Choosing a New Design for Your Home and Garden

Recently in Western Australia, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services issued a warning to homeowners to prepare for incoming thunderstorms. One of the measures they suggested residents take were to close curtains and blinds. This is because curtains and blinds will minimise the impact of flying debris that hits your window and that enters the home after breaking the window. If you live in an area that experiences heavy thunderstorms every summer, like Queensland, it is wise to consider which curtains and blinds will protect you best.

Wooden Venetians

The front windows of your home may be more exposed during a storm to flying debris than your back windows. This is assuming that your backyard is fenced and that your fencing will take the brunt of any large debris that moves from other properties.

Because of this, wooden venetian blinds should be fitted to your front windows to protect your rooms against thunderstorm debris. There are a number of reasons for this:

• When wooden venetian blind slats are closed, a portion of each one overlaps the one which is underneath. This double slat effect gives a solid barrier against the glass of a broken window.
• You can purchase wooden venetians in a range of different woods. Choose hardwoods, such as Australian red cedar or eucalyptus, to give the most protection. Hardwoods can take quite the punishment of glass impact without letting shards through into the home.
• You can purchase hold down brackets for the bottom of venetian blinds so that the tops and bottoms are completely secured and only the slats move. These brackets can be found at both hardware stores and curtain shops.

Floor-To-Ceiling Blackout Curtains

When it comes to keeping debris from entering the home, flimsy net curtains are not going to cut it. Instead, you need heavyweight curtains that are designed to block out light. This type of curtain gives a different type of protection to that of blinds.

Blackout curtains are designed to be thick enough to keep out light. Blackout curtains consist of two layers. The thick front that you can see in your room, and a secondary layer that sits behind the curtain to block out the light. The thickness of this layer is what will prevent glass fragments from entering your rooms.

A curtain and blind specialist, such as those found at Menai Blinds Pty Ltd, can help you further narrow the choice of window covering that will keep your home safe during the next storm season. Don't automatically assume that only outdoor shutters can protect your home from the elements of the weather when the right choice of indoor window covering can be just as effective.