Preparing to Board Up or Secure Windows

Homesteading & Country Living Forum

Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Weedygarden

Weedygarden

Awesome Friend
Neighbor
HCL Supporter
Joined
Dec 3, 2017
Messages
19,542
This guy is very detailed oriented. He lives in Hawaii and his concerns are about tropical storms. I have often thought that having wood cut and labeled for each window along with fasteners would be a great plan. He has figured out how to hang it all by himself. He has a special storage space built for the pre-cut pieces and a special trolley to help move the wood that he built.

23 minutes long

 
Great planning. Most of our windows are 3-0 x 5-0 so just a large batch of precut plywood would do for most of them. I have one large area of windows in the kitchen I would need multiple sheets of plywood to cover. And some areas 25' off the ground.
 
Bacpacker said:
Great planning. Most of our windows are 3-0 x 5-0 so just a large batch of precut plywood would do for most of them. I have one large area of windows in the kitchen I would need multiple sheets of plywood to cover. And some areas 25' off the ground.
Click to expand...
Ours are much more simple.
They have been put up and taken down about 5 times now.

They already know where they go ;).
 
We don't live in a hurricane area, but for years I always wanted something we saw at a Home & Garden show decades ago. I believe they were called Pease Rolling Shutters. I'm not sure of the company name, but it was something like "Pease" or "Peaze". I liked those shutters more for security than anything else.

p.s. - If a hurricane ever does make it to my place here, the rest of y'all will surely be long washed away. Nice knowing 'ya!
 
I'm with Dademoss and Haertig on this one. If I ever get hit by a hurricane we all have a whole lot more to worry about. I am more concerned about security than natural disaster. My plan is to use interior doors to block windows from the inside. I have a couple of problem areas, but most of the security plan is in place.
 
Hurricanes don't worry me either.
We have tornadoes.
Not much you can do to your house to protect against those bad boys.

So about 30 ft out my back door I have this
100_5842.JPG

Loaded with food, clothing, ammo , a couple firearms , propane, solar battery pack it's 8x10 and weighs 30,000 lbs.
Will withstand an F5.

Jim
 
Haertig said:
We don't live in a hurricane area, but for years I always wanted something we saw at a Home & Garden show decades ago. I believe they were called Pease Rolling Shutters. I'm not sure of the company name, but it was something like "Pease" or "Peaze". I liked those shutters more for security than anything else.

p.s. - If a hurricane ever does make it to my place here, the rest of y'all will surely be long washed away. Nice knowing 'ya!
Click to expand...
I know what you're talking about. I have wanted rolling shutters as well, but I priced them many years ago, when I first purchased my home, and they were about $1000 a window. I have 19 windows in my home and that would have amounted to $19,000 to outfit my home with them. If I just did the first floor, 7 windows. I think you can get rolling shutters for your doors as well. My guess is that I would be paying at least twice that now.

Rolling shutters would be excellent because they would be fireproof, reduce energy costs, prevent in break-ins and are storm proof. Once they are installed, they are relatively easy to open and close. Rolling shutters are often seen in inner cities where break-ins and crime are more likely to happen.
 
We don't have have hurricanes here and the chance of a tornado here is very slim. But things can happen. I just looked up clear vinyl sheeting in rolls and I think I will order one. That way if one or more windows get broken I will have something clear to at least temporarily cover the hole. In my lumber supplies I do keep plenty of sheet goods like plywood for a more durable repair.
 
From what experience has taught us, even more important than plywood to cover windows, the big blue tarp to cover the place on your roof where the shingles used to be.
You see them in every video of storm aftermath.
You should have one on hand before the storm is coming because there won't be any in the stores.
It won't matter if your windows are perfect if you have rain pouring into the house from above.gaah
 
Supervisor42 said:
From what experience has taught us, even more important than plywood to cover windows, the big blue tarp to cover the place on your roof where the shingles used to be.
You see them in every video of storm aftermath.
You should have one on hand before the storm is coming because there won't be any in the stores.
It won't matter if your windows are perfect if you have rain pouring into the house from above.gaah
Click to expand...
I agree :). I have 4 20x20 tarps and nails in the OH Schiff !! box :)
 
Supervisor42 said:
Necessary?:
champion-target-46062.jpg

:oops:Oh yeah.
Click to expand...
I wasn't thinking of zombies, but I did think about violence and destruction of properties in a breakdown of society, much like we saw recently. I have thought about using plywood, and then having metal on the outside. It would be much more difficult or impossible to catch fire. The window sills could be a point for fires to start, so the further out to the edge of the wooden windows, the better.

I agree with having rolls of plastic to have if windows are destroyed.
 
Cascadian said:
Am I the only one that was thinking of plywood for zombies?
Click to expand...

The Zombies I see coming would be the rioters and looters. I do have tarps, and I do have stretch wrap (plastic sheeting on rolls). The stretch wrap I would put on the windows; hopefully to reduce broken and flying glass. I would like to see somewhat what I am facing.
 
Morgan101 said:
The Zombies I see coming would be the rioters and looters.
Click to expand...
When you are prepared for zombies, you are prepared for many other threats. So zombies is a fun way to go about getting yourself ready.

Of course some things you do to stop zombies won't work for human threats. I remember one book recommended removing your staircase and replacing that with a swing up ladder (like you might have going into your attic). Your family runs upstairs, pulls up the ladder, and are relatively zombie-safe, at least for a while. That trick wouldn't work very well on human threats, except for the really stupid humans.
 
That "shooting" cross in the windows and doors was for stopping arrows. Bullets go right through the wood.
In the castle fortresses they had vertical slits in some of the wall that angled apart through the wall. Arrows could be fired left to right at about 90 degrees from up to the sky and down to the ground. When they were hit with catapults it took the corner out of the wall.

That is what happens to a standing fortress - it will eventually get breached. The thatched hut with a dead mule and several dead people around it was just passed by. There is a lesson there.
 
I'm in the tornado's not hurricanes group.

In the next house I plan on having window awnings. Been trying to think of a way I could rig them up to fold against the windows to act as a shield. They could be lowered when there's a watch in place. Wouldn't do much good if the whole house gets blown away though.
 
phideaux said:
Hurricanes don't worry me either.
We have tornadoes.
Not much you can do to your house to protect against those bad boys.

So about 30 ft out my back door I have this
View attachment 46346
Loaded with food, clothing, ammo , a couple firearms , propane, solar battery pack it's 8x10 and weighs 30,000 lbs.
Will withstand an F5.

Jim
Click to expand...

Is it partially underground?
 
Meerkat said:
Is it partially underground?
Click to expand...

No , it sits on a flat grael pad.

I've had underground bunker , never again .
Too humid, always wet walls, ceiling and floor.

This is the only building standing ,after being slammed with a Ford truck and an f4 in Joplin Mo , couple years ago.

Take a look at their website Safe Shed, in Illinois.

We love it.

Jim
 
Last edited:
Meerkat said:
Is it partially underground?
Click to expand...
30,000 lbs, it doesn't have to be underground.
No wind is going to blow it anywhere. And flying objects aren't even going to scratch it because it is solid concrete.
I've been inside it.
Solid baby!
ssig_great_100-101.gif
 
phideaux said:
No , it sits on a flat grael pad.

I've had underground bunker , never again .
Too humid, always wet walls, ceiling and floor.

This is the only building standing ,after being slammed with a Ford truck and an f4 in Joplin Mo , couple years ago.

Take a look at their website Safe She'd, in Illinois.

We love it.

Jim
Click to expand...
I hear from several people who have had or do have them. Makes you wonder how the old folks kept their potatoes from rotting in those cellers.
Thats neat Jim.:thumbs:
 
Supervisor42 said:
30,000 lbs, it doesn't have to be underground.
No wind is going to blow it anywhere. And flying objects aren't even going to scratch it because it is solid concrete.
I've been inside it.
Solid baby!View attachment 46461
Click to expand...

It's still got 4 Interstate
6v 232 ah batteries in there , along with 4 more.
Still living, still good, that came from Arab AL.
That was 6 years ago.

Bunch of Augason #10 cans also.

Jim
 
Some things like storm shutters from "back in the day" really made sense. These are necessarily my favorite, but are easy to see in the pix. I'm with several others and not in a tornado or hurricane zone but would certainly appreciate them if I were.
1595018789846.png
 
Those may be functional shutters but they will not stop wind blown projectiles.
If I needed to protect my home from strong winds and wind blown debris I would use wood over steel.
Yes, it's probably over kill but I bet you never heard anyone say, "boy I am sorry I put so much protection over my windows." after a storm.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top