CGI Window Replacement Nationwide

CGI Window Replacement: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide

We stock and install CGI-compatible window replacement parts across Fort Lauderdale, with most sash replacements and balance repairs running $180 – $420 installed and full-window swaps typically landing between $650 and $1,900 depending on size and series. The call usually starts the same way: a window that won’t stay up, a crank that spins free, or a latch that no longer catches after years of salt air and afternoon thunderstorms. By the time most homeowners call us, they’ve been fighting the window for months, propping it open with a book or jamming it shut against the humidity. You don’t have to live with a window that stopped doing its one job. The fix is usually faster and cheaper than people expect, and you’ll know the exact price before we start.

Call (754) 354-3671

Which CGI Models This Applies To

CGI’s impact-rated windows have shipped under several series names in South Florida over the years, and the replacement part has to match the generation you actually have. The most common lines we work on in Fort Lauderdale are the Solea, Estate, Classic, and the older aluminum Sentry and Clarity models still holding up in mid-century homes around Sunrise Key and Rio Vista. Each series uses a different balance system and hardware set, which is where homeowners get tripped up when they order parts online. A balance from an Estate sash does not fit a Solea frame even if the visible dimensions look close. The most reliable way to identify your window is the label printed on the top edge of the sash or the inside of the frame, which lists the series name and the Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance number. If the label is gone or faded, we measure the sash thickness and the balance channel, which usually tells us what we’re working with in two minutes.

On the OEM-versus-aftermarket question: for CGI specifically, we prefer OEM hardware whenever it’s still available, because the impact-rating requirements in Florida mean the original components were tested as an assembly. For things like weatherstripping, glazing bead, and balance covers, a quality aftermarket equivalent is often indistinguishable and costs 30 – 40% less. We’ll tell you which parts warrant OEM and where you can safely save money. Hale Windows Fort Lauderdale is an independent service provider, not a CGI dealer or affiliate, which means we’re free to recommend the option that actually makes sense for your window rather than the one a brand rep wants to sell.

Signs Your CGI Window Replacement Is Failing

• The sash drops when you let go. Your balance system, usually a spiral or block-and-tackle setup on CGI windows, has lost tension or a coil snapped. This is the single most common failure in coastal Florida because humidity and salt air work on the metal components year-round. A sash that slams down is also a genuine hand-injury risk, especially for kids.
• The crank turns but the window doesn’t move. On CGI casement and awning windows, the operator gear strips over time. You’ll often hear a grinding or clicking before it fails completely. Once the gear teeth are stripped, the operator has to be replaced, not adjusted.
• You can see daylight around the sash when it’s closed. Worn weatherstripping or a misshapen glazing bead lets conditioned air out and humid air in. In Fort Lauderdale, this shows up first as condensation between the panes or a spike in your cooling bill for a room you’re not using more.
• The lock doesn’t engage or the latch feels loose. Frame movement from years of thermal cycling in the Florida sun can misalign the keeper. What starts as a little wiggle at the meeting rail eventually becomes a window that won’t lock at all, which matters for both security and your impact-rating insurance credits.
• The window is foggy between the glass panes. That’s a failed seal on the insulated glass unit. The argon or krypton fill is gone and moisture has gotten in. On impact-rated windows like CGI’s, this often means replacing the IGU rather than the whole sash, but it depends on how the unit was assembled and whether the frame has any hidden corrosion from a past leak.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

For Fort Lauderdale CGI windows, you’re generally looking at $180 – $280 for a balance or hinge replacement, $220 – $380 for an operator or lock assembly, $350 – $700 for a new insulated glass unit, and $650 – $1,900 for a full-frame window replacement depending on size, series, and whether the opening needs any wood repair after years of tropical moisture. Every one of those numbers includes the part, the labor, and our written workmanship guarantee on the installation. We hand you the price in writing before anything gets taken apart, and that price does not move once we start. If you’re curious, we are one of the few shops in Broward County that will show you the line-item part cost and labor as separate numbers, because the math should be plain to see.

The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies here too. If something isn’t right with the replacement, we come back and make it right. No argument, no re-quote, no fine print. That’s the whole guarantee.

DIY or Call Us?

Here’s the honest split. There are a few things you can check yourself before calling: confirm the window label so you know the series name, measure the visible glass size, and take a photo of the hardware from the inside. Those three steps get us most of the way to getting an accurate price over the phone. What you should not do is start removing balances or crank operators from an impact-rated window. The balance systems on CGI units are under spring tension, and a compressed or improperly released balance can snap a hand or take out the glass. Impact windows are heavier than standard residential windows because of the laminated glass, which makes every DIY attempt slower and more dangerous than it looks on a video. If the sash has lost tension, that’s the point where you call us. Spencer Odell will tell you the same thing on the phone: if I wouldn’t put it on my own house, I won’t sell it to yours. Call (754) 354-3671 and we’ll quote the job from your photos before anyone gets in the truck.

FAQs