Free in-home measure and quote - PGT, CGI and CWS impact lines compared on your actual openings, style by style
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AfterFrench & Double Doors in Miami, FL
Door Installation for French and double doors in Miami typically runs between $1,800 and $6,500 installed, depending on door size, glass type, and whether the opening needs structural modification. Most jobs are completed in a single day. If your current doors bind in the summer heat, leak air around the frame, or simply don’t match the home you’ve spent twenty years improving, a properly set pair of French or double doors changes how the whole room feels – and how the whole house performs.
At TruePane Windows & Doors, this is the kind of work Dale Kessler built the company around. We’ve been setting doors true in South Florida homes since 2008, and the standard hasn’t changed: if the pane is not true, the job is not done. That means plumb frames, square reveals, hardware that operates without fighting you in August, and both warranty layers registered in writing before our truck leaves the driveway. If you’d like to talk through your project before committing to anything, a live person answers our phone around the clock – call (561) 956-2754 and you’ll reach someone who can actually help.
French and double doors fall under our broader Door Installation in Miami work, but they deserve their own conversation because the installation details are different from a standard entry door – wider openings, paired sidelites, active and inactive leaves, and in Miami’s climate, the added complexity of impact-rated glazing that has to perform under the Florida Building Code.
When You Need French & Double Doors
- Your current doors bind or drag in summer. Miami’s humidity causes wood frames to swell by late June, and a door that stuck a little in May won’t close at all by August. If you’re lifting the handle and throwing your shoulder into it, the frame is out of true – and that problem compounds every season until the frame fails.
- You’re losing conditioned air around the frame. A Miami household running the AC nine months a year can’t afford a bad perimeter seal. If you feel warm air at the frame edge or see your electric bill climbing without explanation, degraded weatherstripping and an out-of-square frame are common causes.
- The glass fogs between the panes. Failed insulated glass units on double doors are common in homes built through the 1990s in Coral Gables, Pinecrest, and Coconut Grove. Once the seal breaks and moisture gets in, the fogging doesn’t clear – the unit needs replacement, and often the door frame has been holding a failing unit long enough that the hardware needs attention too.
- Your doors are single-pane and not impact-rated. If your French or double doors are older than fifteen years and you’re relying on fabric storm panels to meet Miami-Dade’s wind code, it’s time to move to laminated impact glass in a rated frame. Therma-Tru and PGT both make impact-rated French door systems we install regularly in this market.
- You’re opening up a wall between a room and a patio or pool area. Many Pinecrest and South Miami homeowners converting a solid wall to a set of French doors leading to the backyard need a structural header added – a job that has to be permitted and inspected through Miami-Dade County. We handle the permit coordination, not the homeowner.
- Hardware is failing or mismatched after a previous repair. Multipoint locks, hinges, and astragal bolts on double doors take a lot of repetitive stress. If a prior contractor replaced one piece without checking alignment, the door feels wrong every time you use it. We diagnose the whole system, not just the part that’s obviously broken.
Our French & Double Doors Process
- Phone consultation and site scheduling. When you call (561) 956-2754, you’ll talk to someone who knows the product lines and can ask the right questions before we schedule a visit – door dimensions, current condition, whether the home has impact requirements, and what you’re hoping to accomplish. No callback forms, no regional center, no voicemail tree.
- On-site measurement and opening assessment. One of our background-checked, uniformed technicians measures the rough opening at multiple points – because Miami homes built in the 1950s through 1970s are rarely perfectly square after decades of soil movement and seasonal expansion. We note the framing condition, the header situation, the floor level at the threshold, and any evidence of water intrusion around the existing frame. Every opening gets measured twice before anything is ordered.
- Side-by-side product comparison, on paper. We quote manufacturer lines side by side so you can see exactly what you’re buying: frame material, glass package, impact rating, hardware finish, and warranty duration – all written down, not recited from memory. We work with Therma-Tru, ES Windows, and other lines we’re authorized to install in Miami-Dade, and we’ll tell you plainly which performs better for your specific situation and why.
- Permit coordination where required. New openings and structural modifications require permits in Miami-Dade. We prepare the documentation and coordinate with the county so you don’t have to navigate the building department on your own. Impact product replacements in existing openings sometimes fall under product-approval pathways that don’t require a full permit – we’ll tell you which category your job falls into and why before anything is signed.
- Installation day. Our crew removes the existing doors and frame, preps the rough opening, sets the new frame plumb and level, installs the door panels and hardware, seals the perimeter, and tests every operation point – latch, lock, hinges, astragal, and weatherstripping – before they pack up. Most French and double door installs in existing openings are done in a single visit. If a structural modification is involved, we’ll scope the timeline honestly upfront.
- Warranty registration and walkthrough. Before we leave the driveway, both manufacturer warranty layers are registered in writing – frame and glass – with durations stated. We walk you through the door operation, the lock function, and the care notes specific to your finish and glass package. The 90-Day Done Right Promise covers our workmanship on top of that: if something isn’t right, we come back and fix it. No arguing, no paperwork fight.
French & Double Doors Pricing in Miami
French and double door installation pricing in Miami covers a wider range than most homeowners expect, because the variables are real – not padded. Here’s an honest breakdown of what affects the number on your quote.
| Scope | Typical Installed Range |
|---|---|
| Standard double door replacement (existing opening, fiberglass, non-impact) | $1,800 – $2,800 |
| Impact-rated French doors (existing opening, laminated glass, Miami-Dade approved) | $2,800 – $4,500 |
| French doors with sidelites or transom (existing opening) | $3,500 – $5,500 |
| New opening with structural header (wall cut, framing, permit, doors) | $4,500 – $6,500+ |
| Hardware upgrade only (multipoint lock, hinges, astragal on existing doors) | $280 – $750 |
What pushes a quote higher: impact-rated laminated glass (required in many Miami-Dade zones and strongly advisable everywhere in the county), a larger rough opening that needs structural work, decorative glass options, a premium hardware package, or a frame condition that has rotted or shifted enough to need additional framing labor. What keeps it lower: a clean existing opening in good condition, a standard fiberglass door in a non-impact configuration for an interior application, and a straightforward hardware spec.
We offer upfront pricing with no surprise line items on the bill. If the scope changes during the job for a reason we didn’t anticipate – something concealed in the wall, for instance – we stop and talk to you before we keep going. Seniors and veterans receive a permanent 5% discount on all work, and we take $50 off any repair over $250. Call (561) 956-2754 for a free estimate – we’ll quote the job on paper, line by line, and you’ll know exactly what you’re agreeing to before anything is scheduled.
What Miami’s Climate Does to French & Double Doors
South Florida is not kind to Storm & Exterior Doors. The combination of sustained humidity, salt air in coastal neighborhoods like Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, and Brickell, and the thermal cycling between heavy AC use and the outdoor heat puts specific stress on every component of a French or double door system.
Wood frames absorb moisture and move seasonally. In Coral Gables and older Pinecrest homes with solid wood French doors installed in the 1980s or early 1990s, we regularly find frames that have racked enough to prevent a full close. The door itself looks fine, but the frame has shifted and the door is fighting the opening every single time. Fiberglass frames handle this better – they hold their dimension through temperature swings – which is why we often recommend Therma-Tru’s fiberglass line for Miami residential work. It doesn’t mean wood is wrong, but it means the grade of wood and the finish maintenance schedule matter more here than they would in a drier climate.
Salt air accelerates hardware corrosion faster than most homeowners realize. Multipoint lock mechanisms and hinge barrels on doors within a mile of the water should be marine-grade or stainless. We’ve replaced locks on French doors in Coconut Grove that were barely five years old because the original hardware wasn’t specified for a coastal environment. That’s a specification error on the installation side, and it’s the kind of thing we catch on the front end by asking the right questions before we quote.
Impact glazing is the other piece specific to this market. Miami-Dade County has wind load requirements that govern what door systems are permitted in new openings. Many homeowners in older Kendall and Westchester homes assume their fabric storm panels are enough for code compliance on French doors – they often are not for new installations or permitted Replacement Doors. We know the product approval numbers for the lines we install and we pull the right permit for the right job, so your installation passes inspection and your insurance company has no paperwork to argue with after a storm.
French & Double Doors: Key Takeaways
- Installed cost in Miami typically falls between $1,800 and $6,500 depending on impact rating, opening condition, and configuration.
- Most replacement jobs in existing openings finish in a single day.
- Miami-Dade’s wind code requirements affect product selection – impact-rated glazing is the standard for exterior installations in most of the county.
- Salt air and humidity accelerate hardware and frame wear; the right material specification matters more in South Florida than in most U.S. markets.
- Both manufacturer warranty layers are registered in writing before we leave, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise covers our workmanship on top of that.
- Dale Kessler and the TruePane team have been setting doors in Miami-area homes for over 42 years. We’re not going anywhere.
FAQs – French & Double Doors in Miami
How much do French doors cost installed in Miami?
French door installation in Miami runs $2,800 to $4,500 for a standard impact-rated pair in an existing opening, and $3,500 to $5,500 when sidelites or a transom are part of the configuration. A new opening with structural framing and permitting typically lands between $4,500 and $6,500. The biggest cost variable in this market is the glass package – impact-rated laminated glass costs more than non-impact but is the correct specification for most exterior doors in Miami-Dade. Call (561) 956-2754 for a free, written estimate; we’ll quote it line by line on paper.
Do French doors in Miami need to be impact-rated?
For most exterior openings in Miami-Dade County, yes – impact-rated glazing is required under the Florida Building Code for any permitted door installation. There are product-approval pathways that govern exactly which systems are compliant, and the requirements vary by wind zone. Interior French doors – between a living room and a study, for example – don’t carry impact requirements. We’ll tell you which category your opening falls into and quote the correct product for it. Installing a non-impact door where an impact door is required is a code violation that can create problems with your homeowner’s insurance and with resale.
Can you replace just one door in a French door pair?
Technically yes, but it’s usually the wrong call. If one door panel has failed – rotted frame, broken glass, damaged hardware – the other panel has been operating under the same conditions for the same number of years. Mismatched panels also create alignment problems at the astragal and weatherstripping that let air and water in. We’ll assess both panels honestly and tell you if one-side replacement makes sense for your situation. In most cases, replacing the pair delivers a better result and better long-term value. Call us and describe what you’re seeing – we can often give you a straight answer before we even schedule a visit.
How long does French door installation take?
A standard French or double door replacement in an existing opening – no structural modification, no new header – typically takes four to seven hours, which means one crew, one day, start to finish. We leave with the site clean, the doors operating correctly, and both warranty layers registered. If structural framing or permitting is involved, the timeline extends and we’ll scope it plainly before anything is scheduled. We won’t quote a one-day job and then tell you we need to come back three times.
Written by Dale Kessler, Owner at TruePane Windows & Doors, serving Miami.
Six Reasons Homeowners Choose TruePane Windows & Doors
Impact systems engineered to design pressures up to +/-100, matched to your wind zone - your openings hold when the storm arrives.
Low-E insulated impact glass from our manufacturer lines commonly cuts monthly cooling bills 20-30%.
Laminated impact glass shuts out up to 40% of outside noise - traffic, neighbors, weather.
Monitoring services run $30-90 a month. Laminated impact glass resists forced entry around the clock, with no subscription.
Florida homeowners average around 25% savings on the windstorm portion of their policy after protecting every opening - some homes qualify for more.
A full impact package upgrades curb appeal, buyer confidence and appraised value in one project.