Bulletproof, huh?

If you are a security-conscious homeowner …
I'll admit, that starting sentence is a bit of a misdirection.  We did recently go through the worthwhile exercise of researching security glass in bullet resistant windows for a magnificent estate designed to take advantage of the lovely East Bay Area climate and let in lots of natural light, and our findings are worth sharing for several reasons.  We will make some posts about home security in the coming weeks, as we are one of very few builders with a licensed security professional on the team.  But in today’s post we will explore a few of the reasons that make security glass something you should at least consider in a luxury property, even if its occupants don’t necessarily keep a high profile.

Let's just get a couple of things cleared up:  To say a window is bulletproof is to advertise falsely.  Like a safe, which is resistant of cracking, and whose measurement of security is in the likely time it will delay the undesired access to its contents, windows with security glass are bullet resistant.  They are designed to keep certain calibers of bullet out for measured amounts of time.  With enough firepower and persistence, one can blast his way in.  The amount of security is dependent upon the length and intensity of the attack.  There are also several providers of security windows in the marketplace, so we speak somewhat generically here about them so that the comments herein can apply most every homeowner's tastes or preferences.

Here are a few reasons, besides security, to admire the security window and consider it for your luxury residence:

But in today’s post we will explore a few of the reasons that make security glass something you should at least consider in a luxury property, even if its occupants don’t necessarily keep a high profile.

They are beautiful
Security windows are of substantial weight and thickness, and are framed as such.  They often employ a multi-channeled aluminum frame to accommodate the panes and provide proper support and attachment to the framing in the event of a blunt force attack.  So in a setting with a large picture window, or on a building of considerable scale, the frames are appropriately chunky.  The vendors we explored also finished out the frames to a beautiful polish, or incorporated fine hardwoods.

Supplemental engineering
The proper care in planning will involve the advice of an engineer, and that involvement could open the idea vault when it comes to the sizing and structural possibilities.  In our case, the notion of a moment frame allowed for a grouping of smaller windows to be replaced by a single, rather enormous, picture window to a majestic mountain view that practically makes you want to wash dishes (that view is from the kitchen).

They stand up to abuse
Whether your family contains ballplayers or baton twirlers, the normal hazards that call for the average home to require a window repair every two-and-a-half years, security glass stands up to a tremendous amount of bumps and scrapes.  So go ahead and get your son a pitching coach, and if his fastball gets outrageous, let it fly.  The glass will take a 9mm slug, so a baseball at 90 mph will bounce right off. 

Are these reasons enough for the added expense?  Maybe not.  But if you also have safety or security concerns, or if your house is magnificent and deserves the best of everything, these factors should help reinforce your decision.

​- Jon Leon Guerrero 

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