Custom Windows & Doors in Lely, FL - What to Expect
Custom windows and doors in Lely typically run $8,000-$25,000 for a full replacement package, with the job completed in two to five working days depending on how many openings we’re replacing. That’s the number most homeowners want first, and we don’t blame you. If you’re looking for a tighter quote on your specific home, call (844) 638-7249 - we’ll come out, take measurements, and hand you a written, line-item estimate at no charge. But before anyone writes a check, it helps to understand what separates a window order that fits your home and lasts from one that fights the contractor and the climate.
How we handle custom windows and doors in Lely - step by step
Most window and door jobs sound simple on paper but get complicated in the details. Here’s how the sequence actually plays out when we’re on-site, so you know what to expect before the first piece of glass leaves the warehouse.
Stage 1 - Site measure and product consultation (Day 0, about 90 minutes). A technician arrives at your home and measures every opening that’s being replaced. This is not a quick tape-measure walk. We check for out-of-square rough openings, water intrusion around existing frames, and any structural sag that’ll affect the new unit’s fit. While we’re there, we walk you through the material and glass-package options that make sense for your specific elevation in Lely - a south-facing lanai door takes different glass than a shaded north-facing bedroom window. By the end of this visit, you’ll have a fixed price and a spec sheet.
Stage 2 - ARC review and permit submission (1-4 weeks, outside our control but managed by us). If you live in Lely Resort, your project needs Architectural Review Committee approval before Collier County will look at the permit application. We prepare the submittal package - material specs, color chips, profile drawings - to the ARC’s standards. We know the approved palette in every Lely Resort village and we won’t submit something we know will bounce back. Once ARC signs off, we file for the building permit. This two-stage process is unique to master-planned communities here and it’s where contractors who don’t regularly work in Lely lose weeks.
Stage 3 - Fabrication and delivery (3-6 weeks). Custom windows and doors are built to order, not pulled off a shelf. Once the order is placed with the manufacturer, we track production and coordinate delivery to align with your schedule. For snowbird homeowners who are away May through October, we take delivery, store the units in our climate-controlled warehouse, and install while you’re up north. No windows sitting on a humid job site for six weeks.
Stage 4 - Installation (2-5 working days, depending on opening count). We remove the old units, inspect the rough openings for rot or termite damage, and repair any substrate issues before setting the new frames. Each new unit gets flashed at the sill, sealed with low-expansion foam around the perimeter, and trimmed out. If we’re doing a full-house window replacement, we typically work one elevation at a time so the home is never wide open to afternoon thunderstorms - a real concern in Lely during the rainy season.
Stage 5 - Final inspection and walk-through (Day of completion). The county inspector signs off on the permit, and we walk the job with you. Every window and door gets operated, locked, and checked for square and seal. If anything isn’t right - gap, drag, fog between panes - it gets fixed under our 730-Day Done Right Promise. That guarantee covers workmanship for two full years, one of the longest in residential construction around here.
The choices you’ll make when ordering custom windows and doors
When homeowners talk about “custom” windows and doors, they’re usually picking between a few key variables. Here are the specs that actually matter and what each one means for your home in Lely.
- Frame material - vinyl, wood-clad, or aluminum. Vinyl gives you the best thermal performance per dollar and zero maintenance. Wood-clad (like Andersen or Marvin) costs more but brings a warmer look that ARC committees in Lely Resort often prefer for street-facing elevations. Aluminum holds up beautifully in salt air but conducts heat - it’s less common for residential windows and more often used in commercial storefronts.
- Glass package - single-pane, double-pane, or impact-rated. Old Lely homes with jalousie or single-pane aluminum windows are losing conditioned air constantly. A double-pane low-E package cuts your cooling load immediately. Impact-rated laminated glass adds hurricane protection and noise reduction, but it’s heavier and more expensive. If you’re replacing pre-2002 windows, this is the moment to bring the whole house up to current Florida Building Code.
- Door configuration - swing, slider, or bi-fold. A custom entry door gives you control over the panel layout, sidelight pattern, and hardware finish. Sliding glass doors open up to the lanai without eating floor space. Bi-fold or multi-slide doors (think a wall of glass opening to the pool deck) are a bigger structural project - they need a properly engineered header and sometimes a foundation extension, which means more time and dollars.
- Finish and color. In Lely Resort villages, the ARC maintains a defined palette of approved exterior colors and finishes. We’ll cross-check your selection against your village’s standards so the submittal clears on the first pass. Inside, you can go as custom as you want - prefinished white, woodgrain laminate, paint-grade ready for your trim carpenter.
- Hardware and security. Multi-point locking systems on doors, keyed-alike cylinders across the house, and accessible lever handles are all spec choices you make at order time. These aren’t afterthoughts, and retrofitting hardware later costs more than speccing it correctly upfront.
For a broader look at how these choices fit into a whole-home upgrade, see our Windows & Doors in Lely page. And if you’re tackling multiple exterior projects at once, some homeowners pair new windows and doors with a fresh Paver Driveways in Lely or Concrete Driveways & Concrete Work in Lely - it makes sense to coordinate hardscape and envelope improvements in one push.
What custom windows and doors cost in Lely, FL
For a typical Lely home - say a 1,800 to 2,400-square-foot single-story CBS villa or coach home - a full custom window and door package runs $8,000 to $25,000. At the low end, you’re looking at a smaller opening count (maybe eight to ten windows, one entry door) using vinyl frames and standard double-pane glass. At the high end, we’re talking fifteen or more openings, impact-rated laminated glass throughout, a custom entry door with sidelights, and possibly a multi-panel sliding door on the rear elevation. Those big glass walls are beautiful, but the structural engineering, header work, and permitting add real dollars.
Here’s what pushes the number up or down.
- Opening count and size. More windows and doors cost more. Bigger units cost more. A 12-foot sliding glass door is a different animal than a 6-footer.
- Impact vs. non-impact glass. Impact-rated laminated glass adds roughly 25-40% to the per-unit cost. It also eliminates the need for separate shutters, which can offset some of the premium.
- Frame material selection. Vinyl is the most cost-effective. Wood-clad or fiberglass composite adds 30-50% depending on the manufacturer.
- Existing condition of rough openings. If we pull a 1990s window and find the framing is soft from years of a failed seal, that’s a carpentry repair before the new unit goes in. It’s not common on CBS homes, but it happens.
- Permit and ARC fees. The county permit fee is based on the valuation of the work. ARC review fees in Lely Resort are typically a few hundred dollars. Both are line items on your estimate, not buried surprises.
Every estimate we write is a fixed-price, line-item document. You’ll see the per-unit window and door costs, the labor, the permit fee, and any structural or trim work broken out separately. We don’t write change orders because we missed something during the measure - if we measured it, it’s in the price. Our windows and doors team has been doing this long enough that surprises on site are rare.
What Lely homes specifically do to this job
Lely’s housing stock presents a particular set of conditions that change how we approach window and door work. The vast majority of homes here are 1990s and early-2000s concrete block stucco construction, built before the 2002 Florida Building Code raised the bar on wind-load requirements. The original windows are typically single-pane, aluminum-framed, and often jalousie-style in lanai areas - none of which meets today’s energy or impact standards. When we pull those units, we routinely find that the original flashing was minimal and the rough-opening seal has degraded from years of afternoon sun and humidity cycling. That’s not a defect, it’s just what thirty years in Southwest Florida does to a window opening.
If you’re in Lely Resort specifically, the ARC process is non-negotiable. Each village within the resort - from the Classics to the Players Club to the Ole - has its own approved material palette, finish colors, and even profile restrictions. We’ve seen submittals rejected for a window mullion pattern that was one inch off the approved spec. We know those palettes and we submit packages that clear on the first round. For seasonal residents, we coordinate the entire ARC-permit-install sequence during the May-to-October window when you’re away, working around the daily afternoon thunderstorms that define Lely’s rainy season. High humidity during those months means we’re careful about dew-point conditions when applying sealants and expanding foam - adhesion failures happen fast if manufacturers’ temperature and humidity guidelines aren’t respected. It’s a simple thing, but crews that rush a sealant job in August end up with callbacks.
Serving Lely, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Lely area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently asked - Custom Windows & Doors in Lely
Installation itself takes two to five working days for most homes in Lely. The full timeline, including measure, ARC submittal (if you’re in Lely Resort), permit processing, and manufacturing, typically runs six to ten weeks from signed contract to final walk-through. Call (844) 638-7249 and we’ll give you a schedule estimate specific to your project.
Yes. Collier County requires a building permit for window and door replacement when you’re changing the size of the opening or upgrading to impact-rated units. If you’re in Lely Resort, you also need Architectural Review Committee approval before the county will process the permit. We handle both as part of the job.
You can replace any number of windows and doors, there’s no requirement to do everything at once. That said, if you’re replacing pre-2002 single-pane units piecemeal, you’ll be chasing energy efficiency and code compliance room by room for years. Most Lely homeowners find it more cost-effective to tackle a full elevation or the entire house in one project.
The manufacturer’s warranty covers the glass and frame - terms vary by brand, but most carry a 10-to-20-year limited warranty. Our workmanship is covered by the 730-Day Done Right Promise. If something we installed isn’t right within two years, we make it right. That’s in writing, no fine print.
Most Lely homes fall between $8,000 and $25,000 depending on the opening count, glass package, and frame material. The only way to get a real number is a site measure. Call (844) 638-7249 to schedule a free on-site estimate - we’ll hand you a fixed, line-item price before we leave.
Get a written estimate for custom windows and doors in Lely
If you’re ready to replace those old single-pane windows or upgrade to a custom entry door that actually fits your home’s character, let’s get a measure on the books. Call (844) 638-7249 and you’ll get a live person on the line - no voicemail, no call-center runaround. We’ll set a time to come out, take measurements, and hand you a fixed-price estimate at no charge. From that point, you decide what moves forward and when.
Written by Derek Hollenbeck, Owner at Groundwork Construction Co., serving Lely homeowners with custom window and door projects backed by the 730-Day Done Right Promise.