Cut sheets of 1 2 or 5 8 inch thick plywood.
Plywood for wind mitigation for windows and doors.
Plywood shutters can be punctured by airborne objects but the florida building commission believes the puncture will be too small to do catastrophic damage in our anticipated wind speeds.
However putting up plywood or storm shutters is time consuming and may require more than one person to lift heavy panels into place.
Set aside a weekend to measure cut and pre install all the plywood for a typical house.
An effective and inexpensive option for covering windows figure you ll spend 1 2 sq.
Make sure you overlap window frames by a good 8 inches all around.
Drill four holes in the center area of the plywood to relieve pressure during a strong wind storm.
Drill holes 2 1 2 inches from the outside edge of the plywood at each corner and at 12 inch intervals.
Place the plywood over the opening and mark each hole position on the outside wall.
Plywood that is not properly attached to your house can rip off during high winds and become a projectile that can cause serious harm to properties.
Pre install screw anchors around window openings to speed up installation.
Use heavy duty screws and anchors in wood or expansion bolts in masonry to attach the plywood to your home s walls not the window frames.
Cut the plywood to the measurements for each opening.
If you do the work yourself.
A contractor might charge between 3 5 sq.