Signs your windows are due
A lot of houses between McGregor Boulevard and US 41 still carry the windows they were built with: thin single-pane aluminum, often bronze-anodized, with fixed screens and sashes held up by worn balances. They were cheap to make and they lasted, but they leak air, sweat in January and offer nothing when a storm turns inland. These are the problems we hear about most:
- Fog or streaks between the panes. The seal on an insulated unit has failed. It cannot be cleaned and it will not clear.
- Sashes that slam or will not stay open. The balance springs are spent, and on older units the parts are no longer made.
- Daylight around the frame, or water on the sill after a sideways rain. The perimeter caulk has dried out or the frame has moved in the opening.
- Pitted or chalky frames on the windward side. Salt air works on unprotected aluminum, especially within a few miles of the river and the Gulf.
- Panels or plywood stored in the garage. If every storm means hauling them out, the windows are not doing their job.
Impact or non-impact: what the code allows
All of Lee County sits in the Florida Building Code's wind-borne debris region. That means every glazed opening has to be protected, either by impact-rated glass or by approved shutters that go up before a storm. You can legally replace a window with a non-impact unit, but you are then committing to shutters on that opening for as long as you own the house.
That is why nearly every replacement we quote is an impact window. The price gap between a good non-impact window plus a set of shutters and an impact window alone is usually smaller than people expect, and the impact window keeps working when nobody is home to put the shutters up.
What happens on installation day
We work room by room so the house is never open to the weather overnight. On a block home the old frame is cut out, the opening is checked for rot in the wood buck, and the new window is set in a bed of sealant and fastened into the masonry with anchors at the spacing its product approval calls for. That spacing is not a guess; it is printed in the approval document and the inspector checks it.
Inside, we trim the returns and patch the drywall where the new frame is a different depth. Outside, the stucco edge is sealed and touched up. Every scrap of old glass and aluminum leaves with us.
Frame and glass choices
Aluminum or vinyl
Aluminum frames are slimmer and stiffer, which matters on large openings and on homes close to open water where the design pressures run high. Vinyl frames insulate better and cost a little less on standard bedroom sizes. Both come in white; aluminum also comes in bronze and black.
Glass
Every unit we install uses laminated glass: two lites bonded to a plastic interlayer. From there you choose clear, gray or bronze tint, Low-E coatings for west-facing rooms, and obscure glass for bathrooms. Insulated laminated glass adds an air space and costs more, but it is the quietest option for homes near Daniels Parkway or the airport flight path.
What a replacement costs
A standard single-hung impact window installed in Fort Myers usually lands between $1,100 and $1,900, and a whole-house project of 15 to 20 openings commonly runs $24,000 to $48,000. Those figures are estimates for budgeting, not quotes; your price depends on sizes, frame, glass and how many openings you do at once. The Fort Myers impact window cost guide breaks it down by window type.
Questions about window replacement
Can you replace just a few windows now and the rest later?
Yes. Many owners start with the bedrooms or the side facing the Gulf. The catch is insurance: the wind mitigation credit for protected openings generally needs every opening covered, so a partial job may not move your premium until the rest is done.
Do you replace windows in condos?
We do, once the association has approved the product and color. Most condo declarations put windows on the owner but control their look, so we send the association the product approval and a cut sheet before ordering.
Will new windows damage my stucco?
There is some disturbance at the edge of every opening. We cut cleanly, seal the joint and patch the stucco and paint to a close match. Expect fresh paint lines around the frames rather than a full repaint.
How long before the windows arrive?
Impact windows are built to the measured size of each opening. Lead time is currently typically 8 to 14 weeks, and we give you a firm install window once the factory confirms the order.
Last updated October 8, 2026