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Hurricane Windows

If you own a home in Wilmington or anywhere in New Hanover County, you already know the drill every June through November. You watch the tropics, you check the cone, and if a storm gets close, you start thinking about plywood, tape, and whether your windows are going to hold.

 Hurricane windows solve that problem before the forecast ever gets scary. They’re built to stay intact when a 2×4 or a piece of roof debris hits them at highway speed, and they stay closed against wind pressure that would blow a standard window apart.

Wilmington sits close enough to the Atlantic that wind-borne debris is a real design consideration, not a marketing talking point. 

This page covers what these windows actually do, what the building code requires, which brands show up most often in local installs, and what to expect from cost and process.

Why This Matters Here Specifically

Wilmington has taken direct hits before. Hurricane Fran came ashore near the city in 1996 as a Category 3 storm.

Hurricane Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach in September 2018 as a Category 1, but it stalled over the region and dumped record rainfall while sustained winds still tore through neighborhoods for hours.

Isabel in 2003 brought damaging wind and flooding to the southeastern coast as well. None of these were freak events. They’re the reason building codes here look the way they do.

North Carolina’s building code ties design wind speeds to ASCE 7 wind maps, and coastal New Hanover County falls into a higher wind zone than inland parts of the state. 

Homes close to the coast can fall under a wind borne debris region, which changes what’s required for window protection. Here’s the short version of what that means in practice:

  • Homes in a designated wind borne debris region need opening protection: either impact rated glazing or code approved shutters over every window.
  • Impact windows are tested under ASTM E1996 and E1886, which measure resistance to large missile impact and cyclic wind pressure.
  • Design wind speeds along the southeastern NC coast commonly fall in the 140-150 mph range depending on exact location and risk category, which is why product ratings matter and generic “storm windows” don’t cut it here.
  • Permits for window replacement in New Hanover County and the City of Wilmington go through the local building inspections department, and impact rated products typically need to show compliance documentation at inspection.

None of this is optional if you’re doing a code compliant replacement in a debris zone. It’s just what the county requires, and honestly, it’s a reasonable requirement given the storm history.

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What Makes a Window “Hurricane Rated”

Impact windows use laminated glass, similar in concept to a car windshield. Two panes are bonded to a plastic interlayer, usually PVB or SGP. When something hits the glass hard enough to crack it, the interlayer keeps the pane in one piece and keeps it in the frame. The frame itself is reinforced, and the anchoring is stronger than what you’d find on a builder grade window, because the whole assembly has to survive both impact and sustained wind pressure without failing.

There’s a second option: a standard window paired with code approved shutters or panels. It’s cheaper up front. It also means someone has to physically install those shutters before every storm, and if you’re not home or the storm speeds up, that window is exposed. Most homeowners we talk to end up choosing impact glass for that reason alone.

Brands We See Most in This Market

Not every window brand makes an impact rated line, and not every impact line is rated the same. A few names come up again and again in coastal Carolina installs:

Brand Notable Line Frame Material
PGT WinGuard Vinyl and aluminum
CGI Windows Estate and Sentinel series Aluminum
Simonton StormBreaker Plus Vinyl
ProVia Endure and Aeris impact options Vinyl and fiberglass
Andersen 400 Series impact-rated Wood-composite
Pella Impervia Fiberglass

PGT and CGI both got their start in Florida and built their reputation on hurricane glazing specifically, so their testing data tends to run deep. Simonton and ProVia are more general purpose window manufacturers that added impact lines once demand grew along the Southeast coast. Andersen and Pella bring impact ratings into their higher end wood and fiberglass product lines, which matters if you’re trying to match a historic look in a neighborhood like Wilmington’s downtown historic district.

Cost and What Drives It

Impact windows cost more than standard replacement windows. The laminated glass, reinforced frame, and additional testing add up. As a rough industry range, impact rated windows typically run 20 to 40 percent higher than comparable non impact replacement windows, though the exact number depends on size, frame material, and how many openings you’re doing at once.

A few things move the price beyond the window itself:

  • Number and size of openings, since larger picture windows and sliding glass doors cost more to make impact rated than a standard double hung.
  • Frame material, with fiberglass and wood composite typically priced above vinyl.
  • Whether the existing rough openings need any structural work before the new units go in.
  • Permit and inspection fees through the local building department, which are separate from the window and labor cost.

Some homeowners get a break on homeowners insurance premiums after installing impact rated windows, since insurers often treat them as wind mitigation. That’s worth asking your insurance agent about directly, since the discount amount varies by carrier and by how the rest of the home is built.

Installation Process

A typical hurricane window replacement in Wilmington runs through a few stages. First, measurement and product selection, where the frame size, glass package, and brand get locked in. Second, permitting through New Hanover County or City of Wilmington inspections, which needs to happen before installation starts on most projects. 

Third, removal of the old windows and installation of the new impact units, including proper flashing and sealing around the rough opening. Fourth, a final inspection to confirm the install matches the permit.

Lead times on impact windows tend to run longer than standard replacement units because of the glass lamination process. It’s common to wait several weeks between order and delivery, so timing matters if you’re trying to get work done before storm season ramps up in late summer.

If you’re weighing whether to upgrade before the next named storm gets close, earlier is better. Once a hurricane watch goes up for the Cape Fear region, installers get booked solid and glass suppliers can’t rush lamination on demand. Getting quotes now means you’re not competing with every other homeowner on the peninsula for the same install slots in August.