RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Hurricane preparedness costs are rising and a South Florida business says start preparing now.
Brandon Susich owns Supreme Aluminum LLC in Palm Beach County.
It's a business he's run since 2006 but said he's never seen anything like recent manufacturing delays and inflation spiking aluminum products.
"It's tough because clients, you know, they want it yesterday," Susich said. "They want it for the old price and that's understandable, but it's outside of our control."
Delays in manufacturing, shipment delays from overseas and staffing shortages are issues Susich and many wind mitigation installation companies are dealing with in South Florida.
"I can't get accordions to your house in three days, five days," Susich said. "I can't get impact windows installed in five days. Get ahead of the ball."
In some cases, Supreme Aluminum LLC is paying 50 to 100% more for aluminum products than a few years ago.
Supreme Aluminum LLC installed Mike Dolan's accordion shutters in Jupiter's Abacoa neighborhood in 2019.
"We just made the right choice at the right time and it worked out perfect," Dolan said.
Susich said getting the price quote Dolan received and installation time frame isn't realistic in 2022.
He said expect 10 to 12 weeks or more for hurricane impact windows and at least four weeks for accordion shutters.
Not making the early investment to prepare for hurricane season is not worth it, Susich said.
"It's not a good spot to put your family, your valuables or your possessions into," he said. "You know, you want to protect your stuff, you got to get it done."
Wind mitigation installations not only keep your home safe in a storm but can also lead to lower insurance premiums.