Sliding glass doors
Replace aging patio or balcony sliders with impact-rated assemblies planned around panel size, track condition, drainage, and access.
Impact doors
Impact doors for patios, entries, balconies, and wide openings
Plan exterior door replacement around the opening, threshold, water exposure, daily use, and the appearance you want inside and outside.
Door types
Protection for the openings you use every day
Doors have to do more than meet an opening-protection goal. They need to operate smoothly, manage weather exposure, and fit the way people move through the home.
Entry doors
Coordinate the slab, frame, glass, hardware, threshold, and surrounding finish as one exterior-opening system.
French doors
Plan paired doors and sidelights around daily operation, locking points, swing clearance, and the existing opening.
Condo openings
Review association requirements, access, building rules, and product documentation before ordering.
Sliding glass doors
Sliders are usually the biggest opening
The patio slider is often the largest piece of glass in a Fort Lauderdale home, and the first thing to fail in a storm. That makes it a good place to start if you are doing the house in phases.
- Two-panel sliders suit most patios. Three and four-panel units open 12 to 16 feet onto a pool deck.
- Older aluminum tracks are often corroded. Replacing the door means a new frame and track, not just new glass.
- Raised sills keep wind-driven rain out. Low sills look cleaner but need the right drainage under them.
- Balcony sliders in condos often need a higher design-pressure rating on upper floors.
Entry and French doors
Front doors that meet code without shutters
An impact entry door combines the slab, frame, glass and locks into one tested unit. Fiberglass slabs are popular because they do not rot, dent or rust in the salt air. Aluminum and steel are options for modern exteriors.
Many doors in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone swing out instead of in. When the wind pushes on an out-swing door, it presses the door tighter against its frame, which is why the style is common on exposed homes near the beach.
French doors open a wide space onto a patio or pool. Ask how the inactive door is locked at the top and bottom, because that is where many older French doors leak.
Condo doors
What your association will ask for
Most Fort Lauderdale condo boards approve door and window changes before the work starts. Expect to submit the product approval, the frame color, the glass tint and proof of insurance. Some buildings also limit work hours and elevator use.
Getting the approval paperwork in early keeps the order on schedule. For prices on sliders, entry doors and French doors, see the impact window and door cost guide.
Before ordering
Measure the whole opening—not only the visible door
Existing frames, stucco, thresholds, adjacent glass, interior trim, and access conditions can change the project. A written scope should identify those details before products are ordered.
Free estimate
Get a price for your doors
Sliders, entry doors or French doors: tell us what you have now. We call back to set a time to measure.