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 Hillsborough
Window and door work in Hillsborough is not like window and door work anywhere else on the Peninsula. The Town’s Architectural Review Board reviews nearly every exterior change on pre-1960s homes, which means a simple window swap can turn into a two-stage approval process before a single piece of glass gets ordered. We know that, because we have been through it on Tudor Revival estates off Chiltern Road, Spanish Colonial homes near the Flint School, and mid-century moderns up on Skyfarm Drive. If you are planning new windows or doors in Hillsborough, call Tom Barrett and his sons at (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate and a straight answer about what your project actually needs.
Most Hillsborough homeowners do not need a contractor who promises cheap and fast. They need one who knows that the ARB will reject a window style that does not match the original mullion pattern, that winter rains move the clay under hillside foundations just enough to crack old flashing, and that opening a 1950s wall usually means finding knob-and-tube wiring. That is the kind of local knowledge we bring to every Windows & Doors job in the 94010 ZIP.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Hillsborough’s Preferred Windows & Doors Company
Tom Barrett founded Barrett & Sons Construction in 1998, and his sons run the crews. That matters in Hillsborough, where homeowners want to know exactly who will show up, who will stand behind the work, and whether the name on the truck matches the name on the contract. It does. Tom publishes his name, address, and license number. Ask anyone on your street or look up the license number yourself.
Hillsborough customers call us because we understand the Town’s rules before the first measurement is taken. We have sat through ARB hearings on window replacements. We know which divided-light profiles pass review on a 1920s Spanish Colonial and which ones get sent back. That is not something a national outfit learned from a training video. It is something we learned the hard way, on actual Hillsborough estates, over 29 years in business.
Every estimate we write for a Hillsborough window or door project includes a line-by-line scope, allowances on paper, and a promise that any price change arrives as a written change order before work proceeds. The permit inspector works for you, not for us, and on every eligible job we pull permits and get inspections signed. Our crew members are background-checked, uniformed, and they carry the Barrett & Sons name. A live person answers our phone 24/7, not a voicemail box and not an out-of-state call center.
Our Windows & Doors Services in Hillsborough
We handle the full range of window and door work across Hillsborough, from single-window replacements on a mid-century hillside home to full custom fenestration packages on estate renovations. Four services come up most often in the 94010 ZIP.
Window Replacement
Most Hillsborough window replacements are on homes built between the 1910s and 1960s. The original windows are often steel casements with failed flashing, single-pane glass, and wood frames that have spent decades absorbing Peninsula winter moisture. We replace them with units that match the original sightlines and profiles, and we do it after the ARB has approved the design. A typical window replacement in Hillsborough runs $4,500 to $15,000 depending on how many openings, how much structural work the walls reveal, and which profiles the ARB requires.
Custom Windows & Doors
Off-the-shelf windows rarely pass ARB review on a Hillsborough estate. The Town wants replacement fenestration to match the original massing, mullion profiles, and material character. That means custom divided-light windows, custom door slabs, and often custom millwork profiles. We work with Andersen and Marvin, both of which offer the kind of historic-pattern divided-light options the ARB sees every month. Custom jobs take longer to fabricate, but they are the difference between one approval and three resubmissions.
Impact Windows & Doors
Hillsborough sits close to the San Andreas Fault along the western ridgeline, and large estate windows on hillside lots face real wind and seismic stress. Impact-rated windows and doors add lateral strength and shatter resistance, which matters when a hillside home’s window wall faces downhill toward the Bay. Impact window installation in Hillsborough typically runs $8,000 to $25,000 depending on the number of openings, the frame material, and whether the ARB requires custom divided-light patterns on the impact glass. That last part is common on older estates.
Door Installation
Front doors on Hillsborough estates are often original to the 1920s or 1930s, meaning solid wood slabs, sidelights, and transoms that have warped or rotted after decades of fog and rain exposure. We install new doors that hold the architectural character the ARB expects, with proper flashing, threshold pans, and weatherstripping so water stops finding its way under the door. On hillside lots with expansive clay, we pay extra attention to how the door sill sits relative to grade, because a door that drains wrong becomes a water-intrusion point every winter.
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 Hillsborough
We install and service premium brands you can look up, not mystery products off a van. For Hillsborough window and door work, that means Andersen and Marvin for windows and doors, with GAF flashing and waterproofing details on every opening. When a Hillsborough customer asks what brand they are getting, we can hand them a spec sheet with a manufacturer name printed on it. That is the standard. It should not be unusual, but around here it is.
Common Windows & Doors Problems We See in Hillsborough Homes
After 29 years of opening up Hillsborough walls, we can tell you what we find before we even cut the first piece of drywall. Here are the four most common problems:
- Failed flashing around original steel casement windows. The 1920s and 1930s estates off Chiltern Road and El Cerrito Avenue almost always have original steel casements with flashing that gave out decades ago. Water gets behind the stucco, rots the rough opening, and nobody sees it until the window comes out.
- ARB rejection of mismatched replacement windows. A homeowner buys a standard double-hung that “looks close” to the original, and the ARB sends it back because the mullion profile or sill detail does not match the original fenestration. That rejection adds three to six weeks to the timeline and usually costs more than ordering the correct custom window in the first place.
- Knob-and-tube wiring discovered during wall opening. On pre-1950s Hillsborough homes, removing a window frame often exposes original knob-and-tube wiring in the rough opening. Code requires bringing that wiring up to current standards before the opening gets closed, so the scope grows. We write that as a change order, in writing, before touching the wiring.
- Termite-damaged lintels and undersized headers. Older estate homes often have headers that were sized for 1920s code or damaged by decades of termite activity. When the wall is open, the inspector may require a structural upgrade. Again, that is a written change order, not a surprise at the end.
Pricing for Windows & Doors in Hillsborough, CA
Honest pricing in Hillsborough starts with admitting that this Town costs more than Burlingame or San Mateo. The ARB layer, the custom profiles, the hillside access, and the hidden conditions inside old walls all push costs up. Here are the ranges we quote most often in Hillsborough:
| Service | Typical Hillsborough Price Range |
|---|---|
| Window Replacement | $4,500 - $15,000 |
| Impact Window Installation | $8,000 - $25,000 |
What moves the number? The number of openings, whether the ARB requires custom divided-light fabrication, whether the rough framing needs reinforcement once the walls are open, and whether the home sits on a hillside lot with difficult access for material staging. Every estimate we write includes allowances on paper and a written change order process. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact quote. The estimate is free, and we will tell you what the ARB will likely require before you spend a dollar on design fees.
We Also Serve Cities Near Hillsborough
While this page is written for Hillsborough homeowners, our crews also serve the surrounding Peninsula communities. The same standards, the same written change orders, and the same 90-Day Done Right Promise apply in Burlingame, Millbrae, San Mateo, and San Bruno. If you are just over the Town line on the east side of 280, you can still get the same Barrett & Sons crew and the same straight pricing.
Serving Hillsborough, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough
Expect an additional three to eight weeks on top of the standard permit timeline, because the Town of Hillsborough’s Architectural Review Board must approve the window design before the building permit moves forward. The ARB meets on a fixed monthly schedule, and if they have questions about your fenestration, the resubmission goes to the next meeting. We plan for that from day one and build the timeline into the written scope. Call (877) 610-1318 and we will walk you through the current meeting calendar.
Yes, in almost every case a permit is required, and because Hillsborough is one of the only fully incorporated cities in California with zero commercial zoning, the Town treats every residence as subject to its own architectural standards, not just state building codes. Replacing one window still triggers ARB review if the home is pre-1960s and the window faces a public right-of-way or is visible from the street. We pull the permit, we sit the review, and we get the inspection signed. That is the job.
Yes, but the Town’s tree-protection ordinance can complicate staging and access if mature heritage oaks sit close to the work area. A certified arborist report is often required before any disturbance near protected trees, and the crane or lift access our crews would normally use may not be possible on narrow, winding hillside roads. We work with local arborists who know Hillsborough’s tree rules and factor that into the written scope before the job starts.
We stop, document what we found, and write a change order with a fixed price for the additional work before we proceed. That is the Barrett & Sons rule: an allowance that is not on paper is a surprise waiting for a date. Failed flashing gets replaced, undersized headers get reinforced to current code, and the permit inspector sees all of it. You approve the change order before we touch the framing, so there is no end-of-job invoice shock.
The ARB cares less about brand and more about whether the window matches the original fenestration pattern, so we use manufacturers that support historic divided-light profiles, custom mullion shapes, and true sightline replication. Andersen and Marvin are the two brands we rely on for Hillsborough estate work, because both offer the custom profiles and the documentation the ARB wants to see. If your home is Spanish Colonial Revival or Tudor Revival, we will specify the exact divided-light pattern before the first ARB meeting.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Hillsborough since our founding in 1998.