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AfterCGI Window Installation: The Palm Beach Owner’s Guide
CGI window installation in Palm Beach typically runs $185 to $420 per window for labor, plus the cost of the window unit itself, which varies by series and size. We stock CGI-compatible parts on our trucks and complete most single-window replacements in one visit. Most Palm Beach homeowners discover they need this work the hard way: a window that won’t close after a storm, water staining the drywall after a hard rain, or a crack spidering across the glass from a windborne branch. The frame is fine. The glass and the seal are not.
We are an independent service provider and not affiliated with CGI, but we install and service their products every week across Palm Beach. If you have a CGI window that’s failed, we can match it correctly the first time.
Which CGI Models This Applies To
CGI manufactures several window lines, and they are not all interchangeable. The main residential series we work with in Palm Beach are the Estate Collection, the Sovereign line, and the commercial-grade Sentinel series. Each uses slightly different frame depths and glazing beads, which is the first place a sloppy match shows up.
The reliable way to identify your window: open the sash and look at the spacer bar between the glass panes. CGI etches the series name and manufacturing date there, along with the glass rating. The label on the top of the frame will show the size code, which is three numbers: width in inches, height in inches, and frame type. If you can’t find the label, measure the visible glass, not the frame. Frame dimensions vary between series even when the glass size is identical.
OEM versus aftermarket matters more with CGI than with some other brands. CGI windows built after 2015 use a proprietary glazing bead profile that generic aftermarket beads don’t seat into correctly. The glass unit itself is standard laminated impact glass in most sizes, but the bead and gasket are where we insist on matching the original. We also stock glass and parts for Andersen, and Pella lines for homes that have mixed brands.
Signs Your CGI Window Installation Is Failing
- Cloudiness or fog between the panes. The seal has failed and moisture is now inside the insulated glass unit. In Palm Beach humidity, once the seal breaches, the fog becomes permanent. The window still works, but the insulating value is gone and the look gets worse every season.
- Water intrusion at the corners after heavy rain. This is usually the glazing gasket, not the window frame. CGI gaskets dry out and shrink over a decade of salt air and UV exposure. Water finds the gap at the bottom corners first.
- Cracks in the outer lite of laminated glass. Impact glass is two pieces of glass bonded to a plastic interlayer. A crack in the outer lite doesn’t mean the window fails today, but it will. The crack spreads with temperature swings, and Palm Beach gets plenty of those between the air conditioning and the afternoon sun.
- Difficulty operating the sash, especially on the west side of the house. PVC and aluminum expand at different rates. Once the frame heat-soaks on the west elevation, the sash binds. A properly installed CGI window has predictable clearance; a binding sash often means the original install was out of tolerance or the frame has shifted.
- Visible sealant pulling away from the stucco or casing. The window is only as good as the perimeter seal. When exterior sealant hardens and cracks across the top edge, wind-driven rain works its way behind the flange. You won’t always see the leak inside, but the wall cavity is taking on water.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
We give line-item pricing in writing before any work begins. You’ll see the cost of the glass unit or full sash, the glazing gasket and sealant amount, and the labor as separate numbers. No combined figure that hides what you’re actually paying for.
A typical glass-only replacement in a CGI frame runs $340 to $680 installed in Palm Beach, depending on glass size and whether it’s a single hung, casement, or fixed picture window. A full sash replacement, which we recommend if the frame components are also worn, runs $700 to $1,400 for most residential sizes. The price difference is the sash hardware, not markup.
Every job includes haul-away of the failed unit, new sealant, and the registration of both manufacturer warranty layers in writing before our tech leaves the driveway. The Done Right Promise covers the workmanship. If it’s not right, we come back and make it right. No paperwork fight.
DIY or Call Us?
There are a few things you can safely check yourself. Note the etched codes on the spacer bar. Measure the visible glass in both directions. Look at whether the failure is the glass or the frame around it. That information saves time when you call.
What you shouldn’t do is pull the glass out of an impact-rated frame. Impact windows are under pressure from the glazing system, and the laminated glass is heavy. A full-size CGI picture window unit can weigh 80 pounds or more. If it slips out of the beads, it doesn’t just break the tile below, it can hurt someone. The sealant also has to be applied in a continuous bead at the right depth, or the warranty on the new glass is void on day one. This is not a job for a Saturday and a putty knife.
If you’re in Palm Beach and you have a failed CGI window, call us at (850) 801-5596 for an honest read on what it needs. We’ll tell you whether it’s a seal failure, a glazing issue, or a full replacement, and quote it in writing.
FAQs
A correctly installed CGI window in Palm Beach lasts 15 to 25 years on the seal, though the salt air and humidity on the barrier island and along the Intracoastal can shorten that to 10 to 15 years on western exposures. The glass itself doesn’t degrade, but the gaskets and sealant do. Call (850) 801-5596 if you suspect a seal failure; we can inspect it and give you an honest lifespan assessment on your specific elevation and exposure.
Seal failures cannot be repaired; the insulated glass unit has to be replaced. What can be repaired is a loose glazing gasket, a perimeter sealant failure, or a sash alignment issue, which is why we inspect before recommending anything. If the glass is the problem, it’s a new unit; if the frame is the problem, it may be a gasket and sealant fix. Call (850) 801-5596 and we’ll tell you which one you have.
A glass-only swap in an existing CGI frame takes one to two hours from arrival to cleanup. A full sash replacement takes two to four hours. Most jobs are done in a single visit, and we leave the work area cleaner than we found it.
Our trucks carry common glazing gaskets, setting blocks, sealants, and the tools to reset sashes, and we can source CGI-compatible glass units within days through our local supply channels. The glass is ordered to your exact size code, so let us pull the codes before you order anything online. Call (850) 801-5596 and we’ll check your model against what we can have in hand this week.
Call TruePane Windows & Doors for CGI Window Installation in Palm Beach
If you have a CGI window that has failed, you want it matched correctly and installed so it stays sealed through the next ten hurricane seasons. That’s what we do. TruePane Windows & Doors is led by Dale Kessler, a glazier who grew up in El Cid and has spent two decades setting and servicing windows across Palm Beach County. His rule never changed: if the frame is right and the glass is rated, the rest is just following through.
Call us at (850) 801-5596 for a free estimate. A live person answers, day or night. We’ll set an appointment, measure your opening twice, and put the price in writing before any work begins.
Written by Dale Kessler, Owner, TruePane Windows & Doors at TruePane Windows & Doors, serving Palm Beach and nearby areas.
Six Reasons Homeowners Choose TruePane Windows & Doors
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.