Quick answer: Curtain wall in Florida costs $95 to $240 per square foot installed in 2026. Stick-built curtain wall is the lower end ($95-$175/SF). Unitized curtain wall — fabricated in panels off-site — is the upper end ($135-$240/SF). HVHZ-rated, structural silicone, or custom-frit assemblies push past $260/SF.
Aluminum mullions and rails (4-8 inch face dimensions), structural anchors at slab edges, insulated glass infill, spandrel glass at slab lines, weep and pressure-equalization system, sealants, shop drawings, structural engineering, and field installation including crane time for unitized assemblies. Excludes building permit, slab edge tolerance correction, and architectural feature back-up structure.
Stick-built curtain wall is assembled member-by-member on-site. It's cheaper, easier to fix at install, and works on small-to-medium projects (under 8 stories typically). Unitized curtain wall is prefabricated in panels at a fabrication shop and hoisted into place by crane. Costs more but installs faster (one panel covers an entire floor bay), gives better weather-tightness, and is the standard above 8 stories.
1) HVHZ rating — Miami-Dade NOA assemblies add 20-35%. 2) Glass spec — clear vision low-E vs. ceramic-frit vs. structural-silicone laminated impact, each is a step-change. 3) Mullion depth — 4" face profile is base, 8" face for high-wind exposure adds significantly. 4) Finish — class I anodize is the baseline, PVDF paint is +15-25%, custom anodize is +30-50%. 5) Project height — slab-edge access, crane requirements, and rigging add cost above 8 stories.
5-story office, 12,000 SF curtain wall, stick-built, clear low-E IG, anodized: $1.4M-$2.1M complete. 12-story hotel, 30,000 SF curtain wall, unitized, laminated impact IG (HVHZ), PVDF finish: $5.5M-$7.2M complete. 3-story medical office, 8,000 SF curtain wall, stick-built, frit glass + clear IG: $920K-$1.4M complete.
Choose stick-built where feasible — saves 15-25% over unitized. Use stock mullion sections rather than custom extrusions. Limit color count to 1-2 in the same building. Lock the design package before shop drawings — re-engineering after pricing is the #1 cost overrun. Issue full architectural drawings, not narratives — narrative-bid pricing carries 15-25% contingency.
Florida curtain wall costs $95 to $240 per square foot installed in 2026. Stick-built is $95-$175/SF. Unitized is $135-$240/SF. HVHZ rating, premium glass, and custom finishes push individual projects above $260/SF.
No — curtain wall is significantly more expensive per square foot than storefront. Curtain wall is engineered to span multiple floors and resist higher wind loads, with deeper mullions, more anchor engineering, and larger shop drawings. Storefront is single-story and substantially less complex.
Stick-built is cheaper, simpler, and works for projects under 8 stories or with simple geometry. Unitized is faster to install (saving schedule), more weather-tight, and is the standard for high-rise. The right choice depends on project size, schedule, and budget.
Yes — curtain wall pricing typically includes the insulated glass unit infill. Glass spec (clear, low-E, laminated, frit, ceramic-coated, structural silicone) significantly affects the total.
Yes, but most value-engineering on curtain wall hurts performance: thinner mullions reduce wind capacity, cheaper glass reduces solar performance, single-source manufacturer products lose owner negotiating leverage. Better to optimize the design package upfront than VE after pricing.
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