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 Marina del Rey
Replacing windows or doors in Marina del Rey means dealing with two things most contractors in Los Angeles never think about: salt air and a dual-permit process that ties up projects without it. We’ve been working in the marina’s condominium towers and apartment complexes long enough to know exactly what building department reviewers will ask for, what the Coastal Commission wants to see, and which frame materials survive more than one fog season. If you’re in 90292 or 90295 and your windows are original to a 1970s building, they’re overdue. Call Tom’s team at (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk the property with you, put a written scope in your hand, and give you honest numbers before you commit to anything.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Marina del Rey’s Preferred Windows & Doors Company
Tom Barrett started this company in 1998 and put his name on the truck because he planned to answer for the work. That hasn’t changed. When our crew pulls up to a building off Admiralty Way or Via Marina, the same family that started the company is running the job, not a rotating cast of subcontractors wearing someone else’s shirt. Marina del Rey homeowners tell us the same thing: they’ve been burned by out-of-area outfits that quoted one number on the phone and handed over a different bill once the walls were open. That’s why every allowance goes in writing, every change order hits paper before work happens, and our Windows & Doors team stands behind the finished job with the 90-Day Done Right Promise.
We answer our own phone at (877) 610-1318, 24 hours a day. Not a call center. Not a voicemail that promises a callback. If something goes wrong on a Saturday, you get a person.
Our Windows & Doors Services in Marina del Rey
Window Installation
Marina del Rey’s housing stock went up in a tight window between roughly 1965 and 1985, which means most windows we pull are 40 to 60 years old. Many are single-pane aluminum with failed thermal breaks, and in buildings near the water, the frames are typically pitted and corroded where the marine layer has been working on them for decades. We install new construction and replacement windows sized to the existing openings, but when the opening needs reframing - and it often does once we get into an older condo tower - we take care of the structural work, the flashing, and the waterproofing in the same scope, not as a surprise add-on later.
Door Installation
Entry doors, balcony doors, and patio sliders in Marina del Rey take a beating that doors in Culver City never face. Direct salt spray off the marina and the Pacific eats standard hinges, thresholds, and weatherstripping inside five to ten years. We install doors with marine-grade hardware and stainless-steel fasteners as a default near the water, and we always check the condition of the sub-sill and pan flashing before we set the new door. If the original 1970s door went straight onto the slab without a pan flash - common in older buildings - wind-driven rain has likely been wicking into the subfloor for years. We fix that before we close anything up.
Window Replacement
If you’re replacing windows in Marina del Rey, the biggest question isn’t the window brand. It’s whether your building’s exterior openings can change size without dragging in a Coastal Development Permit, an LA County DPW review, and possibly a structural sign-off from the building engineer. When we replace windows like-for-like - same rough opening, no framing changes - the permit path is usually straightforward. When you want a bigger window or a new opening, the process gets more involved. Either way, every permit gets pulled and every inspection gets signed before we consider the job done. You can see the paperwork. That’s how we do business.
Impact Windows & Doors
Impact-rated windows and doors are the best long-term investment for a Marina del Rey condo or apartment, not because of hurricanes, but because the same laminated glass and heavy-duty frames that stop windborne debris also handle coastal moisture and seal dramatically better than anything installed in 1974. We install PGT and CGI impact products regularly in the marina. They carry design pressure ratings that satisfy both LA County and Coastal Commission reviewers, and once they’re in, your utility bills drop and the constant damp feel inside many older units goes away. It’s a real difference, not a brochure promise.
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 Marina del Rey
We install and service windows and doors from Simonton, PGT, and CGI - brands you can look up before you sign anything. When you call for a repair on an existing unit many years down the road, Tom’s team can source hardware and replacement parts quickly because we’re not guessing at what’s in your building. We’ve worked in enough Marina del Rey structures to know which products were spec’d in the original build and what’s been retrofitted since. If we install it, we stand behind it. The 90-Day Done Right Promise is printed on the contract, not buried in an email.
Common Windows & Doors Problems We See in Marina del Rey Homes
- Salt-air corrosion on aluminum frames and hardware. The persistent coastal marine layer and direct salt exposure off the marina accelerate chloride-driven corrosion on standard aluminum framing. Window sashes get pitted, locks seize, and rollers on sliding doors grind themselves to failure within a decade unless the hardware is marine-grade. Off-the-shelf units fail early here - that’s not an upsell, it’s what the salt does.
- Sliding doors set directly on slab without a pan flash. Original 1965-1985 sliders in Marina del Rey often sit right on the concrete with no waterproofing pan underneath. Wind-driven rain from the west wicks through the threshold, rots the framing hidden behind drywall, and quietly destroys the subfloor. By the time the drywall stains show, the damage is usually years old.
- Dual-permit triggers that stall out-of-area contractors. Because Marina del Rey is unincorporated LA County and entirely inside the California Coastal Zone, any window or door replacement that changes the exterior opening size or framing requires both LA County DPW permits and a California Coastal Commission Coastal Development Permit. Contractors who don’t work here regularly miss this, open the wall, and leave the building unsealed for months while the paperwork catches up. We know the drill and file both from the start.
- Ground-lease sign-off requirements. A large portion of Marina del Rey parcels sit on LA County ground leases rather than fee-simple land. Before any substantial structural improvement - including window or door replacement that touches framing - contractors must verify the lease terms and obtain county lessor sign-off. Builders working in Venice or Culver City have never heard of this step, and skipping it can halt a project mid-construction. We check it before we write the scope.
Pricing for Windows & Doors in Marina del Rey, CA
Window and door work in Marina del Rey runs higher than the same job in the incorporated cities directly around us, and the reasons are specific, not invented. The dual-permit requirement adds engineering review time and filing fees. Ground-lease verification adds a step most bids never account for. Salt-air exposure means standard frames are a false economy, so the install itself must use marine-grade finishes and stainless fasteners. Here’s what realistic pricing looks like in this market:
| Service | Typical Marina del Rey Range |
|---|---|
| Window Replacement | $4,500 - $15,000 |
| Impact Window Installation | $8,000 - $25,000 |
What moves the number: the number of window units, whether the openings stay the same size, whether the building is concrete-frame or wood-frame, and whether a ground-lease sign-off is required. Every bid from Barrett & Sons comes as a written line-item estimate. If the scope changes once the wall is open, you get a written change order with a price before we move. No surprises at the end. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll schedule your free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Marina del Rey
Our crews work throughout the South Bay and the coastal strip, so if you’re in Marina del Rey or just outside it, we’ve likely got people nearby. We currently serve Lawndale, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and Hawthorne, with the same written-scope process and the same 90-Day Done Right Promise on every job.
Serving Marina del Rey, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Marina del Rey 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 Marina del Rey
If the replacement is like-for-like - same rough opening, no change to the exterior framing or opening size - you typically do not trigger a Coastal Development Permit review, though LA County DPW still requires a building permit for the work. The Coastal Development Permit comes into play when the opening changes size, the framing is altered, or the building’s exterior appearance changes in a way the Coastal Commission cares about. Many older Marina del Rey buildings have windows in non-standard sizes, which pushes owners toward resizing, and that’s when the second permit becomes unavoidable. Call (877) 610-1318 with your building’s address and we’ll tell you which path applies before anything gets ordered.
Three reasons: the dual-permit layer adds engineering review time and filing costs; many buildings require ground-lease lessor sign-off before structural work proceeds, which takes time and sometimes legal review; and the coastal environment demands marine-grade finishes and stainless-steel fasteners that inland installs don’t need. The window unit itself may be the same PGT or CGI product at the same dealer price, but the job around it is different. That’s not markup - that’s what it costs to do it right here. We’ll show you the line items and you can compare.
The short answer is no, not always. SB 721 requires inspection of exterior elevated elements on buildings with three or more multifamily units, and Marina del Rey’s aging condo stock sits squarely in that category. When a sliding door replacement involves the balcony’s waterproofing envelope or structural connection - and in 40-to-60-year-old buildings it usually does - the county will often want the balcony inspection tied to the same permit. It’s not a penalty; it’s the law working as intended. We coordinate both so you’re not caught flat-footed.
For coastal exposure, we recommend either marine-grade aluminum with a high-performance finish or vinyl frames with stainless-steel hardware. Standard anodized aluminum corrodes and pits within a decade near the water, and bare steel fasteners rust through even faster. Impact-rated units from PGT and CGI typically ship with corrosion-resistant hardware as part of the coastal spec, which is why they make sense in Marina del Rey even without a hurricane threat. The goal is a frame you won’t be replacing again in 2035.
Yes, and this is one that out-of-area contractors almost never catch. Many Marina del Rey parcels sit on LA County ground leases rather than fee-simple ownership. Before structural work proceeds - including window or door replacement that touches framing - the county lessor may need to sign off. We verify lease terms as a standard part of the pre-construction check, before a single opening gets touched. If the sign-off is required, it’s built into the timeline and the written scope, not discovered halfway through. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate and we’ll walk through what applies to your building.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Marina del Rey and the surrounding South Bay communities.