Impact Window Installation in South Florida

Yes. Impact windows serve as the opening protection on their own, so once they are in, shutters or panels are no longer needed on those openings. Many owners have the old tracks and hardware taken down during the project and the wall patched. If you plan to switch some openings now and others later, the work can be phased.

Both describe the impact test a window passed. Large-missile testing simulates heavy debris such as a piece of lumber striking the glass, and it is generally required for openings near ground level. Small-missile ratings, tested against smaller debris like roof gravel, are acceptable only on openings high enough above grade where the code allows. For houses and low-rise buildings, large-missile products are the norm.

New openings are built to the window's size, so units can be ordered from the drawings, verified on site, and installed once the walls are ready, in step with the builder's schedule. Existing openings are measured in the field after we see how the old frames were set. In both cases, the product approval and the permit dictate how each window is anchored.

The main factors are the number and size of windows, the style of each one, the glass you choose, the frame color, and the design pressure and missile rating required, since heavier systems cost more. Site conditions add to it: upper-floor access, openings that need repair, removing old shutters, and stucco or interior finishing. Ask us to walk you through the proposal and we will explain what each line covers.

We work with manufacturers including ES Windows, ECO Window Systems, MR-Glass Doors & Windows and Aldora, and on commercial glazing we also source from Trulite, Oldcastle, CRL and Viracon. We recommend a product based on the opening, the rating it needs and your budget rather than steering every job to a single line.

The laminated glass in every impact window blocks most ultraviolet light and reduces outside noise, but on its own it does little about heat. The difference comes from the glass package: a Low-E coating reflects much of the sun's heat, and an insulated laminated unit slows heat moving through the glass. For hot, sun-facing rooms, those options are worth comparing.