Hurricane proofing your house

By: Michelle Carolla | SCNOW
Published: June 02, 2009

It's time to start prepping for a possible hurricane. Making certain improvements to your home can save you money both on your insurance and your taxes. There are some relatively easy steps you can take that will save you money.
George Schiesell made the decision to spend the money and now he's saving nearly 300 dollars a year on his insurance.
"Altogether, probably about $17,000 to do this, but when we weighed the cost for just doing regular window replacements versus these hurricane-rated windows and what we would save on our insurance money and our tax rebates, we felt it was worth it," said Schiesell.
The Omnibus Coastal Property Insurance Reform Act of 2007 law requires insurance companies to give discounts to homeowners who make storm resistant improvements. The same law also provides state income tax credits for money spent on building supplies used to make homes more storm resistant.
Schiesell purchased impact-rated glass windows. "These windows here, for example, this big picture window,” said Schiesell. “This window is impact-rated glass. It will withstand the force of a 2x4 at 9lbs, shot at 44 miles per hour out of a cannon into the window and will not shatter."
On his doors, Schiesell installed a relatively new product hurricane fabric. "We used to have plywood for these doors. But the fabric is so light and so much easier to put up and it's already pre-fitted."
Schiesell said the fabric can withstand category 5 winds. The South Carolina Insurance News Service said for every one dollar spent on loss prevention, an average 4 dollars is saved on future losses.
Other hurricane proofing moves include
-Storm shutters
-Roof tie-downs and clips
-Reinforced garage doors
-Impact resistant windows and doors.
These types of improvements can save you anywhere between 2 and 20 percent, depending on what you do.
Another thing you can do is set up a Catastrophe Savings Account to put aside money to pay for expense such as deductibles and uninsured costs, it's state income tax-free. You can check with your bank about this. Of course, check with you insurance company to see what applies to you.

Hurricane proofing your house

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