PGT WinGuard Impact Windows on a New Two-Story Block Home in Parrish

This is a new two-story concrete block home in Parrish, in Manatee County, with a wood truss roof. When we arrived the trusses were up, the roof was being dried in, and the walls were still bare block. Our job was the impact windows: black-frame units on both floors, a long transom over the front entry, and a tall window high above a double-height opening. These photos were taken over two days in early December 2025 while the install was underway.

The first thing you notice is the red. Every rough opening is painted in a wide band of red liquid-applied flashing. It goes on the block before the window does, covering the sill, the jambs, the head and several inches of wall around them. Block is porous, and the joint between block and window frame is where water tries to get in. The membrane seals that zone so the window sits in a waterproof pocket. In a couple of the photos you can see openings already coated but still empty. That is the order on a job like this: prep and flash, then set.

Look closely at the entry. A long horizontal transom sits over the door opening, with a single-hung window on each side. The labels on the glass read PGT WinGuard, which is a laminated impact glass line. The second floor gets smaller units in each wall, and the back of the house has a tall opening with a four-lite window above it. Ladders, cut lumber and conduit tell you the other trades were working at the same time. That is normal, and it is why coordination with the builder matters.

A few technical points that matter in Southwest Florida. First, anchoring. In a block wall the frame is fastened into the CMU or the wood buck with masonry screws at the spacing and edge distance listed in the product approval. That spacing is what lets the window hold its rated design pressure. Second, the sill. The bottom of the opening should be flat and fully sealed so water that gets past the frame drains out, not into the wall. Third, the paperwork. Every unit should have a Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA, and its design pressure should meet the values for that wall on the plans. Parrish is far enough inland that wind-borne debris rules depend on the exact site, but impact glass is the simple way to cover the requirement and skip shutters for good.

Why install now and not after stucco? Because the stucco has to finish against the window frame. If the windows are in and sealed first, the plaster wraps back to them and the flashing laps behind it. Do it the other way and the only thing between the weather and the wall is a caulk joint.

If you are building in Parrish or anywhere in Manatee County, ask your installer to show you the product approval numbers for each window, the design pressures, the fastener schedule they will follow, and how they will flash a block opening. Ask who seals the perimeter and when. A contractor who does this every week will answer without guessing.

Prestigious Home Improvements installs impact windows and doors in new block homes and existing homes from Parrish to Port Charlotte. Call us for a free in-home estimate or a plan review with your builder.