Impact Windows & Doors
The only hurricane protection that works whether or not you are home, awake, or in the state.
Every other product on this site has to be deployed. Somebody has to close the shutter, drop the screen, or press the switch. Impact glass does not. It is in the wall, it is rated, and it is protecting the opening at 3 a.m. in September while you are in Ohio.
That single property is what you are paying for, and for some houses it is worth every dollar.
What impact glass actually is
A laminated interlayer bonded between two panes, in a frame engineered to hold the glass in place under pressure. In an impact event the glass can break — the point is that it stays in the frame and the opening is never breached. Wind does not get inside, so the building never pressurizes, and that is the failure mode that takes roofs off.
- Always on. No deployment, no warning, no decision to make.
- Quieter house. Laminated glass cuts road and neighborhood noise noticeably. Most owners notice this before they ever see a storm.
- UV. The interlayer blocks the large majority of ultraviolet, which is what fades floors and furniture in Florida.
- Insurance. Opening protection is a line item on the wind mitigation form. Whether it moves your premium depends on your carrier and the rest of your construction — ask your agent before you buy, not after.
The honest case against — read this before you spend
Impact windows are the most expensive way to protect an opening, and they cannot protect the opening that matters most on a typical Florida house. Your lanai is not a window. No amount of impact glass covers a 24-foot covered opening, and on most homes here that is the largest exposed face on the building.
So we will say the thing a window company will not: if your budget is finite, impact glass is rarely the first thing to buy. The order that protects the most house per dollar is usually the lanai first with a motorized screen, then windows and doors with accordion shutters or rolling shutters.
When impact windows are clearly right
- The windows are coming out anyway. If you are replacing failed, fogged or original units, the labor is already being spent. Doing it once with impact units is the efficient version of that project.
- New construction or a full renovation. Specify it in the design and it is simply part of the building.
- You are not here. Seasonal owners, frequent travelers, anyone who cannot guarantee they will be in the state to close something.
- Physical limitations. If closing shutters is not realistic for the people living in the house, this removes the problem entirely.
- An HOA that will not accept visible exterior hardware. Impact glass is invisible.
How we handle it
Impact windows and doors are the one line where we are the installer rather than the manufacturer, and we are straightforward about that. We specify units carrying a current Florida Product Approval rated for the wind zone at your address, we permit the job, and the inspector verifies the approval against the installation.
We will also tell you if we think you should spend the money elsewhere first. That has cost us jobs and it is still the right answer.
Impact windows or hurricane windows — which do I need?
They are the same product. “Impact window,” “hurricane window,” “impact glass” and “hurricane impact window” all describe a window with a laminated interlayer in a frame rated to hold it under pressure. There is no separate category and nobody is selling you a lesser thing by using a different word for it.
What is not the same is impact-resistant versus impact-rated and approved for your address. Tempered glass is tough and is not opening protection. Double glazing is not opening protection. The only thing that counts is a current Florida Product Approval covering the unit at the size and design pressure of your opening.
What we install
Our impact windows and doors are Eastern Architectural Systems — EAS, a Florida manufacturer. That is the line we run, and we are also set up to supply Mr. Glass.
This is the one line on the site where we are the installer rather than the manufacturer. We build our own accordion shutters and roll-down shutters in Cape Coral. We do not make glass, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
The approval number, and why nobody can quote you a DP rating over the phone
Every impact window sold legally in Florida carries a Florida Product Approval. That approval is not a single figure — it is a schedule. It lists configurations, maximum sizes, and the design pressures each one is approved to carry, positive and negative.
Which means the honest answer to “what is the DP rating?” is it depends on the opening. The same window in a wider size carries a lower number. A unit that is fine on a protected side elevation may not be approved on an exposed corner of the same house, because the design pressure at a corner is higher. Anybody who gives you one number for a whole house is either simplifying or guessing.
What to ask whoever is quoting you. The Florida Product Approval number for the exact unit. The approved design pressure at your opening size, positive and negative. And the design pressure your address actually requires. Those three things either line up or they do not, and the building inspector will check the same three when the job is inspected.
What drives the cost
We do not publish prices, because a number without your openings attached to it is worthless and every company that publishes one qualifies it into meaninglessness anyway. What we will do is tell you what actually moves it, so you can read a quote properly:
| Driver | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Opening size | The single biggest factor. Large units need more glass and more frame to hold the same pressure. |
| Design pressure at your address | Coastal and exposed sites need higher-rated units for the identical opening. |
| Configuration | Fixed glass is the cheapest thing in the catalogue. Sliders, French doors and anything that operates cost more. |
| The condition of the opening | Rotten bucks, out-of-square block, or stucco that has to be cut and patched turn a window job into a construction job. |
| How many at once | Whole-house is cheaper per opening than four windows. The mobilisation is the same either way. |
The comparison people forget: impact glass replaces the window and protects it. If your windows are original, fogged or failing, part of what looks like the cost of protection is money you were going to spend on windows regardless.
Wind mitigation and your insurance
Florida insurers price wind risk off a wind mitigation inspection — a form an inspector completes covering roof shape, roof-to-wall attachment, roof covering, and opening protection. Opening protection is one line on that form, and it is the one you can actually change after the house is built.
Two things worth being clear about. First, the form asks whether every glazed opening is protected. Protecting most of the windows and leaving the lanai sliders bare does not tick the box — it is all or nothing. Second, impact glass and rated shutters generally tick the same line; the form is asking whether the opening is protected, not what it is protected with.
Whether that moves your premium, and by how much, depends on your carrier and on the rest of your construction. Ask your agent what the credit is worth on your policy before you buy, not after.
Talk to us about your openings — Southwest Florida
Tell us what you are looking at and someone from our team will call you the same business day. We go through it on the phone first — your openings, the products that actually fit, what is involved — and if it is a fit we come out and put a written quote in your hand. No charge and no obligation.
Impact window questions
Do impact windows break?
The glass can break. The laminated interlayer holds it in the frame so the opening is not breached, which is the point — wind never gets inside to pressurize the building.
Are impact windows better than shutters?
For a window, impact glass is more convenient because nothing has to be deployed. It is also the most expensive option, and it cannot cover a lanai. Most Southwest Florida homes are best served by a mix rather than one product everywhere.
Will impact windows lower my insurance?
Opening protection is one of the items on the wind mitigation inspection form. Whether it changes your premium depends on your carrier and the rest of your home’s construction. Ask your agent before purchasing.
Do they help with noise?
Yes. Laminated glass noticeably reduces outside noise, which is the benefit most owners comment on long before they ever experience a storm.
Should I do impact windows or protect my lanai first?
On most homes here the lanai is the largest unprotected opening, so it usually does the most good per dollar. If your windows are being replaced anyway, impact units make sense at the same time.
Do impact windows need a permit?
Yes. The units must carry a current Florida Product Approval rated for the wind zone at your address, and the installation is inspected.
Are impact windows the same as hurricane windows?
Yes. Impact window, hurricane window, impact glass and hurricane impact window all describe the same product — a laminated interlayer in a frame rated to hold it under pressure. What matters is not the word but whether the unit carries a current Florida Product Approval for your opening size and your design pressure.
Whose impact windows do you install?
Eastern Architectural Systems — EAS, a Florida manufacturer. We are also set up to supply Mr. Glass. Impact glass is the one product line where we are the installer rather than the manufacturer; we build our accordion and roll-down shutters ourselves in Cape Coral.
What DP rating do I need?
It depends on the opening, not on the house. Design pressure varies with the size of the unit and with where it sits on the building — a corner carries more than a protected elevation. Ask for the approved design pressure at your actual opening size, positive and negative, and compare it to what your address requires.
How much do impact windows cost?
We will not put a number on a page, because it depends almost entirely on your openings. What moves it: the size of each unit, the design pressure at your address, whether it is fixed or operating, the condition of the opening behind the window, and how many you do at once. If your windows were being replaced anyway, a good part of that cost was already coming.
What is a wind mitigation inspection?
An inspection Florida insurers use to price wind risk. It covers roof shape, roof-to-wall attachment, roof covering and opening protection. Opening protection is the line you can change after the house is built — but it asks whether every glazed opening is protected, so leaving the lanai bare will not tick it.
More questions? Our full hurricane shutter & screen FAQ covers products, service, permitting and financing.
Florida Screen & Shutter, LLC · 883 NE 27th Ln #5, Cape Coral, FL 33909 · (239) 409-0426
License #SCC131152867 · Fully Licensed & Insured Florida Contractor · MagnaTrack President’s Club, #6 in the country, 2025