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Florida home protected from noise and hurricanes

Laminated glass windows reduced noise by 80% for the Crawford family.

When Ray Crawford, of US glazing contractors Crawford Tracey Corporation, purchased a waterfront home in scenic Lighthouse Point, South Florida in 1996, he and his family were delighted with the stunning views afforded by the panoramic windows. No less than 60% of the rear wall area of the house – more than 100m² – is composed of glass in the form of sliding doors and windows.

However, the Crawfords soon realized that they had a major problem in the form of excessive noise from the 'Café Racer' speedboats that their neighbors enjoyed racing along the waterways.

Ray Crawford told LGN: "We decided to refit our home with laminated glass containing DuPont^™ Butacite^® PVB since I knew that it would allow us to continue enjoying clear, distortion-free views while solving our immediate noise problem. Before, if our neighbors' racing boats were passing by, the loud roar meant that we could barely hear each other speak. Now, there is virtually no noise – maybe just a faint, background rumble. I estimate the noise reduction to be in the order of at least 80%."

Crawford concluded: "In my business, I have been recommending laminated glass for its security and other benefits for years but this was my first opportunity to 'live with it' in my own home and I am pleasantly surprised. It has proven to me that the installation of laminated glass is a cost-effective, practical solution for reasonably-priced homes and I will certainly have no hesitation in continuing to promote the material to my clients."

Crawford Tracey Corp. was one of the first installers of glass to meet Dade County impact standards in 1994. Four years later, the company became an advocate of SentryGlas^® Plus as well. Crawford said: "SentryGlas^® Plus Ionoplast has great potential. It's a top-notch product and it's going in the direction the industry needs. It has great strength and tenacity; it doesn't stretch, it doesn't elongate and it doesn't scissor. The strength of laminated glass with SentryGlas^® Plus is similar to that of glass-clad polycarbonate but the price is much more competitive!"