Storefront framing is supported by the floor and structure at each story and is generally used on single-story or lower-height applications; curtain wall hangs independently from the building's structural frame and is used on taller buildings with larger continuous glass spans, at roughly two to three times the installed cost per square foot of storefront. Most street-level retail buildings use storefront; taller mixed-use and office buildings often need curtain wall or window wall systems instead.

In most cases, yes — phased, section-by-section installation combined with after-hours scheduling options lets many commercial glazing projects proceed while the business stays open, though the specific approach depends on your storefront's configuration and how much of the façade is being replaced at once.

The same fundamental code requirement applies — every glazed opening needs to be protected to the applicable HVHZ or Wind-Borne Debris Region standard — but commercial systems are typically engineered to higher design pressures than residential product because commercial glass spans are usually larger and less supported than a typical home's window openings.

Minimum clear opening width, threshold height limits, maximum force required to operate the door, and in many applications an automatic door operator all apply to a commercial entry, layered on top of the same impact/wind-pressure code every glazed commercial opening needs to meet.

Impact/wind-pressure rating requirements apply to the building's exterior envelope — interior partitions are governed by different code sections related to fire rating and life-safety glazing rather than wind and impact standards, so the two shouldn't be assumed to require the same product.

Commercial property insurance underwriting doesn't use the same residential wind-mitigation inspection form homeowners use, and the documentation process differs by carrier — we can provide the product and installation documentation your commercial policy's underwriting process requires, but the credit mechanism itself works through your commercial insurer rather than a standardized state form.

Yes — aluminum framing finish (anodized or powder-coat, in a range of standard and custom colors) and glass tint are both selectable within a code-compliant, NOA-rated system, so a storefront refresh and a hurricane-code upgrade can be the same project rather than separate ones.

Commercial systems are generally built to order like residential impact product, and lead times can run comparable to or longer than residential impact windows depending on the specific system, glass makeup, and current manufacturer demand — we build commercial project timelines around ordering early for the same reason we do on residential projects.