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AfterCWS Windows & Doors in Key West, FL | TruePane Windows & Doors
We provide independent CWS windows and doors service throughout Key West, FL, including repair, parts replacement, and full impact conversions on the CWS 710, 880, GrandView, and Architectural Series lines. The one thing that makes our CWS work different here: we pre-file window profiles that have already cleared Old Town’s Historic Architectural Review Commission, so you skip the rejection loop that stalls most Key West projects. Call (954) 280-4413 for a free estimate on any CWS window or door, anywhere on the island.
Why Key West Residents Choose Us for CWS Service
We know CWS frames, sashes, and hardware the way a mechanic knows an engine that’s been on the road for twenty years. Our technicians have rebuilt CWS jalousie-to-impact conversions under concurrent HARC and Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance review more times than any independent contractor on the island. That’s not marketing. That’s just what comes from working Conch houses week after week and keeping a running list of which NOA-approved CWS profiles HARC has already accepted for specific architectural styles. We’re an independent CWS service in Marathon and throughout the Keys, not manufacturer-affiliated or authorized. That means when a CWS part isn’t rated for salt air, we tell you so plainly and spec a marine-grade alternative that’ll actually hold up here.
Dale Kessler founded this company on a rule that plays out daily in Key West: “If it is not right on paper, it will not be right on the wall.” He learned framing and glazing at McFatter Technical College in Davie before spending two decades working South Florida’s coastal corridor, including CWS service in Coral Gables and beyond, and he still measures twice before any crew touches a truck. The years of work behind our name matters most in a place where the wrong installation means HARC fails you and the inspector fails you in the same week.
Common CWS Windows & Doors Problems We Solve in Key West
- Aluminum frame pitting from salt spray. Non-marine-grade CWS extrusions on the leeward side of Fleming Street can show visible pitting within 18 to 24 months. We strip, treat, and refinish where the frame is still square; where corrosion has eaten into the corners, we replace with heavy-anodized profiles before the glass loses its seat.
- IGU seal blowout in elevated Conch homes. Homes on piers with zero overhang get no relief from the sun or the salt. CWS insulated units with failed seals show corner fogging in as little as four to six years here, a cycle the manufacturer’s inland testing never anticipated. We swap failed IGUs and reseal the sash, and we’ll tell you honestly whether the next failure is a repair or a replacement decision.
- Racked sashes from out-of-square rough openings. When a 1920s Conch house goes jalousie-to-impact, the original rough opening is almost always 3/8″ out of square. If you force a standard CWS 710 unit into that opening, you get a racked sash and weep holes that plug within a season. We measure, shim, and reflash to correct the rough opening before the unit ever goes in.
- Seized door hardware from salt crust. Multi-point locks and hinges on CWS doors stiffen and bind within two to three seasons in Key West if they weren’t installed with marine-grade stainless. We clean and lubricate what’s serviceable, replace what isn’t, and stop the problem at the source rather than selling you the same part twice.
- HARC rejections on new CWS impact windows. The quickest way to spend money and still get a stop-work order is submitting a standard CWS product catalog to the Historic Architectural Review Commission. We submit profiles that have already cleared HARC for Conch-house styles, with the NOA and aesthetic drawings packaged together.
Any of these sound like your windows? Call (954) 280-4413. We’ll diagnose over the phone and tell you honestly whether it’s a repair or a replacement before we ever schedule a truck.
CWS Service in Key West: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Key West is the only city in the United States where a CWS impact window must simultaneously carry a Miami-Dade NOA sticker and be pre-approved by HARC for its louvered or multi-lite appearance. That’s not a formality. It’s two separate bureaucracies with two different standards, and they do not speak to each other. Monroe County requires every impact product to pass the strictest hurricane approval process in the country, the Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance. HARC, meanwhile, governs Old Town’s National Historic Landmark District and rejects replacements that don’t maintain the period-appropriate look of a Conch house. On Thomas Street in Old Town, our tech found a 1920s Conch house with original jalousies that HARC rejected for a standard CWS 710 Series because the louver look would be lost. We spec’d a CWS 880 Series fixed picture unit with a simulated 4-lite horizontal grid and a custom arch top, submitted the NOA and HARC drawing in the same package, and installed it with marine-grade stainless hinges on the French door. The homeowner passed final CO inspection on the first try. That’s why we keep a running list of NOA-approved CWS profiles that have already cleared HARC aesthetic review for specific Conch-house styles. It lets us quote a job in one visit instead of three.
CWS Models & Products We Service in Key West
We work on the full CWS residential impact line: the 710 Series single-hung, the 880 Series casement and awning, GrandView sliding glass doors, and Architectural Series fixed and picture windows. For under-warranty frames, we use genuine CWS replacement hardware and IGUs. For coastal retrofits where the OEM part isn’t salt-air rated, we switch to heavy-anodized aluminum aftermarket profiles and marine-grade stainless fasteners, and we put that on the quote so you can see exactly what’s changing and why. We repair CWS sashes and hardware only when the frame is square and the seal is intact. On jalousie-to-impact conversions or heavily corroded frames, full replacement almost always pencils out, and we’ll show you the numbers side by side on paper before you decide. We also handle CWS sales & service across the lower Keys, including Historic Window Restoration, Hurricane Impact Windows, and Wind Mitigation & Code Compliance.
CWS Service Pricing in Key West
CWS service in Key West starts with a free estimate, and the price comes from three things: which CWS model you have, what’s actually failed, and whether the existing frame and rough opening let us repair or force a replacement. A single IGU swap on a 710 Series typically runs between $185 and $340 plus the glass. Hardware replacement on a CWS door runs $120 to $275, depending on whether it’s hinges or a multi-point lock. Full jalousie-to-impact conversion on a Conch house usually falls between $2,800 and $6,200 per opening, because the rough opening almost always needs correction and the HARC-approved profile costs more than a stock unit. The 5% permanent senior and veteran discount applies to every quote. Every estimate is written line by line, with both warranty layers registered in writing before the truck leaves the driveway. Call (954) 280-4413 to schedule yours.
Serving Key West, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Key West area and provide CWS service in Key Colony Beach and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - CWS Windows & Doors in Key West
HARC does approve CWS impact windows in Key West, but only when the specific profile and mullion pattern replicate the louvered or multi-lite appearance of the original Conch house. A standard CWS 710 Series with no grid will usually get rejected. We keep a current list of CWS NOA-approved profiles that have already cleared HARC aesthetic review, so we submit a package with a better than average shot on the first round. Call (954) 280-4413 and we’ll tell you which profiles fit your house before you spend a dime.
In Key West, it’s almost always the salt air. Non-marine-grade CWS extrusions aren’t rated for the continuous salt spray a 2-mile-wide island delivers, and visible pitting at 18 to 24 months is common on the leeward side of Fleming Street and along the waterfront. It’s not a manufacturing defect in the legal sense. It’s the wrong finish for this environment. We can strip and refinish where the frame is still square, or replace with heavy-anodized profiles that hold up to island conditions. Call us and a tech will look at photos before you pay for a service call.
No. Jalousie frames are not structural. You can’t swap louvered glass for impact glass and expect it to carry a Miami-Dade NOA, because the frame and the fastening system won’t pass the missile test. The right fix is a full jalousie-to-impact conversion with a HARC-approved CWS profile that preserves the louvered look. We do that work in Key West and provide CWS service in Homestead every month, and we’ll give you a same-visit quote with the exact profile and opening measurements on paper.
Monroe County enforces the strictest hurricane glazing code in the US, which requires a Notice of Acceptance sticker on every impact product. Old Town adds a second layer: the Historic Architectural Review Commission must approve the appearance of any replacement window or door on a Conch house in the National Historic Landmark District. Both are mandatory. They operate separately. We handle both in a single submittal package, with the engineering and the aesthetic drawing together, which is the only way to avoid the two-round rejection cycle. Call (954) 280-4413 for a free estimate and we’ll map out exactly what your street requires.
Once we measure and specify, expect four to seven weeks from signed contract to final inspection on most Old Town projects. The HARC review can take three to four weeks by itself, and custom CWS units with HARC-approved grids add one to two weeks to the factory lead time. Installation on a single opening is usually one day, plus stucco or trim touch-up. The inspection happens once, because we submit the NOA and HARC drawing in the same package and correct the rough opening before the unit arrives. Call (954) 280-4413 and we’ll give you a realistic timeline for your specific house, not a generic range.
Service Areas Near Key West
In addition to serving all of Key West service area neighborhoods on the island, we cover nearby communities across the Florida Keys. For CWS customers further up the coast, see CWS service in Kissimmee and CWS service in Lake Buena Vista for our mainland service territory. We handle CWS windows and doors everywhere salt air meets code compliance.
Book Your CWS Service in Key West Today
Tell us what your CWS windows or doors are doing, and we’ll tell you honestly whether it’s a repair or a replacement. Estimates are free, line-item, and in writing, and a live person answers the phone. Call (954) 280-4413 to schedule.
Written by Dale Kessler, Owner at TruePane Windows & Doors, serving Key West 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.