New windows and doors improve comfort, cut energy bills and add long-term value to your home. Hale Windows Fort Lauderdale pairs proven product lines with our own installing crews for lasting performance - and a price we put in writing.
Choose your installer
The unit is half the job - the install is the other half. Our own background-checked crews measure, set, seal and insulate every opening, and they know the lines we quote inside and out because they install them every week.
Select the right products
Compare styles, materials and glass packages side by side until the fit is right for your rooms, your budget and your goals. The product-line comparison below is the place to start.
Prepare your home for install
Before install day we walk you through a short checklist - furniture pulled back, treatments down, a clear path to each opening - so install day is watch-it-happen, not scramble.
Compare the Lines We Quote
Every project is priced on the same lines, side by side - the price indicators below are relative, and your consultant shows exact numbers on your actual openings.
PGTThe line Florida homeowners arrive naming - the most Miami-Dade certifications in the industry$$$
- More Miami-Dade NOA certifications than any other line we quote
- WinGuard, EnergyVue and ClassicVue Max systems built for every wind zone
- 99% on-time delivery keeps your install date on the calendar
CGIThe heavyweight impact line$$$$$
- Large-missile impact ratings for the strictest wind zones
- Architectural-grade aluminum with commercial-depth frames
- The line we quote when protection is the whole point
CWSThe Florida value pick$$
- Vinyl systems built in Florida for Florida codes
- Strong energy packages at the friendliest price point
- The smart start for whole-home replacements on a budget
ESWSlim lines, big glass$$$$
- Narrow-sightline aluminum for modern elevations
- Oversized openings and floor-to-ceiling glass
- Impact-rated without the bunker look
ECOThe aluminum impact workhorse$$$
- Miami-built aluminum impact systems
- A strong price-to-protection ratio for coastal homes
- Proven inventory lines with short lead times
CWS Door Installation: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
CWS door installation and replacement in Fort Lauderdale typically runs $850 to $2,400 installed, depending on whether we’re swapping hardware, replacing a slab, or setting a full pre-hung unit. We stock CWS-compatible components on our trucks and can usually complete the install same day once we confirm your model and measurements. Most Fort Lauderdale homeowners discover the problem when the door starts dragging against the jamb, the lock no longer lines up with the strike plate, or the frame shows signs of rot at the bottom corners after a wet season.
If your CWS door is sticking, sagging, or won’t latch cleanly, the fix is rarely a single hinge adjustment. In South Florida humidity and salt air, what starts as a minor alignment issue is usually a symptom of something structural underneath: a compromised frame, worn hinge mortises, or a failed threshold assembly. Spencer Odell and our crew have seen every version of this failure across Fort Lauderdale, from Victoria Park bungalows to Imperial Point ranches, and we approach each job the same way: identify why the door failed, then fix it so it doesn’t fail again.
Which CWS Models This Applies To
CWS, or Custom Window Systems, builds a few distinct door lines, and the parts are not always interchangeable across them. The most common we service in Fort Lauderdale are the CWS 7000, 7700, and 7800 series, along with their impact-rated variants marked with an “I” suffix for Florida Building Code compliance. If you have an older CWS door, the data plate is usually on the hinge edge of the slab or the top rail, and it lists the series number, glass type, and manufacturing date. That plate is the fastest way for us to confirm exactly what we’re working with before we quote anything.
Here’s the compatibility gotcha worth knowing: CWS changed their hinge and roller hardware specifications between the 7000 and 7700 series, and the slab-to-frame clearances differ by roughly 1/8 inch. A generic big-box hinge will fit, but it won’t seat correctly in the original mortise, which is exactly the kind of shortcut that causes the door to sag again within a year. For CWS doors, we recommend OEM or CWS-spec aftermarket components. The aftermarket parts we carry are machined to the same dimensions, but cost 20 to 30 percent less than name-brand CWS replacements, and for most Fort Lauderdale homes they hold up identically.
Signs Your CWS Door Installation Is Failing
- Door drags or scrapes at the top corner opposite the hinges. This signals hinge wear or hinge screws backing out of the jamb. Over time, the slab’s own weight opens the top hinge gap and the door drops forward. We see it constantly on west-facing Fort Lauderdale doors that take direct afternoon sun, which accelerates frame expansion and contraction cycles.
- Latch doesn’t engage the strike plate anymore. If the door closes but the deadbolt lands above or below its hole, the slab or frame has shifted. In older homes, this often traces to settling or to wood rot where the jamb meets the slab. The door may still look fine from the outside, but the frame has moved enough to compromise both function and your home’s security.
- Visible rot or softness at the bottom corners of the frame or slab. Fort Lauderdale’s wet season is unforgiving. Most CWS doors use solid wood stiles and rails, which are durable but will wick moisture if the threshold seal fails or sprinklers hit the door consistently. By the time the paint blisters, the lower frame rail is typically soft to the touch.
- Condensation or fogging between the glass panes. Impact-rated CWS units use laminated glass with an interior air space, and when the factory edge seal fails, humidity gets in and fogs the glass from the inside. That’s not a cleaning issue, it’s a sealed-unit failure. The sash still functions, but the insulating value is gone and the glass needs replacement.
- Door rattles or leaks during storms. If you feel air movement around the edges or you see daylight through a closed door, the weatherstripping or the threshold cap has failed. With Fort Lauderdale wind-driven rain, a small gap becomes a big problem fast, and it’s often accompanied by fine dust or light through the sweep.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
Here’s our straight pricing so you know the range before you pick up the phone.
| CWS Door Service | Typical Fort Lauderdale Price |
|---|---|
| Hinge replacement with remortising (per hinge) | $85 – $145 installed |
| Frame repair and jamb reinforcement | $250 – $450 installed |
| Door slab adjustment and realignment | $150 – $300 installed |
| Threshold and weatherseal replacement | $180 – $320 installed |
| Full pre-hung CWS door replacement | $1,400 – $2,400 installed |
Every quote is a written price delivered before any work starts. If the scope changes mid-job because we find rotted framing behind the jamb, we stop, show you what we found, and give you a revised written price before we proceed. No surprises on the final invoice. Every CWS door installation we perform carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the work is not right, we make it right, no argument needed. On the labor side, Spencer backs installations with a ten-year labor guarantee, one of the strongest you’ll get in Broward County.
DIY or Call Us?
You can safely check a few things yourself. Confirm the hinge screws are tight and see if the slab has shifted visibly in the frame. Check the sweep and weatherstripping for cracks or gaps. That’s a reasonable Saturday-morning inspection.
What we’d caution against is replacing CWS hardware with generic parts or trying to rehang a slab without checking the frame’s squareness and the existing hinge mortise depth. CWS doors are not forgiving to a casual adjustment. When a CWS door is installed incorrectly, the failure pattern repeats: a door that sags again within months and eventually cracks the stile or splits the jamb. You’ll spend more correcting that than you would have spent getting it done right the first time. If you’re in Fort Lauderdale and your CWS door is failing, call us at (754) 354-3671. Spencer Odell will tell you honestly whether it’s a simple fix or a full replacement. If he wouldn’t put it on his own house, he won’t sell it to yours.
FAQs
A properly installed CWS door in Fort Lauderdale typically lasts 20 to 30 years, but coastal salt air and direct sun can shorten the hardware and finish life to 10 to 15 years on exposed elevation, while inland areas like Plantation or Davie see longer cosmetic life because they’re less exposed to salt and wind-driven rain. The frame is the variable. Properly flashed and sealed, a pre-hung CWS unit holds up as well as anything on the market in our climate. Call (754) 354-3671 if you’re not sure whether your door is repairable or past its years.
In most cases yes. If the slab is straight, the glass is intact, and the frame isn’t rotted through, we can remortise hinges, replace the threshold, and rebuild the jamb to bring the door back to square. Replacement only makes sense when the slab is cracked, the sealed glass unit has failed, or the frame is soft across multiple corners. Call us for an honest assessment. We’ll always show you the repair option before quoting replacement.
A hinge replacement or realignment we finish in under two hours in most cases. A full pre-hung CWS door replacement takes four to six hours depending on the condition of the rough opening and whether we need to rebuild the jamb. We clean up the work area before we leave and walk you through the finished door, including how the latch and threshold seat now.
We stock common CWS hinge styles, strike plates, thresholds, and weatherseal components on our trucks at all times. For less common items like full slabs or impact-rated glass packages, we typically have them within three to five business days from our Fort Lauderdale supplier network. We also carry parts for PGT, CGI, and ES Windows doors, so if your CWS door shares hardware with another manufacturer’s line, we can often match it same day regardless.
If you’re in Fort Lauderdale and need a straight answer on your CWS door, call (754) 354-3671. We’ll give you a written quote before any work starts, and you’ll know exactly who’s coming to your door. Every technician is background-checked, identity-verified, photo-badged, and pre-announced by name and photo before the visit. You’ll never open the door to a stranger.
Written by Spencer Odell, Owner, Hale Windows Fort Lauderdale at Hale Windows Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
Six Reasons Homeowners Choose Hale Windows Fort Lauderdale
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.