From personal taste to homeowner rules, various factors go into the selection of household hurricane protection.

Some, such as impact-resistant glass and roll-up shutters, are incorporated into the structure and require simple or no effort to activate before a storm. Others, like panels of aluminum, steel or fabric, need to be retrieved from storage and secured into place -- sometimes using a screwdriver or other simple tools.

Prices of the assorted styles vary, based primarily on quality, labor required for installation and how easy the products are for the homeowners to use. Sometimes, demand is a factor.

Along with price and the amount of effort involved to set up the product, various other aspects may play into the homeowners' selection of a specific style.

Appearance, for example. Some homeowners don't like the look of accordion shutters pulled to the sides of doors and windows, says Patrick Ridgway, general manager of Jordan's Aluminum in Hollywood. They might opt for removable fabric panels or impact-resistant glass, he says.

SECURITY FEATURE

Some homeowners like a product that also works to keep out intruders. Various types of hurricane barriers are promoted to include security as a bonus feature.

Among them are STORM SHIELD Hurricane Barriers, which are described as perforated metal screens that offer visibility from indoors. ''It looks like tinted glass from the outside,'' says Nick Michalisin, president of the Palm City, Fla., firm that manufactures the product. The rust-resistant stainless steel products, he said, are available as removable panels or hinged screens that stay in place. Prices for those products are about $35 to $50 a square foot, he says.

Also touted for its added security and shade benefits are the Fort Hurricane stainless steel screen products, designed to be installed as permanent parts of the structure. ''You set it and forget it,'' says William Guthrie, president of Hurricane Screens and Security in West Palm Beach. He says they're suitable for doors, windows and patios and are designed with a pop-open feature that allows for easy exit with the touch of finger. The price is generally $22 to $60 a square foot.

Some permanently installed shutters such as Bahama or Colonial types are chosen for the architectural look they give the home, according to Frank Storms, vice president of MetalTech, which manufactures shutters in Hialeah. ''The person chooses typically because it goes with the style of the home -- Bahama [for a] Mediterranean and colonial because of the colonial-'' style house, he says.

NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL

The variety of designs allows for a selection that fits budgets, personal style and the needs of a particular structure. ''Not one product is meant for every application,'' says Bruce Cournoyer, president of All Florida Hurricane Inc. in Miami.

While prices of shutters vary by type, Cournoyer offered an example that demonstrates the relative difference between products.

For a 2,400-square-foot house with three bedrooms, aluminum panels with pre-mounted tracks would cost about $3,500 to $5,000, he estimates. Accordion shutters would be about $5,000 to $ 7,500 and roll-ups would cost about $15,000 to $25,000.

Many products take several weeks to be installed, depending on the design and the requirements for obtaining permits in the local jurisdiction. As with price, demand also is a factor. Off-season and when the storm season is relatively quiet as it was in South Florida in July, the turn-around is quick. When demand is hot, Cournoyer says, it's akin to the mall on Christmas Eve.

When evaluating price per square feet, note that the square footage price applies to the barrier material, not the door or window it's shielding, Ridgway of Jordan's Aluminum cautions. For some situations, such as fabric panels or screening that needs to be installed a farther distance from a glass window, more square footage may be needed, he says.

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