Impact Windows on Sanibel Island, FL
Protection that needs nobody present. On an island with one causeway and a lot of
part-time owners, that is a stronger argument here than almost anywhere.
Why it suits Sanibel
Impact glass is in the wall, rated, and working at three in the morning in September whether or
not you are in the state. No deployment, no decision, nobody to call, and nothing to drive over the
causeway for.
On an island where a large share of property is seasonal, rented, or owned by people who are
five states away for half the year, that removes the single biggest failure mode in hurricane
protection: the person who was going to close it not being there.
It also leaves nothing on the exterior wall, which matters given how closely Sanibel reviews
alterations to a building’s outside.
What we install
Our impact windows and doors are Eastern Architectural Systems — EAS, a
Florida manufacturer. We are also set up to supply Mr. Glass. This is the one
line where we are the installer rather than the manufacturer — we build our
accordions and
roll downs ourselves in Cape Coral.
Rebuilding is the moment
If the house is going back up or being substantially reworked, this is when impact glass is at
its most sensible. Specified during design it is simply part of the building and the retrofit
premium disappears. Sanibel has a great deal of construction underway, and the houses being finished
now are the ones where this decision is either taken or missed.
The approval, and the lanai
Every impact window sold legally in Florida carries a Florida Product Approval — a schedule
of sizes, configurations and design pressures rather than a single number. The same unit in a wider
size carries a lower rating and an exposed elevation needs more than a sheltered one, which is why
nobody can quote a DP rating for a house over the phone. Ask for the approval number and the
approved pressure at your opening size; our
impact windows and doors page explains how to read it.
And impact glass cannot cover a lanai. That opening wants a
roll down screen, and leaving it open is why houses with
excellent glass still get no opening protection credit on a wind mitigation form.
Sanibel permits its own work, strictly
The City of Sanibel runs its own building department and the island is known for holding a tighter line than anywhere else in the county — on what may be attached to a building, on vegetation, and on lighting. Anything fixed to an exterior wall is reviewed properly rather than waved through. We specify to that rather than submitting and hoping. Permitting is handled as part of the job.
Talk to us about impact windows on Sanibel
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
Is impact glass the right answer for a rental property?
It is the strongest case for it. Nobody has to be present, no guest has to be trusted with instructions, and nothing has to be deployed before a storm.
Whose windows do you install?
Eastern Architectural Systems – EAS, a Florida manufacturer. We are also set up to supply Mr. Glass.
Do I still need something on the lanai?
Yes. Impact glass cannot cover a wide covered opening, and an open lanai is why plenty of well-glazed houses get no credit on the wind mitigation form.
More questions? Our full hurricane shutter & screen FAQ covers products, service, permitting and financing.
More in Sanibel: accordion shutters · Bahama shutters · roll down shutters · storm panels · roll down screens · impact windows · everything we do in Sanibel
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