Nature is one of the forces in the world that is hard to handle. We say “handle” because there’s no real way to control nature or make it do what we want, or make it not do what we would like to avoid, and so we all have to “handle” it as best we can.
Building regulations and norms differ from country to country and more often than not from state to state, but there’s one thing that is universal – windows. We would all like windows in our homes, unless we’re vampires, which is unlikely at the best of times. If you are a vampire, this might not apply to you – fair warning.
Windows are also generally the most vulnerable parts of a house. While highrises and commercial buildings have been using laminated glass for years and years, and are generally required to do so, this demand has not been put on the common residential buildings, and so most of these have double-layered regular glass in their windows. This type of glass is simply that – just glass. It’s easy to make and relatively cheap, which does wonders for the price, but the safety and security that they provide suffer greatly. Regular glass is easy to break, and will in some (though rare with modern glass) break on its own due to stresses inflicted in manfacturing, transport, installation or regular wear and tear, so to speak.
Laminated glass is different. It is composed of regular glass, but it’s bonded in layers with laminate, or sheets of this plastic. The glass and the plastic is tightly bonded that they become one, and any given pane of laminated glass will remain in one piece almost no matter what happens to it. While laminated glass will break like any other type of glass, it won’t shatter and spray pieces from here to next Wednesday, and this is the whole point. The glass will break, but it will still be bonded to the laminate, which will keep all the pieces together. This means that if something hits your window, whether it’s a tree or a burglar, the window will stay where it’s supposed to be, without letting anyone or anything in through a hole where there used to be none. More people will probably be burgled than will have a tree inserted into their house, or have a flying boat come sailing through a window, but whether or not you’re in a hurricane zone, a tornado belt or what have you, laminated glass might just be your best line of defense against both man and nature.
A common mistake in home improvement is to replace only some windows with laminated glass, or thinking that only especially exposed windows need this type of glass, such as skylights. While any window that has been fitted with laminated safety glass is an improvement, the key to any safety measure is to complete a whole “layer” without any obvious holes.
Cost
Laminated safety glass is still expensive, though the added value to any construction equipped with the safety measure is equal or higher. While the argument is still scarcely in use, it’s probably safe to say that any security or safety measure will only increase as selling points for both new and used properties and constructions.
Installation costs will vary, but a pane of laminated safety glass should run at anywhere from $400 to $4000, depending heavily on the size. In most cases, buying panes of glass either alone or mounted in frames is best done on line, while you should always use a contractor you trust to install them, unless you’re qualified to do it yourself.