and tucked under your arm.

Which one is safer? You can decide that for yourself. Consider this one of those “choose your own adventure” books from when you were young.

In conclusion: OSB weighs a ton, metal is heavy, plexiglass is lighter than OSB and metal, but is rigid and hard to handle, while Astroguard hurricane panels are ultra light, and fold, making it possible to hold the panel, climb a ladder, install screws, and survive the experience with a confident smile.