CGI Window Replacement Nationwide

CGI Window Replacement: The Houston Owner’s Guide

We stock and install CGI-compatible replacement windows throughout Houston, with most single-window replacements running $900 – $1,800 installed depending on size, series, and glass package. If you’ve got a CGI window that’s clouded over, dragging in its frame, or letting water past the seal, we can usually get the replacement measured, ordered, and scheduled within a week. The most common call we get starts the same way: someone notices condensation between the panes that won’t wipe off, or a window that used to slide smooth now takes two hands and a knee to budge. That’s the seal or the balance failing, and it only gets worse in Houston’s heat and humidity.

Call (325) 326-4211

We’re an independent service provider, not a CGI dealer or affiliate. That matters because we’re not here to push you into a full-house replacement if one window is the problem. Owen Satterfield has been measuring, ordering, and installing windows for close to two decades, and the first question he asks on a CGI call is which series and size you’ve got, because that determines whether we match it exactly or need to talk about a smarter option.

Which CGI Models This Applies To

CGI’s product line splits into two worlds. The Sentinel series and the Estate series are the aluminum impact windows most Houston homeowners have, especially in areas built after Hurricane Ike codes went into effect. The Casement and Single-Hung models within those series are what we replace most often, followed by fixed picture windows. If your home has CGI’s SST or commercial-grade lines, those are a different animal entirely and worth a conversation before anyone orders anything.

The fastest way to identify your window: look for the CGI sticker on the top or side of the frame when the sash is open. It will list the series name and the glass make-up, which looks something like 7/16″ laminated, Low-E 366, argon-filled. If the sticker is gone, measure the visible glass width and height, then add about 1-1/2 inches each way for the frame. That number gets us close enough to quote accurately over the phone.

On the OEM versus aftermarket question: CGI’s own replacement sashes and frames are still manufactured and available through their distribution network, and for impact-rated openings, staying OEM matters because the product was tested and approved as a system. For non-impact interior windows where the original seal has failed, a quality aftermarket insulated glass unit from a Houston glass fabricator can save 30 – 40% and carry the same warranty. We’ll tell you which route makes sense for your specific window, not just the one that’s easier for us to order.

Signs Your CGI Window Replacement Is Failing

• Condensation or haze between the panes. The edge seal on the insulated glass unit has let humid Houston air inside. The desiccant strip inside the spacer is saturated, and no amount of cleaning fixes it. You need new glass, not a new window frame unless the frame is also damaged.
• The sash drags or sticks when you open it. The block-and-tackle balance inside the frame has worn out or the shoe has broken. CGI balances are sized specifically per sash weight, so a universal replacement from the hardware store usually fails within a year.
• You can hear street noise more than you used to. A failed seal doesn’t just fog up, it also loses sound deadening. If the window rattles in wind or lets in road noise from a street that used to be quiet, the weatherstripping or the glass unit itself has degraded.
• Water stains on the interior sill or drywall under the window. This usually means the frame’s weep holes are clogged or the exterior sealant has failed at the flange. Houston’s afternoon downpours will find that gap fast, and the damage moves from cosmetic to structural quicker than most people expect.
• Visible cracks in the laminated glass. Even hairline cracks in impact-rated glass compromise the window’s rating. A cracked CGI window may still be in one piece, but it won’t perform in a storm the way it was designed to, and it will keep spreading.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

For the Houston market, here’s what we quote most often:

• Single-hung window, standard size (36″ x 60″): $950 – $1,400 installed
• Casement window, standard size (36″ x 60″): $1,100 – $1,600 installed
• Fixed picture window, large format (72″ x 48″): $1,200 – $1,800 installed
• Glass-only replacement (frame is solid, just failed seal): $350 – $650 installed per unit
• Full-frame replacement due to rot or settling damage: $1,800 – $2,600 installed

Every one of those numbers is a written price before any work begins. No revised invoice at the door, no “we found something once we opened the wall.” The quote includes the window, the labor, the haul-away of the old unit, and sealant that’s rated for Houston’s UV and humidity. You’ll get the Kingswell Guarantee in writing: a committed arrival window, a clean job site, and a written guarantee on the completed work. If the replacement fails within the guarantee period, we come back and correct it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s handed to you before we pick up a tool.

DIY or Call Us?

You can safely check a few things yourself: whether the weep holes at the bottom of the frame are clear, whether the screws holding the sash to the balance shoe are tight, and whether the weatherstripping is still springy or has gone flat. Those checks cost you nothing and sometimes solve a sticking window without a replacement.

Here’s where DIY goes wrong: swapping an impact-rated window yourself voids the product’s wind-load rating, and in Houston, your insurance carrier will use that as a reason to deny a storm claim. The laminated glass is heavy, the frame needs to be shimmed and sealed properly, and a window that’s out of square by a quarter inch will rack, leak, and fail within a season. If the window is original to the home and Houston building codes have changed since, a permit and inspection may be required, and we handle that as part of the job. Call (325) 326-4211 and we’ll tell you over the phone whether this is a fifteen-minute fix or a full replacement. Either way, the estimate is free.

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