Impact windows post-Ian: worth every dollar of a painful invoice

Hurricane Ian taught us that our 2004 home's original windows were never going to be enough. Three of them failed on the south elevation despite shutters being deployed. We chose aluminum-frame impact glass from a Lee County installer with strong post-Ian reviews. Yes, the wait was four and a half months. Yes, the invoice came in 7% over estimate after the crew found water-damaged framing under two openings. Both of those were communicated honestly and documented in writing before the work proceeded. Eighteen months in, our cooling bills are meaningfully lower, the constant background noise from Tamiami Trail is gone, and our insurance dropped roughly $1,800/year off our HO-3 premium. The math on payback is real — we expect to break even somewhere around year 11 even before factoring in resale value.