CWS Window Replacement Nationwide | Sightline Windows & Doors Hollywood

CWS Window Replacement: The Hollywood Owner’s Guide

CWS window replacement in Hollywood typically runs $340-$780 per opening installed, depending on series, glazing package, and whether the frame is preserved or replaced. We stock CWS-compatible frames, sashes, and hardware for same-day diagnosis, and we carry the full CWS catalog through our verified distributor line. Most Hollywood owners discover a CWS window is failing when the sash won’t stay up, the lock won’t engage, or they feel Gulf Stream humidity pushing through a seal that used to hold.

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Which CWS Models This Applies To

CWS (Custom Window Systems) manufactures three residential series that dominate South Florida retrofits: the Aria impact vinyl line, the WindPact Plus aluminum series, and the Legacy non-impact vinyl line sold before 2019. The label is stamped on the hinge side of the sash or etched into the spacer bar between panes; if the label is sun-faded, measure the visible glass (daylight opening) and the overall frame depth, which tells us whether you’re working with 2¾-inch or 3¼-inch vinyl wall thickness.

Here’s where owners get tripped up: CWS changed its lock mortise spacing between the 2016 and 2019 Aria production runs. An Aria lock from a 2017 unit will not seat in a 2020 frame without re-machining the keeper slot. We verify this with the serial prefix before ordering, not after the part arrives. For hardware, we stock OEM CWS cam locks and sweep latches; for glass, we source from CWS-certified IG fabricators in Hialeah rather than generic aftermarket, because the argon fill rate and spacer alloy are documented on the spec sheet we hand you. Sightline Windows & Doors Hollywood is an independent service provider, not affiliated with CWS.

Signs Your CWS Window Replacement Is Failing

• Sash drops or won’t stay open. The coil balance system has lost tension, or the pivot bar has cracked at the stress point where it meets the balance shoe. In Hollywood’s salt air, the zinc coating on CWS coil balances degrades faster than inland specs predict; we see this at 8-12 years instead of the 15-year nominal rating.
• Visible moisture between panes. The PIB primary seal has separated from the spacer, breaking the hermetic seal. Once fog appears, the low-E coating is already oxidizing at the edge; defogging injections are temporary, and the IGU (insulated glass unit) needs replacement.
• Lock tongue won’t extend fully, or handle spins freely. The internal cam has worn its zinc housing, or the multipoint rod has jumped its track. On CWS WindPact aluminum units, the rod runs through a narrow channel that corrodes if the weep holes clog with Hollywood’s fine coral dust.
• Draft at the sill or meeting rail. The wool pile weatherstrip has compressed past recovery, or the frame has racked out of square from settlement common in Hollywood’s sandy, high-water-table soils. We check with a feeler gauge; anything over ⅛-inch at the latch side means the sash is no longer seating true.
• Cracked frame corner or separated weld. Vinyl expands 0.00005 inches per degree Fahrenheit; a dark bronze frame on a west-facing Hollywood elevation cycles through 60°F daily swings. CWS miters are heat-welded, but stress cracking propagates from the interior corner weld if the reinforcement chamber wasn’t fully seated at assembly.

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Replacement Cost & What’s Included

The range reflects three variables: whether we preserve the existing CWS frame (saves $140-$200 per opening), whether the replacement requires impact-rated glazing per Hollywood’s HVHZ (High Velocity Hurricane Zone) code, and whether the rough opening needs reframing due to water intrusion we find during survey. Every quote is the measured survey you keep, written before any work starts, with line-item parts and labor. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the installation; the IGU carries the CWS fabricator’s 20-year seal warranty, which we register and document in the photo record you receive.

DIY or Call Us?

An owner can safely check three things: whether the weep holes are blocked (a paperclip, gently), whether the lock keeper screws have backed out, and whether the sash is fully seated in the tilt track. Beyond that, CWS impact sashes weigh 35-50 pounds; a dropped sash can shear fingers at the pivot bar, and the constant-force balance stores enough energy to launch a tool across the room. We do not recommend homeowner removal of the balance cartridge.

Where DIY goes wrong is ordering by visual match. CWS has used four different corner key profiles in the Aria line alone, and the wrong one leaves a 3/16-inch gap that voids the impact rating. We measure the opening, not your optimism. Call (754) 714-7309 to schedule your free estimate; we bring the sample parts to verify fit before anything gets ordered.

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