Storm Panels in Bonita Springs, FL
The cheapest rated protection you can legally put on an opening, and a perfectly
respectable answer to a real budget. Here is where they work in Bonita and where they stop.
Steel, or clear if you want the light
Two materials do almost all the work. Steel is the default and the strongest
thing per dollar. Clear Lexan polycarbonate costs more and lets daylight through,
which is the difference between riding out three days in a dark house and riding them out in a
normal one. Aluminum exists and is occasionally painted to match a house, but it buys less strength
for more money, so it is rarely worth specifying. More on all of it on our
storm panels page.
If the house is going to be occupied during the storm, price the Lexan on at least the main
living space before you dismiss it. People underestimate how much that matters until they have done
it once.
Where panels make real sense in Bonita
Bonita has a lot of houses in the middle of a long rebuild. If Ian took the house apart and you
are working through it in stages, panels are a legitimate stage one: they get every opening legally
protected now, for the least money, and nothing about them stops you upgrading an elevation at a
time later.
They also make sense as part of a mix. Panels on the side and rear windows nobody uses, and
something quick on the openings you actually care about, is a specification we write constantly and
it beats putting one product everywhere.
Where they stop making sense
Two situations, and Bonita has plenty of both.
| Situation | The problem |
|---|---|
| An elevated Gulf-side house | Panels above the garage or on a raised living level mean a ladder, in wind, before a storm. That is the plan falling apart on the day. |
| A seasonal house | Hurricane season falls almost entirely inside the months the house is empty. You either leave it unprotected or shutter it dark for six months. |
If either describes you, look at accordions
— which a neighbour can close in ten minutes — or
roll down shutters, which close themselves.
The Gulf-side maintenance problem
Panels themselves are hard to damage. The hardware they bolt to is not. Track, studs, wingnuts
and anchors sit in salt air all year within a mile or two of the water, and the failure people
actually experience is not a panel tearing — it is a seized wingnut at four in the afternoon
with a warning up.
Test-fit a few panels every June. If the hardware turns freely you are fine for the season. If it
does not, that is a cheap fix in June and an impossible one in September.
Permitting in Bonita Springs
Permitted through the City of Bonita Springs rather than the county. Permitting is handled as
part of the job.
Talk to us about storm panels in Bonita Springs
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.
Questions we get asked
Should I pay extra for the clear Lexan panels?
On the rooms you would actually be sitting in, usually yes. Steel is stronger per dollar and is the right answer on bedrooms and side windows, but three days behind steel in a fully dark house is worse than people expect. A mix is normal.
Can I start with panels and upgrade later?
Yes, and on a staged rebuild it is often the sensible order. Panels get every opening legally protected now for the least money, and you can replace an elevation at a time as the budget allows.
Why do you talk people out of panels?
We do not — we talk people out of buying them for a house where they will not actually get put up. On a single-storey home with someone there year-round they are excellent value. On an elevated or seasonal house they tend to stay in the garage.
More questions? Our full hurricane shutter & screen FAQ covers products, service, permitting and financing.
More in Bonita Springs: Bahama shutters · roll down shutters · storm panels · roll down screens · accordion shutters · everything we do in Bonita Springs
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