Replacing Aluminum Windows in South Florida

Impact Rating and the High Velocity Hurricane Zone

Broward and Miami-Dade sit inside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, the strictest wind and debris standard in the state. It was created by the 1994 South Florida Building Code in the rewrite that followed Hurricane Andrew, and the statewide Florida Building Code carried those requirements forward. Aluminum windows installed before that rewrite were never tested against it, which is the real reason so much of this housing stock is being changed out now. A product sold for an opening in this zone has to carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance or a Florida Product Approval, the document recording that the exact unit and the exact installation method passed the required testing. That is what a plans examiner and an inspector look for.

The change you actually feel day to day is laminated glass. Two panes bonded to a tough interlayer hold together when something strikes them, so the opening stays sealed instead of letting wind pressure into the house, which is what drives the structural damage that follows a breach. It also ends the shutter routine. An older aluminum window can still be a legally protected opening when it is covered by approved shutters or panels, and plenty of houses in Hollywood and Pembroke Pines are set up exactly that way. Impact units mean nobody is carrying panels out of the garage and hunting for the right hardware with a storm two days out.

Removal and Finish Work on Masonry Openings

Most South Florida houses are concrete block, and the original aluminum windows were set straight into the block opening with a stucco return wrapped over the frame. That is why replacing aluminum windows here is normally a full-frame removal rather than an insert that nests inside what is already there. The old frame comes out along with the fins or anchors holding it, the opening is cleaned back to sound substrate, and any stucco that has to be cut is patched and finished afterward. Hollow block openings sometimes need anchor locations prepared differently than a solid pour, and that gets checked at the opening rather than assumed from the plans.

The new unit is then set, shimmed square, and anchored to the structure using the fastener type, spacing and embedment named in that specific product's approved installation instructions. Those details are not interchangeable between products, and ignoring them is a common reason an impact window fails inspection or leaks a few seasons later. Perimeter sealant and flashing follow, then the interior finish at the sill and jambs. Work proceeds an opening at a time rather than stripping the whole house at once, and the old aluminum and glass leave with us instead of sitting beside the driveway waiting for a pickup.

Related Impact Window and Door Options

Windows are rarely the only opening of that age. If the aluminum windows are original, the sliding patio door and the entry door usually are too, and carrying them on one permit means one inspection cycle and one mobilization instead of two separate projects. We can quote the whole envelope at once or stage it by elevation if you would rather spread the work out over time. Impact-rated doors follow the same product approval and anchoring rules the windows do, so the paperwork and the inspection stay in one place.

Related impact window and door products we install across Broward and Miami-Dade:

• Hurricane Impact Windows
• Energy-Efficient Impact Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors
• Impact-Resistant Exterior Doors
• Double Entry Doors

Permitting, Product Approval, and HOA Review

Every window we replace is handled as a permitted job. We pull the permit with your city or county building department, submit the product approval or Notice of Acceptance for the exact units going in, and schedule the inspection at the end. You do not chase any of it. What makes that worth more than compliance is the record it leaves behind. When you sell the house, or when your insurer asks what is protecting your openings, a permit that was pulled and properly closed is the evidence. Unpermitted window work is one of the things that surfaces during a sale and holds up a closing while it gets sorted out.

Condo and association properties add a layer, and that is routine work in South Florida. Boards generally want the product data along with the frame and glass colors submitted before anything starts, and many buildings restrict the exterior appearance so the elevation stays uniform across units. We prepare that documentation as part of the project rather than leaving it with you. As an authorized PGT dealer, including the former CGI lines, and a certified general and glazing contractor, we are submitting product and installation records that building departments and boards here already recognize. We also carry ECO Window Systems, ES Windows and ESR Impact System.