CGI Home Additions & ADU Nationwide

CGI Home Additions & ADU: The Long Beach Owner’s Guide

CGI-compatible home additions and ADU construction in Long Beach typically runs $45,000-$130,000 for a standard addition and $90,000-$220,000 for a detached ADU, with most projects quoted within 48 hours and permits pulled before ground breaks. We stock and source CGI framing systems, window packages, and hardware for the California market, including the moisture-resistant specifications required for coastal Long Beach conditions. Most owners realize something is off when the addition feels drafty, the windows stick in their tracks, or the hardware finish starts corroding within two years of installation - usually a sign the original spec was downgraded or the coastal salt air found a gap.

Call (424) 567-7009

Which CGI Models This Applies To

CGI’s residential line breaks into three series that matter for Long Beach additions and ADUs: the Estate Series (impact-rated, aluminum-clad), the Sentinel Series (vinyl-framed with reinforced sashes), and the commercial-grade CPG line sometimes spec’d for garage conversions near the port. The label is etched on the hinge side of the operable sash or stamped into the frame header - look for a 6- to 10-digit SKU starting with ES, SE, or CPG. Measure the daylight opening, not the frame; CGI uses nominal sizing that runs 1/2 inch under the stated dimension, and a mismatch here is why replacement windows leak air.

We source OEM CGI hardware and glazing direct from the Florida factory, but for coastal Long Beach we often spec upgraded stainless-steel fasteners and marine-grade weatherstripping that the standard catalog does not include. The aftermarket equivalent for Estate Series hinges, for instance, is the Truth Hardware 14.58 series - same geometry, 316-grade stainless at the pin, and it outlasts the OEM in salt air. For Sentinel vinyl sashes, we stick with CGI factory balances; the aftermarket alternatives we have tested do not hold calibration past three years in this climate.

Signs Your CGI Home Additions & ADU Is Failing

• Condensation between panes on CGI windows. The insulated glass unit (IGU) seal has failed, allowing moist Long Beach air into the cavity. This is not wipeable - the low-E coating is on surface #2, and once fogged, the thermal performance is gone.
• Hardware operates stiff or grinds in the track. The original zinc-plated rollers or hinges have corroded from marine air exposure. In Alamitos Heights and Belmont Shore, we see this at year four or five, not the ten-year mark the inland spec assumes.
• Air infiltration at the sash meeting rail. The pile weatherstrip has compressed or the fin seal has torn at the corners. CGI’s standard fin seal is EPDM; we replace with silicone-blend fin seals that recover shape after compression.
• Frame corners weep water during driving rain. The weep holes are clogged with salt crust, or the sill pan was omitted during original install. Long Beach’s horizontal rain events, especially near the beach, find every shortcut.
• Finish chalking or pitting on aluminum frames. The Kynar 500 coating has degraded from UV and salt cycling. Estate Series in direct sun near Bluff Park often show this first; it is cosmetic until the substrate corrodes, then it becomes structural.

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Replacement Cost & What’s Included

The range depends on three things: whether we are retrofitting into existing CGI frames or doing full rough-opening replacement, whether the original install included proper sill pans and flashing (many don’t), and whether the Long Beach permit requires Title 24 compliance upgrades. Under Clause 1 of the Haven Standard, you get the written price before we touch a tool - every line item above is quoted flat, not time-and-materials.

Our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the installation and the product; if the sash drifts or the seal fails, we make it right. The CGI factory warranty on glass runs 20 years, hardware 10 years - we register both and give you the documentation.

DIY or Call Us?

There is a safe middle ground. You can check the label location, measure the daylight opening, and photograph the failure - that helps us spec the right part before we arrive. You can also clear weep holes with a pipe cleaner and verify the locks are fully engaged, which solves about 15 percent of the “drafty” calls we get in Long Beach.

Where DIY goes wrong: removing a CGI sash without supporting the frame can rack the opening and void the warranty. Replacing an IGU requires vacuum lifting tools and clean-room assembly; a fingerprint or dust speck inside becomes a permanent smudge. And anything involving ladder work on a second-story addition over concrete - which describes most ADUs we see in Long Beach - is not worth the risk. We carry CGI parts on our Long Beach truck, and most single-window repairs finish in under two hours. Call (424) 567-7009 to schedule your free estimate.

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