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Mr-Glass Home Additions & ADU: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
We install Mr-Glass-compatible home additions and ADU components in Fort Lauderdale, with complete projects typically running between $45,000 and $130,000 depending on square footage, foundation work, and finish level. Most homeowners discover they need help when an existing addition starts showing water intrusion at the roofline or a converted garage develops persistent humidity problems that new paint won’t solve. Trevor Nash can walk you through whether the fix is a component replacement or a broader rebuild. Call (754) 551-2922 and we’ll give you a written number before any work starts.
Key Takeaways:
- Mr-Glass home addition and ADU work in Fort Lauderdale runs $45,000 – $130,000 installed.
- We’re an independent contractor serving Mr-Glass product owners; we are not affiliated with Mr-Glass.
- South Florida humidity and hurricane code requirements drive most part failures and replacement decisions here.
- Every project gets a written price up front and our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Which Mr-Glass Models This Applies To
Mr-Glass products are used across a range of home addition and ADU structures in South Florida, from pre-fabricated enclosure panels for lanais to glass-walled ADU kits and sunroom conversions. The compatibility question is rarely about the glass itself. It’s about the frame profile, the track system, and the anchor hardware that ties the unit to the existing slab or roofline. If you can find the manufacturer’s label on the header or side jamb, you’ll usually see a series code and a glass thickness stamp, typically 5/8" or 1" laminated impact glass on newer units, and that tells us what we’re working with.
In our experience across Fort Lauderdale, the single biggest compatibility gotcha happens when a homeowner has a Mr-Glass unit from before the 2001 Florida Building Code changes and tries to pair it with modern impact-rated panels. Older extruded aluminum channels are shallower than what’s used now, and the new laminated glass won’t seat correctly without a channel conversion. We stock both OEM-style replacement channels and a high-quality aftermarket equivalent from a South Florida millwork supplier that matches the original profile within a few thousandths of an inch. If you’re unsure what you’ve got, send us a photo of the corner joinery and the glass edge. That usually tells us the answer.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Mr-Glass Home Additions & ADU Is Failing
- Condensation between glass panes: The hermetic seal has failed. Once moisture gets between the panes, the insulating value drops and that fog never clears. In Fort Lauderdale’s humidity, this is the most common failure we see, usually 8 – 12 years into the unit’s life.
- Track binding or grinding when you slide a panel: The original rollers were nylon-tired, and Florida heat cycles harden and crack them. A panel that used to glide with two fingers now needs a hip to close it. That’s a roller replacement, and if it’s ignored, the track itself gets gouged.
- Water staining at the base plate or interior drywall seams: Older Mr-Glass installations in Broward County were often set on slabs without a proper capillary break. Water wicks up through the sill channel and into the walls. We fix the drainage plane and replace the affected base channel.
- Visible silicone shrinkage or cracking around perimeter glazing: UV exposure along the Fort Lauderdale coast degrades even marine-grade silicone faster than people expect, usually inside five to seven years. When the seal opens, you get air leaks, water entry, and eventually frame corrosion.
- Header sag above wide openings: On additions that span eight feet or more without adequate steel, the Mr-Glass frame can carry weight it was never designed for. A drop of 1/4" at the center of the opening when measured with a string line tells us the structure above is moving. That’s not a glass problem. That’s a framing condition we have to address first.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
Complete home additions and ADUs in Fort Lauderdale run $45,000 – $130,000 depending on foundation condition, square footage, impact-glass requirements, and whether we’re doing a repair-in-place or a full component replacement. A glass panel replacement on an existing Mr-Glass unit typically lands in the $800 – $2,500 range. A rebuild with new framing and channels can run higher. You’ll get a written line-item price before any work starts, and the number we write down on day one is the number on your invoice. No change orders because we found something we should have seen at the estimate visit.
Every project also carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if anything we installed fails in the first year, we come back and fix it at no charge. No service call fee. No re-inspection fee. That’s the Kingswell Way, and we’ve operated under it since 2004.
DIY or Call Us?
There are a few things a homeowner can check safely: visible silicone condition, clear drains at the bottom track, screws that have backed out on the interior side. Cleaning the tracks is fine. What you should not do is remove a glass panel, replace a roller, or disassemble a frame on a unit still under load. Impact-rated glass panels are heavy, the edges are the weakest point, and a dropped panel doesn’t just break, it takes your ankles with it. We’ve also seen DIY caulking jobs on the exterior that sealed water in rather than out, accelerating frame rot in humid air.
If the panel is fogged, the track is binding, or there’s water coming through the sill, call us at (754) 551-2922. A live person answers the phone 24/7. We’ll come out, put eyes on it, and give you a written number. Tell me what you need, I’ll tell you what it costs – then we’ll get it done.
FAQs
Expect 10 – 15 years from the glass units themselves; the frame hardware and rollers typically need attention around year 8 – 10 due to South Florida heat and salt air. Coastal exposure along Las Olas or the barrier islands shortens that lifespan on the steel and aluminum components. For an exact assessment of your unit, call (754) 551-2922 and we’ll inspect it.
If the failure is a roller, a weather seal, or a base channel, yes – we repair those in place most of the time. If the glass itself is fogged or cracked, the panel gets replaced; laminated impact glass cannot be re-sealed. We’ll only recommend replacement when repair would leave you with the same problem six months later.
Most roller and seal replacements take one day on site. A full panel replacement runs two to three days, most of which is waiting for the custom impact glass from our supplier in Fort Lauderdale. A complete addition or ADU project typically runs weeks, and we’ll give you a defined arrival window and schedule before we start.
We keep common rollers, channels, weather stripping, and hardware for Mr-Glass-compatible units on our trucks. Oversized impact glass panels are fabricated to order by a local Fort Lauderdale glass house we’ve worked with for years. We also work with parts for KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone products, so if your addition includes a kitchenette or bar, we can handle those components as well.
No. Our written price is set before we start. If we find a structural issue hidden in the wall, we show it to you, explain it, and tell you what it costs to fix – but we don’t start any additional work without your signed approval and an updated written number.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale at Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
