James Cuomo, President of HomeShield Protection Corporation is not your typical hurricane protection contractor. A firefighter for 16 years, in the hurricane protection business for 15 and a business owner for 8, he currently works both careers and has no intention of stopping either. He has seen people at their best and at their worst. His strong firefighter mentality, to provide a safe haven for people when they need it, weaves into his impenetrable work ethic and through his 22 employees. James took a few moments to talk about hurricane protection, the industry itself and provide tips for homeowners.

I'm confused. How do I know the best technical solution for my home?
The engineering involved in hurricane protection is complex. Professionals look at the wind load capacity first: is your home on a golf course or the intercoastal? What is the terrain surrounding the structure that will alter the wind load? Custom to your home and your lot, shutters are engineered to deflect the impact from projectiles in high winds. Let's take accordions shutters for example. Technically, a tighter angle provides more deflection of projectiles, because the object will bounce, dissipating the force generated by the object. Be aware, many companies skimp on materials and flatten out accordions offering less deflection because the surface area is greater for a projectile to hit, absorbing the impact.

OK, so what about price?
We don't install kitchens. Look for contractors who sell hurricane protection for a living, not a side offering. At HomeShield Protection, we buy huge quantities from manufacturers and have excellent prices based on volume discounts. We custom fabricate each shutter on the premises. We build our products and our quality is excellent. If there's a problem we fix it; we stand behind our work.

I see beautiful homes with ugly shutters. What can be done?
Aesthetically pleasing is one part of the solution, along with full protection and ease of use. Most homes require a variety of custom hurricane products. Accordions, roll downs, impact resistant glass, clear panels, there are many options to work with.

Hurricane stress, sharp metal objects, ladders and wind; now that's a bad combination. I want to replace my shutters to make life easier. What are the hidden costs?
Whether you have a wood frame or a stucco home, it is likely that you will require new holes to be drilled for the proper installation: most new shutters can't use the old holes. As part of our service, we fill the old holes with stucco or wood compound and then paint the area. Most firms don't offer this service and then you are left with another home improvement project that needs to be done quickly so critters don't find those holes. We do this maintenance work as part of our service so you don't have to worry about it.

Why are there so many disreputable businesses in the hurricane protection business?
For many years hurricane protection attracted the get-rich-quick transients who unfortunately sold consumers on high-profit inadequate solutions. New enforcements and requirements to improve products came out in 2000, but many companies, there's one with 87 complaints and an F rating on the Better Business Bureau, marred the industry. As a fireman, I counsel you to check your smoke alarm batteries and as a business owner, please, screen your hurricane protection contractor.

HomeShield Protection Corporation 561.743.5644 provides custom hurricane protection for homes, businesses and communities. Fabricating all products on the premises, HomeShield Protection maintains the highest quality standards and installs products on time. They offer a variety of easy to use and aesthetically pleasing products like accordions, roll downs, bahama, and colonial shutters, as well as clear, aluminum and steel panels. HomeShield Protection is a member of www.ReferredHomeServices.com, an online free service that SCREENS CONTRACTORS by checking TEN references, licenses, insurance, BBB, corporate registration, the attorney general's office and much more. RHS represents only reputable, experienced, home improvement and repair businesses so homeowners, community managers get the job done right the first time. Visit our website at www.ReferredHomeServices.com or call 561.401.4004.