Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Windows & Doors Across Kensington
Window replacement in Kensington typically runs $4,500-$15,000 for a full home, while individual door installations start around $2,000 and impact windows run $8,000-$25,000 depending on the home’s size and hillside exposure. We work throughout the 94530 ZIP code, and we know what Kensington homeowners deal with: narrow winding streets off Arlington Avenue, older hillside homes with original steel-sash windows, and the fog that rolls up from the bay and keeps wood frames damp nine months out of the year. If you’d like a free estimate on anything from a single patio slider to a whole-house window package, call (877) 610-1318 and Tom or one of his sons will answer.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Kensington’s Preferred Windows & Doors Company
We carry premium brands you can look up yourself. Andersen and Marvin on windows, plus GAF for flashing and waterproofing details that matter on Kensington’s damp western slopes. That’s not a list we pull off a van and hope you recognize; it’s what we write on the contract. Before any window or door order gets placed, you get a written scope, written allowances, and a written change-order process, so the price you approve is the price you pay.
The homes we work on in Kensington were mostly built between the 1920s and the 1950s, and they sit on some of the steepest lots in the East Bay. That means we’re not swapping out standard frames on flat, square openings. We’re squaring walls on post-and-pier foundations that shifted decades ago, reframing openings cut into redwood studs that have been absorbing fog moisture for eighty years, and leveling door thresholds on floors that follow the hill. We’ve done it enough to know what we’ll find before we open the first wall.
Call (877) 610-1318 and you get a person, not a voicemail tree. Tom Barrett publishes his name, his address, and his license number. His sons run the crews. The same faces who measure your windows in Kensington will be the ones installing them.
Our Windows & Doors Services in Kensington
Window Installation
New window installation in Kensington homes ranges from $4,500 to $15,000 depending on how many openings, what’s behind the old trim, and whether the home is in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Homes on the upper Arlington Avenue and Middlefield Road slopes often need ember-resistant venting and ignition-resistant framing details that flatland cities don’t require. We factor that into the quote before we order a single window.
Door Installation
Entry door replacement in Kensington usually runs $2,000-$6,000 installed, and it’s rarely as simple as pulling one slab and hanging another. Older Kensington homes have settled, and a door that swings shut on its own, or won’t latch at all, usually points to a frame that’s out of square. We adjust the rough opening, shim it level, and hang the door so it works on the first try.
Window Replacement
Most window replacement work in Kensington involves removing original single-pane steel-sash windows, and those frames are often rusted into redwood jambs that have absorbed forty years of coastal fog. Full-home window replacement in Kensington typically runs $4,500-$15,000. If the surrounding framing is sound, we can often install a modern double-pane unit without rebuilding the wall. If it isn’t, you’ll know before we order anything, because the change order goes in writing.
Impact Windows & Doors
Impact-rated windows and doors in Kensington run $8,000-$25,000 for a whole-home package. The Kensington hills sit almost entirely inside a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and the county requires WUI-standard materials on new construction and major remodels. Impact windows satisfy ember-resistance and ignition standards that plain double-pane glass doesn’t. They also cut the fog-chill that settles into older hillside homes by a surprising margin.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Kensington
We install Andersen and Marvin windows, and we use GAF flashing and waterproofing systems on every opening we touch. We stock standard parts for common Andersen and Marvin lines, which keeps lead times shorter for Kensington homeowners who want their windows ordered and installed before the next rainy season. No mystery brands off a van, and no hardware you can’t look up yourself.
Common Windows & Doors Problems We See in Kensington Homes
- Fog-damaged wood frames: The Kensington hills trap coastal fog against western-facing windows, and we frequently find soft or rotted redwood underneath a frame that looked fine from inside. Replacement means cutting back to solid wood, not caulking over rot.
- Settled openings on hillside foundations: Post-and-pier foundations on sloped lots shift over decades, and windows and doors are the first places that movement shows up. A door that rubs the jamb or a window that won’t open is usually a framing issue, not a hardware issue.
- Steel-sash single panes that sweat: Original 1930s steel windows conduct cold straight through the frame, and in Kensington’s damp microclimate they fog and drip from November through April. Replacing them with modern double-pane units changes the feel of the room.
- Ember-vulnerable exterior doors: For homes in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, an old hollow-core side door or a warped garage entry door is a real fire-safety weak point. County WUI requirements now mandate ember-resistant doors on new work, and many Kensington homeowners choose to upgrade older doors at the same time.
Pricing for Windows & Doors in Kensington, CA
Here’s what we see in the Kensington market right now. Window replacement on a typical hillside home runs $4,500-$15,000. Door installation runs from $2,000 for a single entry door up to $8,000-$25,000 for impact-rated sliding glass doors and full impact packages. What moves the number: how badly the opening has settled, whether the existing frame has rot, how many stories up the hill the home sits, and whether WUI fire standards apply. You won’t get a surprise invoice at the end. Every scope, allowance, and price change is a written change order before the work happens. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate, and ask about the Senior & Veteran 10% discount or the $40 off any repair over $200.
We Also Serve Cities Near Kensington
We focus on Kensington, but we regularly work in El Cerrito, Albany, Richmond, and Berkeley too. If you’re just outside the 94530 ZIP code, call anyway. We also handle Fence Installation in Kensington and Driveway & Pavers in Kensington for homeowners who want the outside of the property handled by the same crew that did the windows. For more on what we offer, see our Windows & Doors service overview.
Serving Kensington, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in our Kensington service area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Windows & Doors in Kensington
We can typically get to most Kensington addresses within a few business days for estimates, and we answer the phone live 24/7. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll schedule a time that works. We don’t charge a trip fee inside the county.
Yes. We work the full 94530 ZIP code, from the lower streets near Arlington Avenue up through the steeper lots off Middlefield Road and the surrounding hillside. We know the roads, and we know what the foundations do on those slopes.
Window replacement in Kensington typically runs $4,500-$15,000, which is close to what we see in the flatland cities but with more frequent framing work built in. Hillside foundations and the fire-zone requirements add cost, but not unpredictability. The quote says what the job costs.
Only if you change the scope, and only in writing. Every allowance and every change order is written before the work moves forward. If we open a wall and find rot the original quote didn’t cover, you’ll approve a written change order before we spend another dollar. No end-of-job surprise invoices.
Yes. Kensington is unincorporated Contra Costa County, so permits go through the County Building Department in Martinez, not Berkeley or El Cerrito city hall. We pull permits on every eligible job, schedule the inspections, and make sure the inspector signs off before the job closes. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk you through what your specific project requires.
Free Estimates for Windows & Doors in Kensington
If you live in Kensington and you’re tired of rooms that never warm up, doors that drag, or windows that sweat all winter, call Barrett & Sons Construction at (877) 610-1318. Ask us about Home Additions & ADU in Kensington if you need more space, too. We’ll come out, look at what you have, and write you a scope and a price you can check against anyone. No pressure, no game. Tom Barrett owns the company, his sons run the crews, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise is on every contract. Ask anyone on your street, or look up the license number yourself.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Kensington and the surrounding East Bay hills since 1998.