With hurricane season upon us, it’s a good time to start thinking about those areas of the home that are most susceptible to the elements your windows and doors.While hurricane season is often the reminder that protecting these areas of the home is essential, it shouldn’t be something to consider lightly, and it’s often best to start making any preparations to the home as early as possible not when a storm is imminent.Of course, there’s always the option of plywood, but that can take time and effort, although it is the cheapest and quickest (in terms of getting the required amount and sizes) when you haven’t prepared in the off-season.There are many options for hurricane protection, depending on the needs of the homeowner, and many suppliers willing to help get you sorted this hurricane season. Below are a few places to get started before a storm hits.TreeConAlthough TreeCon has been known for years as the provider of aluminum products for windows and doors, this week it is launching a new line of vinyl products for the first time.“TreeCon has always been known for aluminum products,” explained Brett Wright, TreeCon’s sales manager. “We still carry those products including Bermuda shutters, roller shutters and accordion shutters, as well as storm panels that can be stored away in some place like the basement and then pulled out and used when there’s a threat of a hurricane. We still offer complete installation on all of those products.”But it’s newest line from PGT Industries, based in Florida, which has provided TreeCon with hurricane-rated windows and doors for the past 21 years, has recently launched a new line of its highest rated vinyl impact products in energy, structural, air and water resistance. PremierVue provides several styles of windows as well as sliding glass doors. Each product is custom made and comes in two different colour options.“We want to be able to cater to all our customers,” said Mr Wright.In terms of hurricane protection, PremierVue products have been tested using Dade County hurricane testing scales to protect a home from flying debris and destructive hurricane force finds. The products have been designed, engineered, tested and certified with the most stringent building codes in mind and has structural ratings not seen in other vinyl impact window systems, according to the company.The clean detail of the window design, means they have the aesthetic to fit the style in just about any home. They also have the benefit of ultraviolet ray protection, helping to prolong the life of a home’s furnishings and making for a safe and comfortable environment.Island GlassFor traditional protection, Island Glass provides a large range of options for covering those vulnerable spots in a home.“Roll down shutters are by far the most popular, closely followed by the accordion-style shutters,” explained Kim Powell of Island Glass. “We also have the Clear Guard lexan panels which are becoming more and more popular with each (hurricane) season.”Island Glass also offers the roll down-style shutters, which come custom ordered to each opening, although the company do stock standard 6 feet and 8 feet manual roller shutters. The custom ordered shutters can be either manual operated with the crank being on the inside, or on the outside. The roller shutter can also be ordered to be motorised, so with just a touch of a button the roller shutter can be rolled down for your protection (certain restrictions do apply).“The roller shutters are built to last with extruded aluminum slats and Corrosion Shield, and our shutters meet hurricane stringent codes,” added Ms Powell.The accordion style-shutters are great for those areas that do not have the space for an overhead box. The sturdy extruded aluminum slats and Corrosion Shield construction offers an easy-to-operate hurricane shutter. The accordion shutters are attached by tracks at the top and bottom and open and close from the sides. They can be keyed either inside or outside, or both. When open, they fold back against the wall looking like an outside curtain. As with the roller shutters, the accordion-style shutters meet hurricane stringent codes.The Clear Guard lexan panels are the least expensive of the three applications available at Island Glass, but take a little more planning time for setting up. The lexan panels are clear so you can watch what is going on outside, but know your glass windows and doors are completely safe from the elements. The panels slide into a top and bottom track, and are secured by a wing nut and bolt at the bottom; each panel then slides into the tracks and bolted off. The panels when not in use stack on top of each other, taking up minimal space for storage. Island Glass carries a selection of these lexan panels, which can be cut to the homeowner’s size requirements. The installation on these panels is very easy to do, often with the homeowners completing this task themselves, although help is on hand from the installers at Island Glass if needed.Polish MastersAs the local supplier of Solar Gard Window Films, Polish Masters can help protect just about any window with its line of hurricane tested films.The films, which do not actually stop the glass from breaking, but help keep the glass together to prevent any further damage to the home or its occupants.Many people have long held the belief that taping an X over a piece of glass will prevent the same thing from happening during a hurricane. But Robert Wheately, owner of Polish Masters, explained you would need to tape over the entire glass for it to take that effect.Mr Wheately explained that a home which had the plywood ripped from the outside of the home and damaged the windows during Hurricane Fabian in 2003, fared much better during storms such as last year’s Igor after the company installed the film on the windows.“This is a really good product for people with exposed windows. Although most homes in Bermuda have blinds as barriers, large, exposed windows and sliding glass and French doors can be susceptible,” said Mr Wheately.The product is available in several different thicknesses and also provides solar energy protection in a variety of tints. Many of the lighter tints, which appear near invisible on a piece of glass, will still reject a large amount of sunlight and heat, while also offering protection from flying glass and debris during a storm.Bermuda ShuttersLast, but not least, Bermuda’s own hurricane defence that has been part of our architectural heritage for hundreds of years the Bermuda shutter.While it won’t necessarily stop a tree from going through a window, for less vulnerable spots on a home, it offers protection from the elements.“Shutters are designed to let air pass through so that you can open windows during a storm and stop that vacuum inside the home, which is often how most people lose their roofs,” explained Bryan Haworth, Bermuda Shutter’s manager. “It also stops debris from flying into the window and rain from damaging the interior of a home.”The family-run company provides PVC shutters for just about every style of window as well as those odd shaped doors. The shutters are all custom-made for each home.“The shutters have been a large part of our architectural heritage,” said Mr Haworth.Although traditional Bermuda shutters were originally made of wood over the years they have gone from wood to aluminum and PVC, as wood can be very high maintenance.“PVC is a good mix between the two (wood and aluminum). They are a lot more durable, require less maintenance than wood and are a lot lighter than aluminum, but still provide the protection for the house and occupants.”For those windows and doors that a homeowner does not want to cover on a reglar basis, Bermuda Shutters also make removable shutters for larger doors such as sliding doors that can be put up in the case of a hurricane. All the essential hardware is already mounted so they can be put on when needed.