I guess technically this is not a window. As the window is really the partitions on the inside.

I am curious about the sliding metal panels on the outside. Apparently you open and close them by cranking a handle on the inside. Clockwise close, counterclockwise open.

I don't know if it is technically a hirricane panel. I have seen rolling, sliding, accordian style storm panels but not like this.

It looks like this on the outside:





On the inside:



This is the crank handle:



What is it called? Is it easy to repair and find replacement parts?

 

Interesting! I've painted lots of houses in fla but have never seen a set up like that. I would assume you are right that they are some type of hurricane storm windows. Look forward to seeing if someone can confirm

 

amazing no one seems to know anything about this.

 

My wife watches those international house finder/real estate shows on HGTV. I've seen something similar to those when they are showing houses in the Carribean and other hurricane prone areas. The ones I saw were more like the roll down doors you see in auto shops though.

 

The roll down types and the accordian types are fairly common.

These are unusual. It's a property I am considering buying but out of like 20 windows half of them have missing handles and some of the panels are "stuck". Since the mechanism is inside the wall as evident from the crank handles on the inside, I am having a hard time trying to figure out how much it would cost to make them all operational...

 

I assume the walls are the typical type of concrete block construction common to much of Florida because of storms.

Have you removed the plates around the crank to see if there is much access to the "works" that control things.

I have seen them before (similar types) and I suspect you could find the hardware somewhere to make repairs they may have had a slightly larger opening in the wall for installation and just mudded it later so a plate would cover it.

Dick