Canoga Park showroom · City & County of Los Angeles
Window replacement in Los Angeles, priced one opening at a time.
Milgard and Ply Gem replacement windows — measured by us, built to those measurements, installed by our own crew, with the Title 24 numbers on paper and permits pulled where they are required.
Why nobody will give you a price over the phone
The honest answer to “what do windows cost in Los Angeles” is that it depends on the opening, and anyone who quotes you a per-window number before seeing your house is quoting an average, not your job.
What actually moves the number: the size of each opening, whether it is a slider, a single-hung or a fixed picture window, whether the frame is vinyl or fiberglass, whether the glass needs to be tempered because it is next to a door or over a tub, whether that elevation faces west and wants a lower solar heat gain number, and whether the opening is stucco or wood siding.
So we measure every opening and give you a written price for each one. You can strike three windows off the list and see exactly what comes off the total, which you cannot do with a whole-house number.
Retrofit or full-frame, and why most Valley houses are retrofit
Most Los Angeles houses built from the sixties onward have aluminum window frames set into stucco. Those accept a retrofit window — a flush-fin unit that installs over the existing frame. No cutting, no stucco patching, no repainting the outside of your house, and a one-day install for most rooms.
Full-frame replacement means taking the old frame out down to the rough opening. That is the right call when the frame is wood and rotted, when there is water damage in the wall, or when you are changing the size of the opening. It costs more and it disturbs the stucco, so it is not something to agree to casually. If someone tells you every window in your house needs full-frame, ask them to show you why on the specific opening.
We will tell you which one you have at the estimate, in writing, opening by opening.
Permits and Title 24
Whether your job needs a permit depends on its scope and on which jurisdiction you are in. In practice it applies to somewhere around six out of ten of the jobs we do — a like-for-like retrofit in an existing opening is treated differently from work that changes the opening or the structure.
We follow building and safety regulations and pull a permit wherever one is required. You do not have to work out which category you are in; we will tell you at the estimate.
Title 24 is California’s energy code, and for windows it sets maximum U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient values your new glass has to meet. That is why the NFRC sticker in the corner of a new window matters: it is the document that proves the unit complies. We leave those stickers on until you have read them.
Where a permit is required, we file it as part of the job. It is worth asking any contractor you are considering how they decide — the answer should be about the scope of your specific work, not a blanket yes or no.
Where we work in Los Angeles
We run out of a showroom in Canoga Park, and the bulk of our work is the west San Fernando Valley — Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, Porter Ranch, West Hills, Winnetka, Chatsworth, Northridge, Reseda, Tarzana, Granada Hills, Calabasas and Encino. We also work west into Ventura County — Simi Valley, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Camarillo, Oxnard and Ventura. We also replace patio doors — sliding, French swinging, and the multi-panel systems — and entry doors.
We take work further into the city and we are glad to come out and measure. But if you are in Long Beach with two windows, we will say so rather than send you a bid you were never going to accept.
The ones people actually call about
Questions homeowners ask
How much does window replacement cost in Los Angeles?
It depends on the opening, which is why we price each one separately rather than quoting a per-window average. Size, window type, frame material, whether the glass has to be tempered, and the exposure of that elevation all move the number. You get a written price per opening at the estimate, so you can see what each window costs and take some off the list if you want to phase the job.
Is there a rebate or tax credit for replacing windows in California?
Programs exist and they change year to year — some are run by utilities, some are federal energy-efficiency credits with their own eligibility rules. We do not advertise a specific rebate because we cannot guarantee one will still be running when your windows are installed. Ask at the estimate and we will tell you what is actually current, and give you the NFRC documentation you need to claim anything you qualify for.
Do I need a permit, and does it matter whether I am in the City or the County?
It depends on the scope of the work rather than on the city line — roughly six out of ten of our jobs need one. A like-for-like retrofit in an existing opening is treated differently from work that changes the opening or touches structure. We follow building and safety regulations, pull a permit where one is required, and handle the filing with whichever department it belongs to.
What is Title 24 and how does it affect which windows I can buy?
Title 24 is California's energy code. For windows it sets maximum U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient values, so not every window sold in the country is legal to install here. The NFRC sticker in the corner of a new unit is what proves compliance, and we leave those on until you have read them.
How do I know whether my house needs retrofit or full-frame windows?
If your frames are aluminum set into stucco, which covers most Los Angeles houses built from the sixties on, a retrofit window installs over the existing frame and leaves the stucco alone. Full-frame is for rotted wood frames, water damage in the wall, or a change in opening size. We tell you which you have in writing, opening by opening — and if someone says your whole house needs full-frame, ask them to prove it on a specific window.
Is it worth replacing 20-year-old windows?
Sometimes not. If they are dual-pane, the seals are intact and the hardware still works, you will not save enough on cooling to justify the job — and we will tell you that. What usually makes it worth doing is single-pane aluminium, a failed seal fogging the glass between the panes, or a west-facing room you have stopped using in the afternoon. That last one is comfort rather than payback, and it is the reason most of our customers actually call.
Free, in your home, no fee
Find out what it costs
We measure, price every opening separately, and leave the written quote with you. Whether you call us back is up to you.