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AfterCGI Windows & Doors in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL | TruePane Windows & Doors
CGI window and door service in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea means working on impact-rated units that sit within a few hundred feet of open Atlantic salt spray, on structures built decades before current HVHZ code existed. We handle the full cycle: repair, parts replacement, and full-frame swaps of CGI Estate, Classic, Targa, and Commercial Storefront lines. The difference here is that almost no job in this town is a simple glass replacement. Rough openings in 1950s and 1960s beach cottages were framed for jalousie units, and converting them to modern CGI impact windows usually means reframing, not retrofitting.
Call us at (954) 280-4413 for a straight answer on your CGI windows, doors, or hardware. We’re an independent service provider, not a manufacturer arm, and we’ll tell you honestly whether a repair holds up or a replacement is the smarter call in this salt environment.
Why Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Residents Choose Us for CGI Service
Dale Kessler, our founder, grew up in Fort Lauderdale’s Sailboat Bend neighborhood, where his father spent weekends resealing jalousie windows against the humidity. That’s more or less how he ended up in the trade. He learned the fundamentals at McFatter Technical College in Davie before spending nearly two decades working glass and framing up and down South Florida’s coastal corridor, from Coral Ridge to Dania Beach. The lesson that stuck: if it is not right on paper, it will not be right on the wall.
We bring that same standard to every CGI sales & service call in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Our crews have performed hundreds of independent CGI replacements along Broward’s barrier islands, and we know which models and frame finishes hold up within a few hundred yards of the Atlantic and which will fail early from pitting, track corrosion, and seal breakdown. The Keystone Standard applies on every job: both manufacturer warranty layers registered in writing, durations stated, before the truck leaves the driveway. And the Done Right Promise means if it is not right, we make it right. No paperwork, no arguing.
We are not a franchise playbook. We’ve served local communities since 2008, hire local, train apprentices into journeymen, and plan to be in town in thirty years. A live person answers our phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not a voicemail tree.
Common CGI Windows & Doors Problems We Solve in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
CGI builds a solid product, but every window and door has failure points. In Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, the salt and the sand accelerate them. Here are the five we see most often:
- Chalky oxidation on anodized aluminum frames. CGI single-hung and sliding window frames develop white, powdery corrosion along the bottom rail and weep slots within two to three years of oceanfront exposure here. The glass and seals are often fine. The frame is not. On some buildings we can restore the finish; on most we recommend replacement before the corrosion eats through the rail.
- Binding casement and awning cranks. Salt scale builds up on operator arms and hinges, especially on street-facing units that catch direct sea spray during onshore winds. We’ve pulled operators out of CGI casements on El Mar Drive that were so crusted they snapped at the gear. Sometimes a deep clean and genuine CGI replacement operator solves it. Sometimes the hinge has pitted and the sash no longer seats square.
- Fogged seals on pre-2020 CGI impact glazing. These older laminated units develop seal failure between the glass and interlayer, particularly on large fixed picture windows facing the ocean. The intense morning sun and constant thermal cycling on a barrier island pull the seal apart faster than it does three miles inland. A fogged impact unit is not a cosmetic issue, it is a structural one, because the lamination itself is compromised.
- Sliding glass door tracks packed with sand and shell grit. Beachfront cottages grind sand into the lower track daily. It wears down the roller assemblies until the door jumps track or will not lock firmly against the jamb. We see this on CGI sliding doors of every generation. The fix is genuine CGI roller replacement and a track re-alignment, not spray lubricant.
- Split lock stiles on corroded storefront doors. The old aluminum storefront-style doors that predate CGI are failing all over this town, and when homeowners finally replace them with a CGI Targa Series door, the original rough opening rarely matches. We reframe the sill, custom-cut the jambs, and set the door to meet current Miami-Dade large-missile standards.
CGI Service in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is one of the only municipalities in Broward County where every residential structure sits on a barrier island, which means every building is subject to the town’s own additional coastal construction review overlay on top of the county HVHZ permit. For CGI replacements, that means your new windows and doors must pass both the Florida Product Approval and the town’s rust-prevention hardware requirements for any opening within 150 feet of the mean high-water line. That is a stricter standard than Fort Lauderdale or Pompano Beach just across the Intracoastal.
What does that mean for a homeowner? It means the stainless steel hinges, the marine-grade fasteners, the corrosion-resistant track assemblies, all of it matters. A contractor from inland Broward quoting a standard impact window swap may not know the town will flag the hardware. We do. We’ve been through this review enough times to include the right hardware in the scope from day one, not after the inspector sends it back.
Last spring our crew pulled a seized 1967 aluminum storefront door from a condo walk-up on El Mar Drive. The bottom rail was so corroded the lock stile had split from the frame. We reframed the opening and installed a CGI Targa Series impact-rated entry door with marine-grade stainless steel hinges. The original rough opening had been framed for an old narrow jalousie unit, so we custom-cut the side jambs and reframed the sill to meet current large-missile standards. That is the normal job in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. It is never a straight swap.
CGI Models & Products We Service in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
We service the full CGI residential and commercial impact lineup across Lauderdale-by-the-Sea service area:
- CGI Estate Collection Impact Windows - large-format fixed and casement units common in oceanfront condos.
- CGI Classic Impact Windows - single-hung, sliding, and picture windows found throughout 1950s-1970s cottages and walk-ups.
- CGI Targa Series Impact Windows - the entry-level impact line we often recommend for mid-century homes needing full-frame replacement.
- CGI Commercial Impact Storefront Systems - ground-floor storefronts and lobby entries along Commercial Boulevard and El Mar Drive.
We stock genuine CGI replacement components locally: seals, balances, rollers, and operators. Aftermarket parts are a problem we will not install, because they can void the original NOA certification and leave you with an impact rating that no longer exists. When the frame is too far gone for parts, which happens faster here than anywhere else in Broward, we recommend full-frame replacement and walk you through the numbers side by side on paper.
CGI Service Pricing in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
CGI service costs in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea run a bit higher than inland Broward, and for one reason: almost every job here involves a reframe, a corrosion repair, or a hardware upgrade to meet the town’s coastal review standard. A simple operator replacement might run $185 to $320. A fogged impact sash replacement runs higher, often $450 and up depending on glass size. Full-frame CGI window replacement in a jalousie-era cottage typically starts around $1,800 per opening and climbs based on the rough opening condition and the hardware required. A CGI sliding glass door replacement on a beachfront building can run $4,000 to $7,500 once reframing and marine-grade hardware are factored in.
What you get with a free estimate from us: a technician on site to measure the actual opening, a written line-item quote, both warranty layers registered in writing with durations stated, and no surprise line items on the bill. Call (954) 280-4413 for an exact quote on your building.
Serving Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - CGI Windows & Doors in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
Generally no. The rough openings in most 1950s and 1960s cottages here were framed around jalousie units with non-standard dimensions. A modern impact-rated single-hung or casement window from the CGI Classic or Targa line will almost always require custom sizing or rough-opening modification to fit. We check each opening before quoting, so you know exactly what the reframe involves. Call (954) 280-4413 for a free site assessment.
The exposure on Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is more direct than almost anywhere else in Broward because there is no inland buffer at all. The entire town is one square mile of barrier island. Anodized aluminum frames on CGI windows here show chalky oxidation along the bottom rail and weep slots within two to three years, even when the glass and seals remain intact. On barrier islands with broader setbacks or dune line protection, that same frame might last twice as long. We recommend marine-grade hardware and, where possible, a more corrosion-resistant finish on anything within a few hundred feet of the mean high-water line.
CGI impact windows carry a Miami-Dade or Florida Product Approval Notice of Acceptance (NOA), but not every CGI product is approved for every application. In Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, the town’s coastal construction overlay adds a second review layer: any opening within 150 feet of the mean high-water line must also meet the town’s rust-prevention hardware standards. We verify the specific NOA number on the product we quote and confirm it passes town review before we order a single window. That is the kind of detail that keeps you from buying an impact window that fails a final inspection.
On most older CGI impact units, especially pre-2020 models with laminated glass, a fogged seal means the lamination between the glass and the interlayer has started to fail. That is not a simple glass swap. You need a new sash with a new laminated impact package to maintain the NOA rating. We can often reuse the existing frame if it is structurally sound, which saves money compared to full replacement. Call (954) 280-4413 and we’ll tell you honestly whether your frame is worth keeping.
No. In Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a jalousie-to-impact swap is treated as a structural modification because the rough opening is being reframed. That means a permit, an inspection, and compliance with both the county HVHZ code and the town’s coastal construction overlay. We pull the permits, schedule the inspections, and register both warranty layers in writing before the crew leaves. The permit process is part of the job, not an extra conversation later. Call (954) 280-4413 for an exact quote - estimates are free.
Service Areas Near Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
We handle CGI service throughout the coastal corridor and the neighborhoods that border Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. That includes CGI service in Lauderdale Lakes, CGI service in Lauderhill, and the surrounding Broward communities. If your building sits east of I-95 and the salt is working on your frames, start with a phone call at (954) 280-4413.
Book Your CGI Service in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Today
Tell us what is failing. A crank that binds, a door that jumps track, a frame that is pitting white. We’ll send a background-checked, uniformed technician to measure the opening, quote the work on paper, and register both warranty layers before the truck leaves your driveway.
Call (954) 280-4413 today. The estimate is free, and the answer is straight.
Written by Dale Kessler, Owner at TruePane Windows & Doors, serving Lauderdale-by-the-Sea since 2008.
Six Reasons Homeowners Choose TruePane Windows & Doors
Impact systems engineered to design pressures up to +/-100, matched to your wind zone - your openings hold when the storm arrives.
Low-E insulated impact glass from our manufacturer lines commonly cuts monthly cooling bills 20-30%.
Laminated impact glass shuts out up to 40% of outside noise - traffic, neighbors, weather.
Monitoring services run $30-90 a month. Laminated impact glass resists forced entry around the clock, with no subscription.
Florida homeowners average around 25% savings on the windstorm portion of their policy after protecting every opening - some homes qualify for more.
A full impact package upgrades curb appeal, buyer confidence and appraised value in one project.