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 Lakewood
Window and door work in Lakewood runs $4,500 to $15,000 for a typical replacement project, and impact-rated installations range from $8,000 to $25,000 depending on the number of openings and the framing work behind them. Most of the homes we open up were built between 1950 and 1954, which means the rough opening you see from the outside is rarely what we find once the trim comes off. Tom Barrett and his sons have worked on enough of these tract houses to know exactly what lives behind the stucco on a 70-year-old wall. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you an honest read on your windows and doors before you spend a dime.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Lakewood’s Preferred Windows & Doors Company
We’re not a franchise dispatching strangers to Lakewood. Barrett & Sons Construction was founded in 1998, and Tom Barrett puts his name, address, and license number on every proposal so you can check us out before you sign anything. When our crew pulls up to a house near Del Amo Boulevard or a side street off Woodruff Avenue, it’s Tom’s sons running the work, not a rotating cast of subcontracted labor. That matters when the job gets complicated, and on older Lakewood tract homes, the job always gets a little complicated.
Over the years we’ve replaced windows and doors in every corner of Lakewood, from the neighborhoods north of Carson Street down to homes along Candlewood Street. The feedback we hear most from homeowners in the 90712 and 90713 ZIP codes is that we showed up when we said we would and we put every price change in writing before touching a wall. That’s a low bar, but in this business it puts us ahead of most of the competition.
Our crews know the 1950s framing patterns in Lakewood. We know what a 70-year-old header looks like behind a window off Hedge Avenue in the 90713 ZIP. And we know that nearly every original rough opening in this city measures a little out of square by now. That local knowledge is the reason homeowners call us back when the next window goes.
Our Windows & Doors Services in Lakewood
We handle the full Windows & Doors scope for Lakewood homes, from single-window swaps to whole-house tear-outs and refits. Here’s what we do most for homeowners across the 90711, 90712, 90713, and 90714 ZIPs.
Window Installation
New window installation in Lakewood usually means working with an existing rough opening that hasn’t been touched since Eisenhower was president. We measure, verify the header, fix any sag before it becomes a problem, install the unit level and square, and flash it properly against Lakewood’s stucco exteriors. We don’t caulk over rot and call it done. If the framing is bad, you’ll see a written change order before we cut anything.
Door Installation
Entry doors and interior doors in these 950-to-1,100-square-foot tract plans were built to a tighter standard than modern units. We pre-hang, shim stubborn jambs, and correct out-of-square openings before the new door goes in. Homes off South Street and Lakewood Boulevard see plenty of slab movement over the decades, and a new door jamb forced into a crooked opening shows it within a year.
Window Replacement
Replacement windows in Lakewood typically run $4,500 to $15,000 depending on the count and whether the original openings need re-framing. The old single-pane steel-framed windows from the early 1950s leak air and rattle in the tracks, and after 70 years the flashing has often separated from the stucco. We pull the old unit, fix what’s behind it, and set the replacement to modern code.
Impact Windows & Doors
Lakewood isn’t a barrier-island community, but homeowners here ask us about impact windows and doors for a different reason: the original 1950s framing has no bracing for lateral loads. Impact-rated units bring reinforced frames and laminated glass into an opening that was never designed to resist shear. For a whole-house install, expect $8,000 to $25,000 in the Lakewood market. The permit and inspection sign-off is part of the job.
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 Lakewood
We install what we’d put in our own homes, and that means brands you can look up. On Lakewood jobs we regularly set Andersen and Marvin windows, Milgard sliding patio doors, and impact-rated units from manufacturers with real track records. When a homeowner near Bellflower Boulevard wants a custom size or a specific trim profile, we order direct and build the opening to the manufacturer spec, not the other way around. We’re also honest when a repair beats a replacement: if your original 1953 window can be re-glazed and re-flashed for a fraction of a new unit, we’ll say so.
Common Windows & Doors Problems We See in Lakewood Homes
Because virtually every house in Lakewood was built in the same five-year burst, we walk onto jobs already knowing the most likely failure points. Here’s what we find most often:
- Undersized or sagging headers over original openings. The tract builders used the thinnest framing the 1950 building code allowed, and after seven decades of shear loads with no cripple-wall bracing, many headers have dropped a quarter-inch or more. This is the number one reason a simple window swap turns into a framing job.
- Rot behind the stucco. Dried-out caulking and cracked stucco around window and door perimeters let water seep in slowly, and by the time the homeowner notices bubbling paint or a sticking jamb, the rot has spread into the subfloor and the load-bearing studs. On Lakewood’s slab-on-grade homes, this can mean tearing out more than the visible opening.
- Out-of-square rough openings. Ninety percent of the original window and door frames we open in Lakewood are out of square by at least a half-inch. That’s normal for the era, but it’s also why a new window jammed into a crooked opening will bind within the first season.
- Galvanized supply lines under door thresholds. The original steel water lines in these 1950s homes often run directly beneath exterior door thresholds. Any door replacement that requires cutting the slab can expose a corroded line, which turns a door job into a plumbing rough-in and a permit amendment. We scope for this before cutting.
On a 1953 two-bedroom near Carson Street and Palo Verde Avenue, we replaced a rotted sliding patio door with a Milgard sliding glass unit. The existing rough opening was out of square by 3/4 inch and the header was undersized, so we wrote a change order for a new LVL header and permit inspection sign-off before closing the wall. That’s how we handle every surprise on a Lakewood job: on paper, priced, and approved by you first.
Pricing for Windows & Doors in Lakewood, CA
Here’s what honest money looks like in the Lakewood market right now:
| Service | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Window Replacement | $4,500 - $15,000 |
| Impact Window Installation | $8,000 - $25,000 |
A single vinyl window swap on a standard Lakewood tract home might land near the low end, while a whole-house impact retrofit with re-framing on multiple openings heads toward the top. What drives cost here is what’s behind the wall, not the window itself. We’ll always give you a written, line-item estimate before work starts, and every allowance is spelled out in the contract. If we open a wall and find a problem nobody predicted, you’ll see a written change order before we touch it, not a bigger invoice at the end. Call (877) 610-1318 to schedule a free estimate. A live person answers the phone day or night.
We Also Serve Cities Near Lakewood
Our crews live and work all around this part of LA County. We regularly take on Windows & Doors in Lakewood projects plus work in Signal Hill, Bellflower, Long Beach, and Paramount. If you’re in any of those cities and you’ve got a 1950s window or door giving you trouble, the phone number’s the same. No trip charge inside the county.
Serving Lakewood, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Lakewood 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 Lakewood
Because Lakewood’s housing stock was built before modern seismic code, and most original openings were never engineered for the loads we consider standard today. When we replace a window or widen a door opening on a 1950s tract home, the city wants proof that the new header and shear connection meet current requirements. So yes, most full replacements on these homes involve a permit and an inspection sign-off. That’s not a hassle, that’s the inspector working for you. Call us at (877) 610-1318 and we’ll tell you up front whether your job triggers one.
We write a change order before we touch the wall. It’s that simple. Here’s the sequence: if we open up your window and find rot or a header that won’t pass inspection, we stop work, photograph the issue, show you exactly what’s there, price the fix on paper, and wait for your call to proceed. No moving the scope and billing you later. We’ve done enough work in Lakewood to know this will happen on a meaningful percentage of jobs, so we plan for it in the estimate. Our contracts build allowances in for exactly this reason.
Yes. The postwar builders in Lakewood used a limited palette of trim profiles and a characteristic cement stucco finish. Because we see the same handful of profiles over and over across the 90712 and 90713 ZIPs, we know what’s available locally and what needs to be milled. We’ll match your existing trim and tool new stucco texture to blend with the original surface so the new window or door doesn’t look like a patch on the side of your house.
You don’t need them for hurricane wind loads in Lakewood the way a Long Beach oceanfront building does, but impact windows still make sense for two local reasons. First, these original 1950s openings have no bracing, so a stronger frame and laminated glass adds structural integrity where the old build gave you none. Second, impact glass cuts noise from Lakewood Boulevard and the 605 corridor, and it holds together if a stray object hits it. It’s a choice, not a requirement. We’ll tell you honestly whether the cost ($8,000 to $25,000 for a whole-house install) buys you enough on your particular lot.
A draw schedule is a payment plan tied to specific milestones, not dates. For a whole-house replacement, we typically structure it so you pay for materials when they’re delivered to your Lakewood home, then progress payments at defined points, like framing inspections passed or installation completed on a wing of the house. The remaining balance is due at final inspection and walkthrough. Every draw is written into the contract before you sign it. Call (877) 610-1318 and Tom will walk you through exactly how it’s structured for your project. Estimates are free, and there’s no trip charge inside LA County.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Lakewood, CA and surrounding communities.