Custom Windows & Doors in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Custom windows and doors are built to exact dimensions, performance specs, and design details that stock products simply can’t match – whether you’re working with a non-standard opening, a high-end architectural style, or South Florida’s strict impact-resistance requirements. At Groundwork Construction Co. of South Florida, we source custom units from manufacturers including Andersen, Pella, Marvin, and PGT, then handle the full installation so nothing falls through the gap between product and contractor. Call us at (844) 665-0162 to talk through your project – estimates are free.
Our Windows & Doors in South Florida work spans the full range from straightforward replacements to fully custom configurations, and this page focuses on what’s involved when the project calls for something beyond a box-store unit.
When You Need Custom Windows & Doors
Not every window or door project is a straight swap. Here are the situations where custom is the right call:
- Non-standard rough openings. Older Fort Lauderdale homes – particularly the mid-century concrete block construction common in neighborhoods like Croissant Park and Edgewood – often have opening dimensions that don’t align with any manufacturer’s standard sizing. Custom units eliminate the filler, shimming, and visual compromise that come with forcing a stock product to fit.
- Impact and hurricane code compliance. Broward County’s building code requires wind-borne debris protection for new or replacement glazing. Some architectural situations – curved walls, oversized openings, corner glass configurations – need custom impact-rated units rather than standard off-the-shelf impact windows, which top out at certain width and height limits.
- Historic or high-design interiors. Fort Lauderdale’s Victoria Park and Rio Vista neighborhoods are full of homes where the windows and doors are part of the architectural character. Replacing a steel-casement original or a multi-light French door with a stock unit changes the room. Custom orders let you replicate profiles, glass patterns, and hardware families.
- Oversized or specialty openings. Floor-to-ceiling sliders, wide folding glass wall systems opening a living room to a pool deck, pivot entry doors wider than 42 inches – these all require custom fabrication and, critically, custom installation planning around structural headers and sill conditions.
- Multi-unit matching across a renovation. When you’re replacing every window in a home and want consistent sightlines, matching trim depths, and a unified grid pattern, that coordination is almost impossible with stock units sourced from multiple production runs. A single custom order from one manufacturer run solves it.
- ADU and addition builds. If you’re expanding your footprint – whether through a traditional addition or a prefab option – the new structure’s openings are designed from scratch. Custom windows and doors let the fenestration match both the new structure and the existing home without compromise.
Our Custom Windows & Doors Process
Custom work moves differently than a standard replacement. Here’s how we run it at Groundwork Construction Co. of South Florida:
- Site assessment and exact field measurement. We don’t rely on homeowner measurements or builder drawings alone. One of our project leads visits the site and takes field measurements of every opening, noting rough opening size, wall thickness, interior and exterior trim conditions, and any structural considerations – particularly important in Fort Lauderdale’s mix of CBS block and wood-frame construction, where wall depths vary significantly.
- Specification and brand selection. Based on your project goals, performance requirements, and budget, we work through manufacturer options together. For impact-rated custom work, PGT and CGI are Florida-specific manufacturers with deep expertise in large-format impact glazing. For architectural-grade custom units, Marvin and Andersen both have custom programs that allow non-standard sizes, profile selections, and finish choices. You choose the brand and product line; we spec it correctly.
- Permit and code review. Custom window and door work in Fort Lauderdale requires a Broward County building permit in most cases. We prepare and submit the permit package, including product approvals (NOAs – Notice of Acceptance documents) required for impact products in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. This step adds time – typically a few weeks for permit approval – but skipping it creates real problems at resale and inspection.
- Factory order and lead-time management. Custom units aren’t warehoused. Lead times from manufacturers like Marvin or Pella’s custom programs typically run eight to fourteen weeks depending on the product, volume, and current production schedules. We order early and track production status so we’re not holding up your project timeline.
- Structural prep and installation. Before any unit goes in, we verify or correct the rough opening – adjusting framing, repairing sill conditions, or modifying headers as needed. Installation follows manufacturer specs and Broward County code requirements, including proper flashing, sealant application, and anchorage for impact-rated units. This is not a step to rush.
- Inspection, finish work, and close-out. After installation, we schedule the county inspection, address any corrections, and complete interior and exterior trim work so the installation looks finished, not just functional. Final walkthrough with you before we consider the project closed.
Custom Windows & Doors Pricing in Fort Lauderdale
Custom windows and doors in Fort Lauderdale cost more than stock replacements – that’s the honest answer up front, though many homeowners ask Do New Windows Save Energy? (South Florida, FL) when weighing the investment. The variables that drive cost most significantly are unit size, impact rating, manufacturer tier, and the complexity of the installation itself.
| Product Type | Typical Installed Range (per unit) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Custom impact casement or double-hung window | $900 – $2,400 | Varies by size and manufacturer; Simonton and Jeld-Wen sit toward the lower end, Marvin and Andersen toward the upper |
| Custom impact slider (6′ – 10′ wide) | $2,200 – $5,500 | Header work and rough opening modification often required |
| Custom folding or multi-panel glass wall system | $8,000 – $22,000+ | Structural engineering may be required for large spans |
| Custom impact entry door (single) | $2,500 – $6,500 | Hardware, sidelites, and transoms add to base cost |
| Custom pivot or oversized entry door | $5,500 – $15,000+ | Structural header modifications typically required |
| Custom impact French or multi-light doors | $3,500 – $8,500 | Profile replication for historic homes adds fabrication time |
These ranges reflect Fort Lauderdale market conditions, including Broward County permit fees and the premium that impact-rated product carries in the South Florida market. Permit fees for window and door work in Broward County typically run $150 to $450 depending on project scope, and that cost is separate from the Door Installation Cost in South Florida, FL or window installation.
What moves the number up: large unit dimensions, complex rough opening modifications, high-tier manufacturers, historic profile replication, and multi-unit projects where every unit is a separate custom order. What keeps cost reasonable: clear project scope from the start, selecting a manufacturer whose custom program fits your actual needs rather than over-speccing, and bundling multiple openings into a single project to share mobilization costs.
We provide written, itemized estimates before any work starts. Call (844) 665-0162 to schedule your free on-site measurement and estimate.
What to Know About Impact Requirements in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale sits within Broward County’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), which carries some of the most stringent fenestration requirements in the country. Any new or replacement window or door product installed here must carry a current Florida Product Approval (NOA) demonstrating it meets HVHZ standards – and not every custom manufacturer’s product qualifies.
This matters specifically for custom work because some architectural configurations – unusually wide single-lite windows, atypical aspect ratios, custom glass thicknesses – fall outside the tested configurations listed on a manufacturer’s NOA. When that happens, the product either needs to be re-engineered to fit within an approved configuration, or an engineer’s letter of approval is required. We identify these situations during specification, before anything is ordered, so there are no surprises at inspection.
PGT and CGI are both Florida-headquartered manufacturers whose product lines are designed specifically for HVHZ applications, including many custom and large-format configurations. For projects where the design intent requires a manufacturer like Marvin or Andersen, their impact-rated product lines also carry Florida approval – but the custom configurations available within those approvals are more limited, and we’ll tell you that clearly upfront.
Why Fort Lauderdale Homeowners Work with Groundwork Construction Co. of South Florida
The custom window and door category is one where the gap between a good contractor and a mediocre one shows up clearly – in the quality of the field measurement, in the permit package, in the installation detail around flashing and anchorage, and in whether the finished product actually performs the way the spec sheet says it should.
Groundwork Construction Co. of South Florida is a full-scope residential construction partner, not a trade-specific subcontractor. That means when your custom window project is part of a larger renovation – a kitchen that opens to the backyard, a primary suite addition, an ADU build on the same property – we handle it all under one project and one point of accountability. You’re not coordinating between a window contractor, a general contractor, and a structural engineer who’ve never worked together.
Our brand relationships span the full window and door market: Andersen, Pella, Marvin, Milgard, Jeld-Wen, Simonton, PGT, and CGI. That breadth means we can match the right manufacturer to your specific project – not push you toward whatever one vendor we happen to have a deal with. Built to spec, not to convenience.
And because we’re also the contractor for roofing, hardscaping, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, fencing, and home additions, homeowners in Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods like Tarpon River, Colee Hammock, and Lauderdale Manors often find it makes sense to consolidate multiple projects through one relationship rather than source each trade separately. From driveway to roofline, that’s what we’re built for.
If you want to understand the broader scope of what we do across the region, our home page outlines the full range of services and how they connect.
Key Takeaways
- Custom windows and doors are the right choice when openings are non-standard, when architectural design requires specific profiles, or when impact-code configurations exceed what stock products can meet.
- Broward County’s HVHZ requirements apply to all new and replacement fenestration in Fort Lauderdale – product approvals (NOAs) are required, and not all custom configurations qualify automatically.
- Installed costs in Fort Lauderdale typically range from $900 per unit for custom impact windows up to $22,000 or more for large folding glass wall systems.
- Lead times for custom-order units from most manufacturers run eight to fourteen weeks – project planning should account for this, especially when the windows are part of a larger renovation timeline.
- Groundwork Construction Co. of South Florida works with Andersen, Pella, Marvin, PGT, CGI, and others – giving you real brand choice matched to your project requirements and budget.
- One contractor, every phase: if custom windows and doors are part of a larger project, we handle the full scope without hand-offs.
FAQs – Custom Windows & Doors in Fort Lauderdale
How long does a custom window order take in Fort Lauderdale?
Most custom window and door orders from manufacturers like Marvin, Andersen, or Pella take eight to fourteen weeks from confirmed order to delivery, and that’s before accounting for permit approval time from Broward County, which typically adds two to four weeks. Plan your total project timeline accordingly – a custom fenestration project in Fort Lauderdale is rarely a six-week job from first call to final inspection. Call (844) 665-0162 early in your planning process so we can build a realistic schedule around your renovation timeline.
Do all custom windows need to be impact-rated in Fort Lauderdale?
Yes. Fort Lauderdale is inside Broward County’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which means any new or replacement window or door installation must meet HVHZ impact and pressure standards and carry a current Florida Product Approval (NOA). There are no exceptions for interior windows or single-story homes. Any contractor who tells you otherwise is either misinformed or cutting corners – either way, the liability lands on you at resale or during a post-storm insurance claim, which is why many homeowners research Do Impact Windows Lower Insurance? (South Florida, FL) before deciding. Call us at (844) 665-0162 and we’ll walk you through the code requirements specific to your property.
Can you match existing window profiles in an older Fort Lauderdale home?
In most cases, yes. Manufacturers like Marvin have custom programs specifically designed to replicate historic profiles – including steel-casement looks, multi-light grille patterns, and narrow-frame configurations common in older Fort Lauderdale architecture. We’ll bring samples and specification sheets to the site visit so you can compare profile depth and sightline width against your existing units before anything is ordered. The match won’t be pixel-perfect in every case, but it will be substantially closer than any stock unit.
Is a permit required for custom window and door installation in Fort Lauderdale?
Yes, a Broward County building permit is required for window and door replacements and new installations in Fort Lauderdale, including custom units. The permit package must include the product’s Florida Product Approval documentation. Groundwork Construction Co. of South Florida prepares and submits the permit package as part of our process – you won’t need to navigate Broward County’s permit portal yourself. Permit fees typically run $150 to $450 depending on project scope. Call (844) 665-0162 for a free estimate that includes permit cost in the project total.
Written by the team at Groundwork Construction Co. of South Florida, serving Fort Lauderdale.