
MI Case Study: StormArmor Completes Home
With the world-renowned Florida sunshine as part of their surroundings, many builders in the state opt for open floor plans. Such was the case when Tampa-area builder New Legacy Homes started designing its latest creation. To ensure the house got the natural light, the designers at New Legacy needed the right window.
PROJECT LOCATION: Tampa, FL
BUILDER: New Legacy Homes
WINDOW SUPPLIER: Builders FirstSource
MI PRODUCTS: 1620 Single-hung
Enter MI Windows and Doors. MI sales representative Jason Proly knew MI’s 1620 would be the perfect fit for the project. After consultations between Proly and Vince Gaboury, the representative with supplier Builders FirstSource, New Legacy did indeed choose the 1620 for the home. This home sits in a unique neighborhood in South Tampa.
“The windows play a huge role in the design of the home as natural light really brings a space to life,” New Legacy co-owner Steve Wiltse says. “When you have an open concept and natural light flows from one space into the other, it enhances the continuous flow of the floor plan. It brightens the space in a way that artificial light can not.”
The 1620 is not only easy for builders to incorporate into their architecture, but this vinyl window also features stylish design options that appeal to homeowners. “The 1620 has a flat, contemporary profile,” Proly says.
“It’s a modern look that homeowners like the aesthetics of.” Of course, the 1620 does more than just look nice and usher sunshine into your home — a lot more. With its many options and high-performance features, the 1620 is an attractive choice whether you’re building a new home or replacing existing windows.
The impact-resistant option helps homeowners feel secure living in coastal regions.
“There are a lot of different options on it, like stylish bronze and black exterior colors, window operating control devices (WOCDs), and operating archtop configurations,” Proly says. “It offers more bells and whistles than many competitors’ products.”
Perhaps the most important option is MI’s StormArmor protection. Created specifically to protect against intense winds, StormArmor provides an extra layer of protection desired in coastal areas such as Tampa, FL.
“The 1620 vinyl single-hung window is made for high pressure,” Proly says. “Its design pressure (DP) rating is a remarkable 50.13, which is one reason it is such a popular product. “South Tampa is in an impact zone,” adds Builders FirstSource’s Stephen Santos, who also serves the Tampa region.
“The 1620 with SormArmor is the best economical window that we sell. And it’s a good functioning window. It has a good price point, and it does its job.”
New Legacy, which was named South Tampa’s No. 1 home builder in a 2020 magazine poll, often chooses the StormArmor option when purchasing MI windows.
For its latest home, the choice of StormArmor was a no-brainer. “A lot of higher-end builders in coastal areas like New Legacy Homes choose to default to an impact window,” Proly says. “In fact, the impact-resistant option helps homeowners feel secure living in coastal regions.”
And that option for a high impact-resistant window is one more reason why New Legacy has been a committed MI customer. “We’ve used MI windows for over 10 years,” Wiltse says. “Above all, they’re high-quality windows at a competitive price.”