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AfterTherma-Tru Impact Windows in Fort Lauderdale: What to Know First
Therma-Tru impact windows in Fort Lauderdale are serviceable by an independent installer, and that is exactly what we do at TruePane Windows & Doors. We measure, quote, and install impact-rated units for Therma-Tru openings, and most full retrofit jobs take one to three days once the window arrives from the manufacturer. Pricing runs from roughly $900 to $2,400 per opening depending on size, frame condition, and glass package, and we put that number in writing before any work begins. If you own a Therma-Tru door or frame and need the glass brought up to wind-load code, call (754) 310-3589 and we will talk through what you actually have.
This page is written for homeowners in Fort Lauderdale who bought a house with Therma-Tru products already in the openings, or who are considering Therma-Tru frames with impact glass and want straight answers before spending a dollar. The short version: Therma-Tru builds a solid frame. Getting impact glass into it right is where the job lives or dies.
How Therma-Tru Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
Therma-Tru makes entry doors, sidelites, and transoms more than it makes standalone windows. That means most Fort Lauderdale homes with Therma-Tru impact concerns have a door-and-sidelite assembly, and the failure points are predictable if you see enough of them. Here is what we find on service calls.
- Sidelite seal separation on Fiber-Classic door units. The Fiber-Classic line uses a fiberglass skin over a wood edge. In Fort Lauderdale humidity and salt air, the bond between the glass cassette and the frame edge can let go, especially on east-facing entries that catch morning sun and afternoon rain. Water wicks in, the glazing tape degrades, and the sash starts to feel soft at the corner. We pull the cassette, clean the kerf, and reset the glass with fresh structural tape and a continuous bead, then reseal the exterior face. Done correctly, the opening sheds water again.
- Bowed stiles on impact-converted doors. We regularly see Therma-Tru doors retrofitted with heavy laminated impact glass that the original hinge system was never sized for. The stile bows outward under the added weight, and the door stops latching cleanly by August. The fix is not a longer hinge screw. It is either a hinge-side reinforcement plate or a switch to a ball-bearing hinge set rated for the glass unit’s actual weight. We flag this on the estimate so the homeowner knows up front.
- Transom condensation between the panes. On Therma-Tru Smooth-Star units with transoms installed in the 2000s, the factory seal along the transom glass fails over time and the space between panes fogs. This is not a cleaning issue; it is a failed insulating glass unit. We order a replacement IGU built to the exact daylight opening, and on impact-rated transoms we spec laminated glass to match what the Florida code requires. No caulk shortcut fixes a dead seal.
- Threshold pan rot at the sill. Therma-Tru entry systems sit on a composite threshold pan that drains to the exterior. In Fort Lauderdale, where July downpours hit sideways, clogged weep holes turn that pan into a bathtub. The wood sub-sill underneath wicks water and softens. A door that dips at the latch corner is usually sitting on rotted sub-framing, not a bad hinge. We pull the unit, replace the sub-sill, re-flash the pan with the correct slope, and clear the weeps before reinstalling. The door sits true again and the pan drains the way Therma-Tru originally designed it to.
- Impact-glass delamination on aftermarket sidelites. Some homes got sidelites added later by a previous owner, and if the glass was not genuine laminated impact-rated product, the inner PVB layer can start to cloud or delaminate after a decade of heat and salt exposure. We see this most often on east-side Fort Lauderdale properties near the Intracoastal. The permanent fix is a proper impact IGU replacement, glazed into the existing Therma-Tru frame if the frame is sound, with full perimeter setting blocks and a drainage plane detailed to code.
Our Therma-Tru Impact Windows Process
Every Therma-Tru job follows the same order, because cutting corners on a door-and-sidelite assembly is how you get a fogged lite and a binding door in two years. Here is how it goes when we take your call.
- 1
Site visit and frame assessment. We measure every opening twice, check the existing header and rough opening for signs of water intrusion or settling, and photograph what is there. We will not quote over the phone without seeing the frame. A Therma-Tru unit in a rotted rough opening is not a window problem; it is a framing problem, and we want to know before we quote.
- 2
Written quote on paper. You get a line-item estimate showing the Therma-Tru opening, the glass package, the labor, the hardware, and the warranty registration we will file. No allowances, no “to be determined” lines. You see what you are buying.
- 3
Glass and parts ordering. We order impact-rated laminated glass units built to the exact daylight opening of your Therma-Tru frame, and we spec units from manufacturers we know produce consistent lamination. For frames that need new hardware, we source components sized for the glass weight, not whatever is on the truck.
- 4
Install and tie-in. We remove the old glass or the existing door unit, prep the opening, and install to the manufacturer’s published spec plus what Fort Lauderdale wind-load calculations require. The frame gets shimmed and squared, the glass set with proper blocks and tape, and the exterior fully sealed. Measure twice, spec it right, and put it in writing – the frame does not forgive shortcuts.
- 5
Warranty registration and handoff. Both manufacturer warranty layers get registered in writing before we leave the driveway, and the durations are stated on the paperwork you keep. We walk you through what was done, what to watch for in the first storm season, and how to reach us if anything moves. Then we clean up, because a job is not finished until the site looks like we were never there, except for the new glass.
What Therma-Tru Impact Windows Costs in Fort Lauderdale
Straight numbers, because you deserve them before we ever set foot on the property. Here is what we see across Fort Lauderdale jobs.
- Single sidelite impact glass replacement: $900 to $1,400 per lite, depending on size and whether the existing frame needs re-glazing work.
- Full door-and-sidelite impact retrofit: $2,200 to $4,800 for the complete opening, including frame rehabilitation, new impact glass, hardware, and sealing.
- Transom impact IGU replacement: $700 to $1,100 per transom, including glass, tape, and reseal.
- Rough opening repair (sub-sill replacement, flashing, tie-in work): $400 to $1,800 depending on how much framing damage we find.
The price moves based on glass size, whether the existing Therma-Tru frame is reusable or needs rebuilding, and how much opening repair is required before the new unit goes in. You will have the full number in writing before we start, and no change order shows up unless we find something structural we could not have seen at the estimate. Call (754) 310-3589 for a free estimate on your specific opening.
Why Fort Lauderdale Homeowners Call TruePane Windows & Doors for Therma-Tru Work
We have been doing this work in Fort Lauderdale long enough that the phone rings from people whose parents we did work for twenty years back. Dale Kessler founded this company because he saw too many out-of-true installs and voided warranties, and that principle is still on the whiteboard in the shop: if the pane is not true, the job is not done. Every Therma-Tru job gets both manufacturer warranty layers registered in writing before our truck leaves the driveway, and every job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise. If it is not done right, we make it right, no paperwork and no arguing.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and they work in your home the way they would work in their own mother’s. A live person answers our phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, not a voicemail tree and not a call center. And while Therma-Tru is the frame you asked about, we are authorized installers for other major lines, including PGT, CGI, CWS, and ES Windows. If a different glass package or a different frame makes more sense for your opening, we will tell you that on paper, with the numbers side by side, so you decide with full information. A square deal, every time, and we stand behind it.
FAQs
No. We operate as an independent Therma-Tru service provider in Fort Lauderdale, which means we are not bound by a single manufacturer’s product line or warranty restrictions. What that gets you is an honest read on whether your Therma-Tru frame is worth keeping, whether the relevant warranty still applies, and what parts will actually hold up. We install to Therma-Tru’s published installation specs and we register warranty layers the same way any authorized provider would, but we will also tell you when a different product is the better call. Call (754) 310-3589 and we will walk you through what applies to your unit.
In most cases, yes. If the frame itself is square, structurally sound, and the rough opening is in good condition, we can glaze impact-rated laminated glass into the existing Therma-Tru unit. The limiting factors are frame depth, available glazing kerf, and the condition of the sill and side jambs. We will measure and tell you definitively on the first visit, with no charge for the assessment.
The original manufacturer warranty on the frame generally remains intact as long as the installation work does not modify or damage the frame beyond what the manufacturer’s install spec allows. We register both manufacturer warranty layers for the new glass in writing and state the durations on your paperwork, and our own 90-Day Done Right Promise covers workmanship with no fine print that covers neither. If a warranty question comes up, which is rare, we handle it with the manufacturer ourselves rather than making you sit on hold.
Most single-opening jobs, like a door and two sidelites, are done in one day once the glass arrives. Full multi-opening retrofits typically run one to three days in our experience across Fort Lauderdale. The lead time before installation depends on the glass package, but we give you a schedule when we quote, and we show up on the day we say we will.
We handle permits and inspections for impact installations where the city or county requires them, and we do not hand you a job that has not passed its final inspection. Fort Lauderdale sits in a high-velocity hurricane zone, and the code requirements for impact protection are not optional. A window that passes inspection is a window you do not think about during the next named storm. Call (754) 310-3589 and we will tell you exactly what your project requires and what the estimate includes.
Written by Dale Kessler, Owner, TruePane Windows & Doors at TruePane Windows & Doors, serving Fort Lauderdale 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.