Opening Modifications
Resize, Relocate, Add, or Close Openings.
Cut a new slider into a CBS wall. Widen a single window into a wall of glass. Close an unused opening cleanly. Structural engineering, permits, and finish, one contractor.
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Overview
Changing the size or location of an exterior opening is structural work. It needs an engineer, not just an installer.
Cutting a new opening through a CBS (concrete block + stucco) wall changes how the load above that opening transfers to the slab. The header has to be re-sized, the new jambs have to be tied into adjacent block, and the entire detail has to be reviewed and stamped by a Florida-licensed structural engineer before the building department will issue a permit. Modify an opening without that paperwork and you've created a code violation that will surface on every inspection and every title search for the rest of the home's life.
Modern Window Solutions handles opening modifications end-to-end: engineering, permit drawings, structural saw-cutting, header installation, block infill, new window or door install per NOA, stucco repair on both sides of the wall, drywall and trim inside, and final county inspection. One contract. One project manager. One inspection.
Common projects we handle every month: turning a single 5-foot bedroom window into an 8-foot slider opening onto a new patio. Removing an under-used window and infilling the opening to gain wall space for a kitchen layout. Adding a new opening to a windowless garage conversion. Relocating a front entry door 3 feet to one side to fix a bad foyer flow. All structural, all permitted, all finished.
What's Involved
Engineering, structural saw-cut, install, finish.
Engineering & permit drawings: we engage a licensed Florida structural engineer to size the new header, specify the anchor pattern, and stamp the drawings. Typical engineering turnaround is 7 to 14 days. Drawings then go into Broward or Miami-Dade permit review.
Structural saw-cut: we score and wet-cut the block per the engineered drawing, shore the wall above, install the new header (typically a precast lintel or steel angle assembly), and tie the new jambs into the adjacent courses with rebar dowels and grout-fill. Done correctly, the load transfer is silent. Done incorrectly, you get cracks above the opening within the first season of slab movement.
Window or door install: the new unit is set per its Miami-Dade NOA, block-frame for retrofits, fin-frame if the opening was framed for it. Same install standard as any other job we do.
Finish work: exterior stucco patched and sponge-textured to match, color-matched paint to the rest of the wall, interior drywall patched and skim-coated to match existing wall texture, casing and base trim re-run, paint touch-up. We don't hand you a finished opening with a torn-up room around it.
Closing an opening: the reverse, remove the existing unit, frame the opening with block infill (CBS) or wood studs (frame wall), insulate, drywall and stucco both sides, and finish so you cannot tell the opening was ever there.
Our Process
Five steps. No surprises.
- 01
Concept walkthrough
We walk the wall with you, confirm what's load-bearing, and sketch the proposed change with rough dimensions.
- 02
Engineering & drawings
Licensed FL structural engineer sizes the header, draws the detail, stamps the package, and we prep the permit submittal.
- 03
Permit submittal
We submit to the appropriate Broward or Miami-Dade jurisdiction in our license and respond to any plan-reviewer comments.
- 04
Demo, structural work & install
Saw-cut, header install, block infill or new opening framing, then window or door install per NOA.
- 05
Finish & inspection
Stucco, drywall, trim, paint, and final county inspection on both the structural and the window/door permits.
FAQ
Common questions.
Free Quote
Start with a free in-home consult.
A specialist will reach out within one business day. Or call (786) 651-0377.
What do you need?
Pick the closest match. We'll narrow it down on the call.
FL Licensed & Insured · Most quotes within 48 hours