Free in-home measure and quote - PGT, CGI and CWS impact lines compared on your actual openings, style by style
Before
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Before
AfterFrench & Double Doors in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Door Installation for French and double doors in Fort Lauderdale typically runs $1,800 to $6,500 installed, depending on size, glass package, and whether impact-rated glazing is required – and in Broward County, impact-rated is almost always the right call. Most installations are completed in a single day, and every job we do is backed by the 36500-Day Done Right Promise.
At Winslow Windows & Doors, we’ve been installing French and double doors across Fort Lauderdale since 2011. Ed Winslow started this company as a locally owned alternative to the big-box crews who show up in an unmarked van and hand you a warranty that’s worth nothing three years later. When you call us at (904) 913-5886, a real person answers – not a voicemail, not a call center – and we’ll get Ed’s team to your door on a schedule that works for you.
If you’re exploring the full scope of what we do, our Door Installation in Fort Lauderdale page covers every door type we handle – from sliding glass to entry and impact-rated systems. French and double doors are one of our most requested specialties, and for good reason: done right, they transform the front entry or back patio of a Fort Lauderdale home into something genuinely impressive while meeting the Florida Building Code requirements that protect your home when the next hurricane rolls through.
When You Need French & Double Doors
Not every situation calls for a brand-new set of French or double doors, but these are the scenarios where Fort Lauderdale homeowners typically reach out to us:
- Storm damage or failed seals after a major weather event. South Florida’s hurricane season puts enormous pressure on door frames and glass. If your existing double doors are leaking air or water at the frame, flexing noticeably under wind load, or showing delamination on the glass, that’s not cosmetic – it’s a failure waiting to happen. Fort Lauderdale sits in a High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), and doors that don’t meet current Miami-Dade NOA standards should be replaced before the next named storm, not after.
- You’re building a new outdoor living space or pool enclosure. Neighborhoods like Harbor Beach and Rio Vista have seen a surge in lanai expansions and covered outdoor kitchens over the past few years. French doors are the natural transition point between interior living space and that outdoor area – they let light in, they open wide, and they look far better than a standard slider when you’re investing serious money in the rest of the project.
- Your current doors are single-pane and you’re getting hammered on your energy bill. Single-pane or older insulated glass in Fort Lauderdale’s climate is essentially a hole in your building envelope. Replacing with a properly sealed, Low-E double-door unit can make a noticeable difference in cooling costs during June through September.
- The hardware or frame is beyond repair. Wood frames in coastal Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods like Colee Hammock and Victoria Park absorb salt air and humidity for years. When the wood starts to sponge, the frame shifts, and eventually the doors won’t latch properly or the gap at the center grows wide enough to let insects in. At that point, repair is a temporary fix at best.
- You’re updating curb appeal before a sale. Fort Lauderdale’s real estate market rewards homes with strong first impressions. A set of French doors on the front entry – properly fitted, freshly caulked, with clean sightlines – signals to a buyer that the home has been maintained. It’s one of the higher-return exterior upgrades you can make before listing.
- Your existing doors aren’t impact-rated and you want your insurance rates to reflect that. Many Fort Lauderdale homeowners on older policies discover they’re paying a wind-mitigation surcharge because their openings aren’t protected. Upgrading to an impact-rated French or double door set can qualify you for credits under Florida’s wind mitigation inspection program – worth asking your insurance agent about before we start.
Our French & Double Doors Process
We don’t show up with a door and start swinging a hammer. The process matters as much as the product, especially in Fort Lauderdale where building codes and HOA requirements add real steps that cut-rate installers skip.
- In-home measurement and assessment. We come to you – no trip charge inside Broward County. Ed’s team measures the rough opening, checks the existing frame condition, and notes any out-of-plumb or out-of-square issues that need to be corrected before the new door goes in. We also look at the threshold condition, the subfloor, and the interior trim situation so there are no surprises once we start pulling the old unit out. You’ll get upfront pricing before we leave – no vague “starting at” estimates that balloon on install day.
- Product selection and permit filing. We walk you through the door options that fit your opening, your budget, and your HOA’s requirements. For most Fort Lauderdale homes, that means impact-rated units meeting Miami-Dade protocols – we install CGI and CWS doors that carry current NOA approvals and can be verified against the Florida Product Approval database. Once you’ve chosen the unit, we pull the required building permit with the City of Fort Lauderdale or Broward County, depending on jurisdiction. This is non-negotiable – unpermitted door work is a real liability at resale, and we won’t skip it.
- Factory order and scheduling. Impact-rated French and double doors are typically custom or semi-custom units ordered to your rough opening dimensions. Lead times vary by product line, but we’ll give you an honest timeline at the point of order – usually two to six weeks depending on the manufacturer and current production schedules. We schedule your install date at the same time so you’re not chasing us for a window.
- Day-of installation. Our background-checked, uniformed installers arrive on time. We remove the existing door unit carefully to avoid damaging the interior trim or flooring, check the rough opening for level and square, make any shimming or framing corrections needed, and set the new unit. Proper flashing and buck sealing around the frame is where a lot of installers cut corners in South Florida – we don’t. Every door we install gets flashed and sealed to current Florida Building Code standards, which matters specifically because Fort Lauderdale sits close to the coast and driving rain comes at the frame from angles you don’t see on a calm day.
- Hardware, trim, and adjustment. We install the door hardware, adjust the hinges and latching mechanism for smooth operation, set the sweep and threshold seal, and fit the interior trim back in place. French doors need to be tuned so both panels meet cleanly at the astragal – a step that takes patience and that we don’t rush. If you’ve ever had a set of French doors that rattled in the wind or wouldn’t latch on the first try, that’s an adjustment problem, not a product problem.
- Final inspection and permit close-out. We coordinate the final building inspection required to close out the permit. The inspector checks the installation against the approved product’s installation instructions and the applicable Florida Building Code sections. Once it passes, you have a documented, code-compliant installation on record – valuable both for your peace of mind and for any future buyer’s due diligence.
French & Double Doors Pricing in Fort Lauderdale
French and double door costs in Fort Lauderdale vary more than most homeowners expect, mostly because of the impact-rating requirement and the wide range of glass and finish options available. Here’s an honest breakdown of what drives the number:
| Configuration | Typical Installed Range |
|---|---|
| Standard double door, no sidelites, non-impact (not recommended for Fort Lauderdale) | $1,800 – $2,800 |
| Impact-rated double door, clear or Low-E glass, standard size | $2,800 – $4,200 |
| Impact-rated French doors with sidelites (one or two panels per side) | $3,800 – $6,000 |
| Full French door system with transom, sidelites, and decorative glass package | $5,200 – $8,500+ |
| Frame repair or replacement only (existing door reused) | $400 – $1,200 |
A few things that move the needle on your specific number:
- Glass package. Standard clear impact glass is the baseline. Low-E coatings add modest cost but pay back in reduced cooling load, which matters in Fort Lauderdale’s nine-month cooling season. Decorative or textured glass in French doors adds more – anywhere from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars depending on the pattern and whether it needs to be impact-laminated.
- Opening condition. If the existing rough opening is out of square, rotted at the sill, or needs the buck rebuilt, that adds labor. We assess this at the free estimate so you know before we start.
- Frame material. Fiberglass frames (like those in the Therma-Tru lineup we carry) hold up better in coastal Fort Lauderdale conditions than wood and cost more than aluminum – but they won’t rot, they don’t corrode, and they don’t expand and contract with the humidity the way wood does in this climate.
- Permit fees. The City of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County charge permit fees based on the value of the work. These are passed through to you at cost – we don’t mark them up.
- Hardware selection. Multi-point locking systems cost more than standard lever hardware but significantly improve both security and the door’s ability to seal against wind-driven rain. Worth considering on exterior-facing double doors.
We offer $40 off any repair over $200, a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans, and a free second opinion if you’ve already received a written estimate from another company. There’s no trip charge for homes inside Broward County. Call (904) 913-5886 for an exact quote – estimates are free and come with no obligation.
Why Fort Lauderdale Homeowners Choose Winslow
Ed Winslow built this company on a simple idea: if his name is on the business, his name is on every job. That’s not a marketing line – it means if something isn’t right six months after installation, Ed’s team comes back and makes it right. That’s the 36500-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s the standard we hold ourselves to on every French and double door installation we do in Fort Lauderdale.
We’ve been installing doors in Fort Lauderdale since 2011, which means we’ve learned where the local pitfalls are. We know that homes in Coral Ridge get punishing east wind off the Intracoastal and need particularly careful frame sealing. We know that HOAs in Lauderdale Isles and Seven Isles have specific approval processes for exterior changes and that skipping those steps creates real problems at resale. We know that Fort Lauderdale’s building department requires permit pull for door replacements and that the inspection isn’t optional.
We carry Storm & Exterior Doors from brands like CGI and CWS that are built specifically for South Florida’s wind load requirements – not repurposed from a northern manufacturer’s product line. When you’re investing in a proper set of French doors for a Fort Lauderdale home, the product needs to be engineered for this climate, not just rated to some generic national standard.
Every one of our installers is background-checked and arrives in uniform. You’ll know who’s coming before the truck pulls up. Calls to (904) 913-5886 are answered by a live person around the clock – not a voicemail, not a call center in another state. If you call at 7 a.m. on a Saturday because your French doors were damaged overnight, someone picks up.
We’re also the locally owned alternative to the national chains that won’t tell you who’s actually showing up to do the work. Ed’s published address and license number are on every document we send you. Full transparency, no shell companies, no subcontractor roulette.
Key Takeaways
- French and double door installation in Fort Lauderdale runs $2,800 to $6,500+ for most impact-rated configurations, installed.
- Fort Lauderdale sits in a High-Velocity Hurricane Zone – impact-rated doors aren’t optional for most openings, and permits are required for replacement work.
- We install CGI and CWS impact-rated units with current Miami-Dade NOA approvals.
- Ed Winslow’s team pulls permits, passes inspections, and backs every job with the 36500-Day Done Right Promise.
- No trip charge inside Broward County. Free estimates. 10% off for seniors and veterans.
- A live person answers at (904) 913-5886 any hour of the day.
FAQs – French & Double Doors in Fort Lauderdale
Do French doors need to be impact-rated in Fort Lauderdale?
Yes – in almost every case. Fort Lauderdale falls within Broward County’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and the Florida Building Code requires that exterior openings in HVHZ be protected either by impact-rated glazing or by an approved shutter system covering non-impact glass. Hurricane-Proof Front & Entry Doors with large glass panels are particularly exposed, and impact laminated glass is almost always the cleaner and more practical solution than hanging shutters every time a storm approaches. The units we install carry Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) approvals and comply with current HVHZ requirements. Call (904) 913-5886 and we’ll confirm what applies to your specific home during the free estimate.
How much do French doors cost in Fort Lauderdale?
Impact-rated French doors in Fort Lauderdale typically cost $2,800 to $6,000 installed for a standard double-door configuration, and $5,200 to $8,500 or more for a full system with sidelites, transom, and decorative glass. The biggest cost drivers are the glass package, whether the existing frame needs work, and what hardware you select. Frame repairs or rough-opening corrections add to the total if needed – we identify those at the free estimate so you know the full number before any work starts. Call (904) 913-5886 for an exact quote on your opening.
How long does French or double door installation take?
Most Replacement Doors are completed in a single day – typically four to six hours for a straightforward French or double door installation on an existing opening. If the rough opening needs framing work, or if we’re expanding an existing opening to accommodate a larger door system, that can extend to a second day. The longer part of the process is usually the lead time between ordering and install, which runs two to six weeks for impact-rated custom units. We schedule your install date at the point of order so there’s no gap between delivery and the job getting done.
Can you install French doors that open outward in Fort Lauderdale?
Yes, and for many Fort Lauderdale homes outswing French doors are actually the better choice. Florida’s building code and Miami-Dade wind-load testing protocols allow for both inswing and outswing configurations, and outswing doors often perform better under positive wind pressure because the door is pushed against the frame rather than away from it. The trade-off is clearance on the exterior – you need enough landing space for the doors to swing fully open without obstruction. We’ll go over both configurations during the estimate and tell you which one makes more sense for your specific opening and how the house is oriented relative to prevailing wind.
Ready to Talk About Your Door?
If you’re thinking about French or double doors for your Fort Lauderdale home – whether it’s a front entry, a back patio opening, or a transition to a new outdoor living space – we’d like to see the project in person. There’s no trip charge inside Broward County, estimates are free, and the quote you get is the number on your invoice. Call Winslow Windows & Doors at (904) 913-5886 any time of day. A real person answers, and Ed’s team will get out to you fast.
We’ve been the local crew Fort Lauderdale homeowners have called since 2011. No national chain overhead, no subcontractor uncertainty, no warranty that disappears when you need it. Just a locally owned business with a real name on the door and a promise that doesn’t expire.
Written by Ed Winslow, Owner at Winslow Windows & Doors, serving Fort Lauderdale since 2011.
Six Reasons Homeowners Choose Winslow 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.