Are glass block windows allowed as hurricane protection in Broward?

Only if they pass. The Florida Building Code lists glass block among the envelope parts that must meet the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone impact tests or be protected by a device that does. Fixr notes that hurricane performance depends on the product, so ask for the panel's approval number and design pressure before you order.

Can a glass block window go in a bedroom?

As extra light, yes, but it can't be the bedroom's escape window. Glass block doesn't open, and This Old House points out that this rules it out as an egress window. A sleeping room still needs one operable window that meets the egress sizes, so plan glass block alongside that window, not in place of it.

What does it take to swap an ordinary window for glass block?

Fixr puts the whole job at $700 to $1,800, covering removal and disposal of the old window and installation of the new block panel. Taking out a standard window alone runs $100 to $300 in its numbers. Blocks come in 6 or 8 inch nominal sizes, so panels are sized in those steps.

Can a few cracked blocks be replaced instead of the whole window?

Sometimes. Fixr says the old panel can be taken apart carefully to keep the good blocks, at $500 to $1,000 per window, against $200 to $400 to simply break it out. Saving blocks makes sense when only a few are cracked. Ask the installer whether matching blocks are still made.

Do glass block windows let in any air?

Not on their own. They're sealed, so Fixr suggests a prefab panel with a built-in vent where a bathroom needs airflow, starting around $100 to $600 per window. Acrylic block can be cut to take a vent, though Fixr says acrylic is used more indoors than in true windows.

Glass Block Windows in Pompano Beach, FL

Typical cost: Fixr's guide puts a glass block window at $600 to $1,500 installed, about $800 for a 36 by 48 inch bathroom window; This Old House averages $720.
Install time: This Old House says a small prefab unit goes in within 30 to 90 minutes, and a larger window can take up to six hours.
Hurricane rule: in Broward, glass block in an outside wall has to pass the impact tests or sit behind approved protection.
Replacing old block: Fixr adds $200 to $400 to break out an old panel, for a total of about $800 to $1,900.

Pompano Windows can have an installer who quotes glass block panels out to look at your bathroom, stairwell or garage window. Send the size and whether the old panel is block or a regular window, and the installer will call to set a time.

Glass Block Window Types and How They're Built

Glass block windows look much the same once they're in. What changes the price is how the panel is made and held in the wall.

Glass block window in a white vinyl frame on a bathroom wall

Prefabricated vinyl-framed glass block windows

A ready-made panel arrives in a vinyl frame that drops into the opening and seals tightly, which Fixr calls the easiest installation. Fixr says some framed units let the block section hinge open.

Prefab, installed: $300 to $1,500 per window (Fixr).
By area: $30 to $80 a square foot prefab, $60 to $160 custom.

Wavy glass block window mortared into a stucco wall beside a front door

Mortared glass block windows

Without a frame, the panel is set in mortar, usually a Portland cement blend, directly in the opening. Fixr lists this among the most common kinds.

Unframed mortared: $25 to $75 a square foot prefab, $50 to $150 custom.

Tall custom glass block panel lighting a stairwell from floor to ceiling

Custom mortared and rebarred panels

Large windows and block walls are built on site, with rebar laid in the mortar joints for strength. These are always custom.

Mortared and rebarred: $80 to $200 a square foot.
Custom window, installed: $600 to $5,000 (Fixr).

Small glass block window with a built-in vent above a bathroom shower

Vented glass block windows

Block panels are sealed and don't breathe, so a bathroom often needs a prefab unit with a vent section built in. Fixr's starting figure for these is about $100 to $600 per window.

Acrylic block

Acrylic blocks look like glass but weigh less and can be cut, for instance to fit a vent. Fixr prices them at $12 to $20 a block and notes they scratch and discolor more easily than glass, so they're used mostly indoors.

Installer measuring a window opening in a stucco wall before a new window goes in

Why Pompano Beach homeowners call Pompano Windows

One independent installer calls back, not a list of five
The request costs you nothing
Ask for approval numbers and design pressures on the quote
Permit, removal and stucco patching priced in writing

Glass Block in Broward's Hurricane Zone

Impact rule. Section 1626.1 of the 2023 Florida Building Code says envelope parts, glazing and glass block named among them, must meet the impact test criteria or sit behind an external protection device that does. Broward is in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so that rule applies here.

Approval on paper. Ask for the product approval number and design pressure of the panel, the same as for an approved, labeled HVHZ unit.

Permit. Replacing an exterior window, glass block included, needs a city permit.

Not an escape window. A sleeping room still needs a window that meets the egress sizes.

Glass Block Window Cost Factors

Size. Fixr's prefab prices run $250 to $900 for a 24 inch square window, $400 to $1,600 at 36 inches and $750 to $2,000 at 48 inches; a custom 48 inch square costs $625 to $3,900.

Labor. $15 to $30 a square foot to set a prefab panel, from $30 for a custom build (Fixr). This Old House found $50 an hour the most common installer rate in its 2025 survey.

Block sizes. Most blocks are 8 inches square nominal and about 4 inches thick, and openings work in 6 or 8 inch steps.

Privacy finish. Clear block passes the most light; wavy, diamond and frosted finishes trade light for privacy, from about $6 to $20 a block in Fixr's table.

See window glass replacement.