CGI Window Replacement Nationwide | Winslow Windows & Doors

CGI Window Replacement: The Miami Beach Owner’s Guide

If you have a CGI window that’s fogged, cracked, or no longer closing square, we carry and install CGI-compatible replacement windows throughout Miami Beach, with most single-unit replacements running $900 to $2,400 installed depending on size and glass package. We keep common CGI replacement sashes and full-frame units in stock and can usually have a technician at your door within 24 to 48 hours to measure, confirm the series, and get the replacement ordered or pulled from inventory. Most homeowners find us two ways: either a window won’t latch after a storm season, or the glass has gone cloudy between the panes and the view of Biscayne Bay suddenly looks like a bathroom mirror.

Call (863) 656-0462

Ed Winslow has been replacing impact windows in Miami Beach since before CGI became the standard for oceanfront condos and single-family homes along Collins and Pine Tree Drive. Here’s what you need to know before you pick up the phone.

Which CGI Models This Applies To

CGI’s impact window lineup includes several distinct series, and the replacement part has to match yours exactly. The most common in Miami Beach homes and condos are the Sentinel series (aluminum, often seen in older condo buildings from the 1990s and early 2000s), the Estate series (heavier aluminum frames, common in custom single-family homes), and the Targa line (vinyl, often used in mid-rise residential). Each series has its own frame profile depth and glass pack, and parts don’t cross between them.

The fastest way to identify what you have: look for the CGI label etched on the corner of the glass or stamped on the frame. It lists the series name, the manufacturing date, and the Miami-Dade NOA number. If the label has worn off, which happens often on west-facing windows after years of salt air, measure the visible glass width and the total frame depth. A Sentinel frame is noticeably slimmer than an Estate frame. We verify every replacement against Miami-Dade product control approvals before we order anything, because a mismatched sash won’t seal right and your impact rating goes out the window, literally.

One compatibility note that saves people money: for Sentinel and Estate series windows where the frame itself is still square and undamaged, you often don’t need a full-frame replacement. CGI replacement sashes slide into the existing frame and restore the original impact rating. That’s a $450 to $900 job instead of a $1,400 to $2,400 full-frame job, and we’ll always tell you which one you actually need. We’re an independent CGI installer, not affiliated with the manufacturer, so our only incentive is putting the right part in your opening.

Signs Your CGI Window Replacement Is Failing

• Condensation trapped between the panes. The sealed air space between the two impact-rated lites has lost its argon or krypton fill and the desiccant inside the spacer is saturated. In Miami Beach humidity, once this starts it never reverses, and the glass unit needs replacing.
• Visible cracks in the glass or frame weld. Impact glass can take a beating, but once a crack radiates more than a few inches, the structural integrity of the laminated interlayer is compromised. On aluminum frames, hairline cracks at the corner welds are the first sign the window has been racked by building settlement or storm-pressure cycling.
• The sash won’t close square or the lock won’t engage. Salt air corrodes the internal balance hardware over time, especially in buildings within three blocks of the ocean. A window that needs to be lifted, shimmied, or forced to lock is a window that’s no longer sealed against wind-driven rain.
• You can hear street noise through the glass. CGI impact units have a specific sound transmission rating, and when the laminated interlayer begins to delaminate, high-frequency sounds like sirens on Alton Road or the causeway start bleeding through. This delamination is invisible but progressive.
• Water staining on the interior drywall or sill. This usually isn’t the glass at all, it’s the sealant between the frame and the rough opening. On Miami Beach, where wind-driven rain comes sideways, a failed perimeter seal is a slow leak that gets worse every hurricane season.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

In Miami Beach, a single CGI window replacement typically runs between $900 and $2,400 installed. The range depends on four things: whether you need a sash-only replacement or a full frame-out, the glass package (clear impact glass is standard, but Low-E coatings, tinted glass, or obscure glass for bathrooms add cost), the size of the unit, and the access conditions. A third-floor window with limited ladder access on a condo building costs more to install than a first-floor window in a single-family home in Sunset Harbour.

Every quote from us is a written, line-item price. It includes the replacement sash or full frame, the matching CGI-compatible glass package, new sealing and weatherstripping, removal and haul-away of the old unit, and a final water test. We don’t pad invoices with “miscellaneous” charges and we don’t change the price once the work starts. If your quote says $1,175, that’s what you pay. Our 36500-Day Done Right Promise covers every replacement, which means if the install isn’t right, we come back and make it right, whether that’s in 30 days or 30 years.

DIY or Call Us?

There are a few things you can safely check yourself. Look at the CGI label to confirm your series name. Take a measurement of the visible glass width and height. Snap a few photos of the window from inside and outside, showing the frame condition and any fogging or cracking. That’s genuinely helpful and it speeds up the estimate call.

What you should not do is attempt to remove or install a CGI impact window yourself. These units are heavy, a single replacement sash can weigh 80 pounds or more, and the glass is under tension from the lamination process. Drop it on a tile floor or a balcony railing and you’re dealing with a serious injury risk and a broken unit you already paid for. Removing a sash or frame without knowing how the anchors are set compromises the impact rating, and doing that on a replacement window in a Miami Beach condo can violate the building’s code requirements and your insurance policy. Call us at (863) 656-0462 and we’ll handle it correctly, the first time.

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