Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
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AfterFast, Reliable Windows & Doors Across Corte Madera
Window and door work in Corte Madera splits into two realities that most contractors never mention until the old unit is already torn out. On the bay-fill flats, standing groundwater sits two to three feet below grade, which turns any replacement that disturbs a slab into a dewatering job. On the hillside lots climbing toward Corte Madera Ridge, Marin County’s WUI fire codes dictate specific glass, frame, and weatherstripping requirements. Barrett & Sons Construction has worked both sides of this town since 1998, and we price for what we know we’ll find here, not what a generic Marin quote assumes. Call (877) 610-1318 and Tom or one of his sons will walk your project with you, free estimate, no surprise change order later.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Corte Madera’s Preferred Windows & Doors Company
We’re the name-on-the-truck crew, and the name is Barrett. Tom started this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews today. When a Corte Madera homeowner calls about a window or door, they get Tom or one of his sons on the phone and on the job. Not a franchise. Not a rotating cast of subcontractors. The same people who quote the job are the ones who pull the permit and swing the hammer.
Corte Madera homeowners have a particular reason to be skeptical. Most of the flatland homes were built between 1950 and 1975, and the bay mud underneath them has never stopped settling. That means a window replacement quote that looks clean on paper can turn ugly the moment we remove the old frame and find the rough opening has dropped half an inch. We plan for that before we bid, and we write our allowances into the contract in plain language. If we hit standing groundwater on a bay-fill lot, the dewatering line is already there because we anticipated it. That’s what 29 years local means.
Every job comes with our 90-Day Done Right Promise, written on the contract, not hidden in an email footer. If something isn’t right, Tom comes back and fixes it. One call. And every price change arrives as a written change order before work proceeds, because an allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date. Ask any neighbor in Corte Madera, or look up the license number yourself. We publish it because we stand behind it.
Our Windows & Doors Services in Corte Madera
Window Replacement
Most Corte Madera homes built before 1980 are still running original single-pane windows. On a hillside lot, those windows now fail Marin County’s WUI ember-resistance and egress requirements the moment you open a wall for a permitted remodel. On flat lots, the bigger problem is settlement: frames rack out of square, sashes bind, and fogged double-panes turn into a moisture problem because the coastal fog channel never lets things dry out. We replace with Andersen or Marvin units, properly flashed and sealed for this climate, and we pull the permit every time it’s required. A typical Corte Madera Windows & Doors replacement runs $4,500 to $15,000 depending on count and size.
Sliding & Patio Doors
Sliding patio doors fail differently in Corte Madera than they do in, say, Larkspur or Mill Valley, because the bay-fill side of town settles under them. A door that once glided open starts binding, then refuses to latch, and then you’re shimming the track with pennies. We replace the unit, level the sill, and rebuild the rough opening if the slab has dropped. On a 1960s ranch off Tamalpais Drive near the bay-fill flats, our crew pulled a failed sliding patio door and found the original rough opening had dropped nearly an inch as the slab settled, with moisture wicking into the subfloor. We wrote a change order for slab leveling and sill pan replacement before touching the framing, then installed a new aluminum sliding door with a properly sloped sill and ember-resistant weatherstripping to meet Marin WUI code. That’s how we work. No surprises, because we saw the surprise coming.
Impact Windows & Doors
Impact-rated windows and doors in Corte Madera aren’t usually about hurricanes. Here, they’re about coastal fog, salt air, and the WUI fire code that governs hillside parcels. We install impact units from manufacturers we trust, with the same written change-order discipline we bring to every job. A full-house impact window installation in Corte Madera typically runs $8,000 to $25,000. If you’re on a hillside lot south of Corte Madera Ridge, we’ll also confirm your frames meet current ember-resistance standards before we quote, so the permit doesn’t stall halfway through.
Door Installation
Front doors, side doors, French doors, custom fit door replacements. Older Corte Madera homes often have 32-inch doorways that today’s code wants widened to 36, and that triggers a framing change, not just a hinge swap. We handle the framing, the flashing, the weatherproofing, and the trim. If your old door is warped from years of bay humidity, the new one goes in square and sealed. If the jamb has rotted because there was no sill pan for fifty years, we replace that too, and we tell you before we do it.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Corte Madera
We install and service windows and doors from brands you can look up: Andersen, Marvin, and others we’ve stocked for years. For hardscape and paver work that often accompanies door replacement on Corte Madera patios, we carry Belgard and Techo-Bloc product lines. We keep common sealants, flashings, and hardware on hand for Corte Madera jobs, which means shorter turnaround when you need a storm door hung or a sticking window adjusted. No mystery brands off a van. If we wouldn’t put it in Tom’s house, it doesn’t go in yours.
Common Windows & Doors Problems We See in Corte Madera Homes
- Bay-fill settlement racks door frames out of square. The slab drops, the header tilts, and suddenly the deadbolt misses the strike plate. Hidden until the old unit comes out, expensive to fix correctly once it’s open. We plan for it in the bid.
- Coastal fog rots untreated wood sills and jambs. The fog channel between the Marin hills and the bay keeps relative humidity high, which means a 1970s ranch with no sill pan or flashing is nearly always hiding wood decay. Within a decade, the jamb starts crumbling.
- Single-pane windows on hillside lots fail WUI fire code. The older glass, the aluminum frames, the lack of ember-resistant screens, all of it triggers compliance issues on a permitted remodel. Replace once, replace right.
- Sliding doors on flat lots bind and refuse to latch. It’s not the rollers. It’s the floor settling under the track. Lubricating the track is a band-aid. Leveling the opening and replacing the sill pan is the fix.
Pricing for Windows & Doors in Corte Madera, CA
Honest numbers, because you asked. Window replacement in Corte Madera runs $4,500 to $15,000 depending on the count, the size, and whether the opening needs reframing after we remove the old unit. Impact window installation runs $8,000 to $25,000 for a full house. Those ranges include the permit where required, the flashing, the caulking, and the written warranty. They don’t include hidden dewatering charges, because we tell you about the groundwater up front. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you a written line-item quote for your specific house. Free estimate. No trip charge inside Marin County.
| Service | Corte Madera Price Range |
|---|---|
| Window Replacement | $4,500 - $15,000 |
| Impact Window Installation | $8,000 - $25,000 |
Your final number depends on three things: how many units, how much settlement has already occurred, and whether you’re on the bay-fill flats or a hillside parcel subject to WUI fire code. We walk the house, measure the openings, check the slope and the drainage, and then we write it all down. The estimate is free. The second opinion on any competitor’s written estimate is free too.
We Also Serve Cities Near Corte Madera
Our crews work across Corte Madera, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Tamalpais Valley, and Tamalpais-Homestead Valley. If you live in any of these communities, you’re getting the same crew, the same written change orders, and the same Corte Madera familiarity that comes from knowing the local codes and soil conditions without a map. One call covers it.
Serving Corte Madera, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Corte Madera 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 Corte Madera
Because on the bay-fill side of town, standing groundwater sits within two to three feet of grade, and any window or door replacement that disturbs the slab can hit it. We include a dewatering allowance in the written quote so you see the cost before we break ground, not after. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll explain exactly how it applies to your lot.
Usually you need a permit whenever the opening is altered, but like-for-like replacement of the same size often doesn’t trigger one. On hillside lots subject to WUI fire code, Marin County can require a permit even for like-for-like swaps. We check before we quote and pull the permit when it’s required, because the permit inspector works for you, not for me.
Current Marin WUI codes require ember-resistant vents, Class A assemblies, and weatherstripping that blocks ember intrusion. Single-pane windows on older hillside homes rarely meet these standards, so a permitted remodel often forces full replacement anyway. We quote to current code, not to the house as it stands.
We remove the old unit, check the rough opening for settlement, and write a change order for slab leveling and sill pan replacement if needed before we touch the framing. Then we install the new door square, sealed, and properly sloped. It’s the only fix that lasts on compressible bay mud.
No, and any contractor who does is guessing. We need to see the lot, the slope, the age of the framing, and the condition of the existing flashing before we can give you an honest number. The estimate is free. Call (877) 610-1318 and schedule a walkthrough.
Call Barrett & Sons Construction for Windows & Doors in Corte Madera
If you own a home in Corte Madera, on the flats or the hillside, you already know what the wrong quote can cost you: a door that still sticks, a permit that stalls, a dewatering line that appears out of nowhere. We price for what we know we’ll find here, we write every allowance into the contract, and we back the finished job with the 90-Day Done Right Promise. Tom Barrett answers his own phone. Call (877) 610-1318 and schedule your free estimate today. Senior and veteran customers save 10%, and any repair over $200 takes $40 off. No trip charge inside Marin County.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Corte Madera and Marin County since 1998.