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Mr-Glass Home Additions & ADU: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
Mr-Glass home additions and ADU projects in Fort Lauderdale typically run $45,000 to $130,000 installed, depending on square footage, foundation work, and whether you’re adding a bedroom suite or a full accessory dwelling unit with its own kitchen and bath. Most owners call us when their existing Mr-Glass structure starts showing its age: water staining at the roofline, doors that no longer close square, or glass panels that have fogged between the panes. Those are the tells we see most often, and by the time you notice them, the framing or seal system underneath has usually been failing for a while.
We’re Sawyer Remodel Fort Lauderdale, an independent contractor serving homeowners across Fort Lauderdale. We’re not affiliated with Mr-Glass, but we work with their product lines regularly and know how they’re put together. If you have a Mr-Glass addition or ADU that’s failing, we can match the part, price it honestly, and install it right.
Which Mr-Glass Models This Applies To
Mr-Glass structures fall into two broad categories: the original single-pane aluminum-frame series built mostly in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the newer dual-pane thermally-broken series you’ll see on ADUs permitted after about 2015. They are not cross-compatible. The older series uses 3/16-inch tempered glass in a 2-inch frame profile; the newer series uses 1/4-inch laminated glass in a 2-1/2-inch frame. If someone hands you a replacement panel from the wrong series, it won’t seat in the track, period.
The easiest way to identify what you have is the small etched code in the corner of the glass. Older Mr-Glass panels carry a code starting with “MG-A”; newer ones start with “MG-TB.” If the etching has worn away or a panel was replaced at some point with aftermarket glass, measure the frame width at the door stile: 2 inches means the old series, 2-1/2 inches means the new. For Fort Lauderdale homeowners, we also carry quality aftermarket equivalents for both series, but we’re straight with you about the difference: OEM Mr-Glass panels are still the better fit for the original frame, while a good aftermarket panel can save you 20 to 30 percent if the OEM lead time is long.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Mr-Glass Home Additions & ADU Is Failing
- Fogging or condensation between glass panes. The dual-pane seal has failed and moisture is getting in. In Fort Lauderdale’s humidity, once that seal goes, the fogging is permanent and the panel loses most of its insulating value.
- Doors that drag or bind on the track. The original install may have been square, but South Florida’s wet-dry cycles shift slab foundations over time. When the opening moves even a quarter inch, the Mr-Glass frame binds and the rollers start chewing into the track.
- Water staining at the base of the frame or on interior drywall. The flashing where the glass meets the roofline or slab has failed. This is the one to act on fast, because the water you can see is already working on the framing you can’t.
- Drafts you can feel near the corners. Weatherstripping on the older Mr-Glass series hardens and cracks in the Florida sun within about five to seven years. A draft is the earliest warning that seals are gone and air exchange is happening.
- Visible corrosion or pitting on the aluminum frame. Salt air near Fort Lauderdale eats aluminum faster than anywhere inland. Pitting itself is cosmetic, but corrosion around the fasteners is structural, and that’s when we start recommending frame replacement rather than panel replacement.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a straight part replacement, a single Mr-Glass wall panel or door panel in Fort Lauderdale runs $1,800 to $4,500 installed. A full glass-wall replacement on a larger Mr-Glass sunroom or ADU addition runs $18,000 to $45,000. The spread reflects panel size, series type, access (one-story versus two-story work), and whether the frame itself needs replacement rather than just the glass.
Every quote includes the part, labor, haul-away of the old panel, and a written warranty on our workmanship. We price the part and the labor as separate line items so you see exactly what you’re paying for. No change orders once the job starts. If we open the wall and find framing damage behind the glass, we stop, show you photos, and give you a written price to fix it before any additional work happens.
DIY or Call Us?
You can absolutely do the diagnostic work yourself: check the etched code on the glass, measure the frame width, and look for water staining or corrosion at the corners. That information helps us quote the job accurately over the phone. What you should not do is attempt to remove a Mr-Glass panel yourself. The panels are heavy, the tempered glass is under edge tension, and one wrong move with a pry bar can turn a $2,000 panel replacement into a wall rebuild. It’s not worth it.
If you’re in Fort Lauderdale and you’ve got a Mr-Glass addition or ADU that’s fogged, leaking, or binding, call Luca at (754) 354-7423. We’ll ask for the etched code and a couple of photos, and we’ll give you a ballpark price before we ever set foot on the property.
FAQs
The original aluminum-frame series lasts about 20 to 25 years in Fort Lauderdale’s salt air and humidity before the seals fail and the frames start corroding. The newer thermally-broken series is rated to 30 years, but only if the flashing was done correctly at the install. Call (754) 354-7423 and we’ll tell you what to look for on your specific structure.
A fogged dual-pane panel cannot be repaired. The seal between the panes is gone, and once moisture is inside, the panel has to be swapped. A binding door or drafty corner can sometimes be fixed with new rollers or weatherstripping, which is a much smaller job. Call (754) 354-7423 for an exact diagnosis; estimates are free.
Most single-panel replacements take half a day on site, once the replacement glass is in hand. Full-frame replacements run two to three days. OEM panels from Mr-Glass can take two to six weeks to arrive, which is why we also stock aftermarket equivalents for most common Fort Lauderdale sizes.
We stock rollers, weatherstripping, fasteners, and aftermarket replacement panels for the most common Mr-Glass sizes on our trucks. OEM panels we order to spec, and we’ll tell you the lead time before you commit. Call (754) 354-7423 with your etched code and we’ll check availability right then.
Written by Luca Romano, Owner & Lead Contractor, Sawyer Remodel Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
