Bracing your garage door for a storm.
When a storm is coming, the garage door is your home’s biggest vulnerability. Here’s what genuinely helps.
Why the garage door matters most in a storm
It’s the largest opening in the house. If wind breaches it, internal pressure can lift the roof. Post-Andrew engineering surveys put garage-door failure at the top of the storm-damage list — which is why Florida code now requires wind-rated doors.
Temporary bracing kits
Aftermarket vertical brace kits can help an older, unrated door survive a storm — but they must be installed correctly and in advance, not the night before. They’re a stopgap, not a substitute for a rated door.
The real fix
A modern wind-rated door (which we install on every replacement) meets the load for your address and can earn wind-mitigation insurance credits. Over the door’s life, those credits offset a meaningful slice of the cost.
Questions, answered.
01.Do I need to brace my garage door for a hurricane?+
If your door isn’t wind-rated, a brace kit installed in advance helps. A rated door is the permanent solution and may lower insurance.
02.Are garage door brace kits worth it?+
For an older unrated door, yes as a stopgap. Long term, a wind-rated replacement is stronger and earns insurance credits.
03.Does a hurricane-rated garage door lower insurance?+
In Florida, wind-rated doors can qualify for wind-mitigation credits that reduce the wind portion of your premium.