Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2018

214 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestofMP.com real estate I n the last couple of years, several hurricanes have come a little too close for comfort to the Charleston area. And with another active hurricane season expected this year, homeowners are scrambling to find the easiest, most affordable way to protect their homes. It can be an especially daunting task for the thousands of people from other parts of the country who are moving to Charleston. “After Katrina in 2005, we saw a huge increase in calls for hurricane protection, and inquires have picked up over the last two years, as there is a higher awareness, and new residents moving in are getting educated,” said Henry Hay, owner and president of Muhler Building Product Solutions. Many people now living in the area have never boarded up their windows, and, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can actually cause damage to your home – even if a hurricane never comes along. “The most important thing is to protect your home but not violate the integrity of your moisture barrier or flashing when installing the protection,” Hay advised. “Damage done after several hurricanes by fasteners that were improperly installed and caused water infiltration and rot led to a change in the code requiring specifically rated fasteners to be permanently installed on homes to accept hurricane panels when deployed.” That’s one reason Hay came up with a new system of window protection called Storm Trim™ (patent pending), which makes protecting your home both more affordable and easier to deploy. Plywood is the most affordable option, but it does not meet the current impact codes, even if you’re using the correct fasteners. It’s not just the fasteners and the window coverings a homeowner should consider but also the installation. While steel or aluminum corrugated panels meet the impact code and are reasonably priced, metal panels with sharp edges can be difficult to handle when climbing a ladder, especially if the wind picks up. Fabric is also an option, and, while it is easier to deploy, it is also more expensive. “We often find that customers looking to invest in protecting their home find the best solution is to replace their older inefficient windows and doors with new, energy-efficient impact-rated product,” Hay said. “Impact- rated products are always in place and ready to protect your home.” However, not everyone can afford to replace all of their windows and doors, so they’ll need a more affordable and easier solution for the upcoming storm season. That’s where Storm Trim comes in. It’s a nonmetallic vinyl extrusion that can be fastened on two sides of windows and doors, allowing for easy installation of any type of tested hurricane panel. Storm Trim’s main benefits are: it’s easy and quick to install correctly; there is no metal to rust or lock up; the location and installation does not disturb the moisture barrier of the home; and it can be installed on any window or door. Plus, as Hay put it, “to many, the two best features are it is affordable, and it looks like part of the window or door.” Storm Trim is in use from Charleston to Florida. Muhler is now hard at work developing a fabric panel for use with the Storm Trim system. By Erica Rodefer Winters Preparing for the Storm Muhler Building Product Solutions For more information, visit www.muhler.com/Home. aspx, or call 843-572-9727. s m rke ing content