Get Answers to Your Questions About Hurricane Windows and Doors in Miami, FL and Surrounding Areas with Our FAQs

CGI®’s impact resistant windows and doors offer many benefits beyond storm protection. Read our CGI® Impact Protection for more details.

We have been at the forefront of protection for decades. To better meet the needs of homeowners, we offer multiple impact resistant window and door lines. Sentinel is our main collection, servicing new construction and remodeling projects. Sparta is our value-custom line that makes impact protection easier than ever. Lastly, Scout is our only non-impact line, providing strength and pleasing aesthetics for your project. Beyond our collections, we are committed to building strong products. We are passionate about our partnerships with our exclusive dealers / builders and our privilege to protect those who rely on our products.

In addition to exceptionally built windows and doors, we offer the following:

• CGI® impact windows and doors are regularly tested, certified, approved, and rated by the industry’s most recognized associations, including:
• Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance
• Florida Product Approval
• International Building Code
• National Fenestration Rating Council® (NFRC)
• Sound Transmission Class (STC)
• Outdoor-Indoor Transmission Class (OITC)
• Our impact resistant products can be installed on virtually any building, including high-rise buildings.
• CGI® offers 10’ tall impact resistant Sliding Glass Doors in our Sentinel line.
• We hold patents for components we use in our impact resistant products. For example, our three-point lock for our Sentinel French Door provides more security.
• We proudly stand behind our products with a comprehensive warranty that includes up to a $1,000 reimbursement on a property owner’s insurance deductible if an intruder enters the property through the locked pane of impact resistant glass.* Download our warranty for the full details.

This is an important investment, so take the time to review all your options. We have some great tips on our Get Started page for you. Here are some additional items to consider.

1. Take time to see the actual products for yourself. Visit one or more dealers’ showrooms and ask to see examples of different products.
2. Evaluate the strength of the impact window or door based upon its design load (Pounds per Square Foot or PSF). The design load is the product’s ability to resist forces like hurricane winds. Not all impact windows are created equal—they are approved at different levels of performance. The higher the PSF, the stronger the product. Compare the PSF rating to understand how products differ in strength. As an example, CGI®’s 360 Single Hung hurricane window is approved as high as 210 PSF (equates to 290 MPH winds).
3. Consider the product’s original intent when it was designed. Are you buying a product that was designed specifically to sustain the heavy impact of hurricane winds, or are you looking at a product that has been modified to meet only a marginal impact requirement? CGI® specializes in impact resistant products. That means that 100 percent of our research and development is devoted to protection.

Code approvals are not created equally. In fact, these approvals can be granted for many different product types, product properties, and product uses. When evaluating code approvals, make sure the products are specifically approved for impact by a reputable governing agency such as Miami-Dade County, and verify the approved performance levels (PSF). An authorized CGI® dealer can give you more information.

Contact your insurance company for the latest policies. Many homeowners have received reductions in their premiums do to the increased protection impact resistant products offer.

Yes. Our Scout collection features strength, quality, and style for your space. It is our first ever line of aluminum non-impact windows and doors. Browse Scout now.

We sell exclusively through our authorized dealers who can help you find your ideal products and provide you with a free quote. Find one in your area now by visiting ourWhere to Buy page.

No. An impact window / door consists of a strong frame, impact glass, a secure method of attaching the glass to the frame, and a proven process of attaching the frame to the structure. While the glass may be able to resist the impact, your current window frame will not be able to hold the glass properly in place.

Films that are applied to the existing glass are not approved as impact resistant products. They may be approved and hold valid Miami Dade County Notice of Acceptance (Product Approval) as a plastic component. This simply means that the film material is flame retardant. Window films serve the same level of impact protection as installing impact glass into a non-impact window, except that the film may scratch. While the film may hold the glass shards together, the glass with the film will fall out of the window frame. Sometimes film dealers offer to overlap the film on to the window frame and claim that this resolves this problem. This window treatment is not approved for impact resistance by Miami-Dade County. Reflective window films may do well at reflecting the sun and making your home more comfortable. This is the same benefit that can be achieved with a Low-E coated glass product.

When you are evaluating hurricane protection options such as impact windows versus shutters, there are several factors you should consider:

1. Do you live in the home year-round? If not, who will put up the shutters when you are not there? Leaving the shutters up while you are gone invites potential burglars.
2. Are you physically capable of installing the shutters by yourself? Are you likely to put the shutters up if a storm comes?
3. Do you like the look of roll-down or accordion shutters mounted to the exterior of your house?
4. Is energy efficiency important to you? Shutter systems do not provide you with energy savings like impact resistant windows and doors.
5. How important is home security to you? Unlike shutters, impact resistant windows and doors provide 24/7 protection against potential intruders.
6. With impact windows and doors, you will enjoy a significant reduction in outside noise, and 99% of ultraviolet rays will be eliminated.
7. What about safety? Oftentimes shutters remain installed after a hurricane, blocking egress in the event of a fire. Also, during a hurricane, closed shutters block outside light and visibility.
8. Consider what happens if a shutter fails. If glass behind the shutter breaks, the house “envelope” is breached, possibly resulting in a catastrophic building failure.

Read even more benefits by visiting our Impact Protection section.

• Aluminum window and door frames are among the strongest designs available. Wood degrades in hot climates due to the high humidity and sun.
• Aluminum is a recyclable green product.
• Aluminum windows and doors provide years of protection, proven by years of installations in hurricane-prone areas.
• Aluminum windows and doors are factory finished and require minimal maintenance.