I have friends all over the country, and now that our twenties are behind us, we've all begun to settle into homes from Georgia to Colorado to Oregon. One of the things I've noticed as I make my rounds visiting my friends is that those whose homes have the most spectacular views also have the fiercest winds. Appreciating the mountain vistas in Colorado and Oregon was marred for me by a slicing wind coming through a mountain pass, and in Atlanta, my friend's highrise view of the skyline is frequently accompanied by a buffeting wind. On the waterfront near San Francisco the wind is always present.

This isn't just something that affects my friends when they're outdoors. Wind can make a difference on cooling and heating bills in the home, too. My friends would obviously benefit from some sort of windbreak around their homes, and their ability to enjoy the views they've paid so much for would be dramatically increased if they installed some sort of deck railing windbreak, which is one of the easiest ways to solve a wind issue.

Basic Options and Considerations for a Windbreak

Any structure perpendicular to the ground will help catch the wind. This is why constant winds can affect your cooling and heating bills. Wind increases the temperature exchange between the walls of the house and the outdoor environment, cooling your house when you're trying to heat it, and warming it up when you need to cool it.

This also means that any railing system will block at least a part of the wind, though some will be more effective than others. This also means that railings that block more of the wind will be subjected to more force than those that merely break it up, and homeowners like my friends will need to balance structural strength and other considerations. One of these other considerations is that a windbreak can also mean blocking a premium view, in many cases, the same view that inspired the purchase of the home or condo in the first place.

One option I've seen people pursue is a high trellis around the balcony or deck that stops at about head-height. While this does succeed in blocking the wind it severely obstructs the view. However, if privacy is a consideration as well, say if you're living in a high rise apartment or condo then this may be the way you want to go. First, though, consider the liability. If you're in a storm-prone area and living high up, then there's a possibility of a privacy screen breaking loose and landing in the streets below during periods of exceptionally high winds.

Picking the Right Deck Railing Windbreak

Surprisingly, it is possible to dramatically lessen the winds your deck is exposed to with shorter structures than the proposed lattice fix. This is because although we think of air as something insubstantial and weightless, it is actually a substance made up of molecules of gases like nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen. If you deflect some of these molecules they bounce into other molecules and change their direction.

If these molecules encounter a vertical structure they get deflected upwards, creating a vertical wind that deflects still more air and creating a sort of dead zone behind and above surprisingly short structures. If you’ve ever leaned over the railing of a tall building to spit and had it blown back into your face you have encountered this effect for yourself. While a waist-high railing won’t block all of the wind, a windbreak of any sort, including standard railings, will reduce wind speed for a distance of as much as 30 times the windbreak’s height. That is easily the difference between enjoying your deck and retreating indoors because the wind is just too much.

• Wooden railings are probably the least standardized railing option. They can be traditional uprights, as simple as some wooden 2x4’s or a lattice nailed directly onto the post. Wood offers one of the most versatile and least expensive options for building a deck railing windbreak. However, wood is opaque and will block your view, and the more wind-blocking it provides, the more it will intrude upon that view. It also requires some skill to make a wooden windbreak look like more than an afterthought. It’s also important to keep in mind that wood is very vulnerable to moisture. This isn’t a problem if the winds you are concerned about are coming off the desert, but anywhere else maintenance and replacement may be frequent.
• Metal railings are, on the whole, more durable than wood, whether made of aluminum or steel, and will hold up better to very high winds. However, the balusters offered are generally narrow and don’t offer much in the way of a wind block. There are railings that offer expanded metal—the equivalent of a lattice—in place of balusters, or decorative plasma-cut plating, but like lattices, both of these options block the view.
• Glass railings are a new development in railings, indoors and out. These are tempered, or otherwise structurally strong, glass panels suspended between metal posts, often without the benefit of a top and bottom rails. They’re durable because of their mountings, and are even sturdier when they’re installed with metal top and bottom rails. Because glass doesn’t corrode due to moisture or salts, glass railings and beachfront homes pair nicely. Most companies offer glass railings in a panel style that fills most of the space between posts, a style which is ideal for windbreaks. The drawback is that glass panel railing can be tricky to install, but in an attempt to solve this problem some manufacturers have developed simple slide-in systems which are worth seeking out as they make it possible to install your glass railing yourself.

Of all the railing options available today, ones that include glass are probably most effective as deck railing windbreaks. Happily, they're also the ones that provide the best way to appreciate the views that always seem to be accompanied by high winds. It helps that glass railings are not as fragile as they appear at first glance.

Why I Recommend Glass to My Friends

High winds are often found in the places where people build their dream homes because terrain features that generate winds offer a great view. Take, for example, the horizon-encompassing expanse of the ocean, the majestic mountains, and even the city skyline as seen from a penthouse balcony. It's only natural to want to preserve that view while at the same time making the deck more livable and maybe even knocking down the electric bill a bit. Glass railings are the deck railings available that do this the best.

As a windbreak, I think the Pure View™ system from Fortress Building Products works best. It is quick and easy to install with “drop-in” glass panels that don’t need to be custom cut, and it can be used with wood, composite, or Fortress’ own metal posts. The system includes top and bottom rails for greater durability (and a place to put your hand), while keeping those rails to a minimum profile for an unobstructed view of the city, ocean, or mountains. And if you’re in the market for other, similarly elegant solutions to fencing, decking, or hardware problems, it’s worth looking into the full line of products from Fortress Building Products.