Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
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After
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AfterFast, Reliable Windows & Doors Across San Antonio
Replacing windows or doors in San Antonio is never just a swap-out job. The city’s older housing stock, expansive clay soil, and historic-district rules in places like King William and Lavaca mean the work has to be done right the first time, or you’ll pay for it twice. Barrett & Sons Construction has been doing exactly that since 1998. We’re the owner-operated crew that shows up on time, puts the scope in writing, and answers the phone when you call. If you need a straight answer about window or door replacement in San Antonio, call Tom Barrett’s team at (877) 610-1318. Estimates are free, and the price you’re quoted is the price you’ll see on the contract.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is San Antonio’s Preferred Windows & Doors Company
We’re not a franchise dispatching strangers from a call center in another state. Tom Barrett’s name is on the truck, and his sons run the crews. That matters in San Antonio, where the difference between a good window installation and a bad one often comes down to whether the installer understands what’s behind the wall. Our Windows & Doors team has opened enough walls in Woodlawn, Dignowity Hill, and the East Side to know what we’re going to find before we find it.
Every job gets a written scope, written allowances, and written change orders before any work changes. The permit inspector works for you, not for us, and that’s exactly how we like it. Ask anyone on your street, or look up the license number yourself. We’ve built our reputation in San Antonio one signed inspection at a time.
Our 90-Day Done Right Promise is written on every contract we hand out. If something isn’t right, one call brings Tom back. No fine print, no phone tree, no runaround.
Our Windows & Doors Services in San Antonio
Window Installation
New window installation in San Antonio runs into two realities fast: older homes with caliche block walls and shifting expansive clay that racks frames out of square. We set every window with proper shims and flexible sealant so it stays square and operable through the city’s wet-dry cycles. Whether you’re in a 1920s bungalow off Fredericksburg Road or a 1970s ranch in 78213, the process starts with a free inspection and a written quote.
Door Installation
Exterior doors in San Antonio take a beating from the sun and the soil movement underneath the slab. A door that binds in summer or sticks after a heavy rain is usually a foundation-movement problem, not a hinge problem. We check the rough opening, the header, and the floor before we hang anything. Then we install the door so it swings clean the day we leave and keeps swinging clean two years later.
Window Replacement
Window replacement in San Antonio typically runs $4,500 to $15,000 depending on the house, the number of openings, and what’s behind the drywall. In pre-1950 homes across 78201 through 78210, we often find undersized headers or shifted framing once the old window comes out. That’s not a reason to panic. It’s a reason to have a contractor who pulls permits and writes change orders before touching anything else.
Impact Windows & Doors
San Antonio doesn’t get direct hurricane hits, but it does get hail, wind-driven rain, and the occasional tornado warning. Impact windows and doors from PGT and CGI are code-tested to hold up to debris impact and keep the envelope sealed. Impact window installation in San Antonio runs $8,000 to $25,000 for a typical whole-home project. We install them with the same written-scope discipline as every other 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 San Antonio
We install Simonton, Ply Gem, and PGT windows and doors because these are brands you can look up, with published performance ratings and warranties that mean something. We don’t stock mystery brands off a van. For San Antonio homeowners in historic districts, we also source custom profiles that meet San Antonio‘s Historic and Design Review Commission requirements, so you don’t get hit with a tear-out order after the fact.
Common Windows & Doors Problems We See in San Antonio Homes
- Frames racked by expansive clay soil. San Antonio’s black clay swells during wet seasons and shrinks during droughts. Slabs and pier-and-beam foundations move inches, and windows and doors bind, stick, or crack. Proper shims, flexible flashing, and a real look at the foundation make the difference.
- Caliche block behind old walls. In 78204 and 78207, pre-1950 homes often have load-bearing caliche block masonry. It’s dense, irregular, and sometimes mistaken for adobe. Cutting a new opening without shoring and an engineered header is dangerous, and we’ve seen partial collapses from exactly that mistake.
- Undersized headers over existing openings. Older San Antonio houses were built to different codes. We regularly find a 2×4 flat header where today’s code calls for a 2×10 or better. When the wall is open, that has to be corrected and inspected.
- Historic district compliance mistakes. King William, Lavaca, and Dignowity Hill fall under HDRC review. The wrong window profile or material in those neighborhoods means a forced tear-out and reinstall, paid by the homeowner, not the contractor who messed up. We handle the paperwork before we order the window.
Pricing for Windows & Doors in San Antonio, TX
Here’s what we see in the San Antonio market right now:
| Service | Typical Range in San Antonio |
|---|---|
| Impact Window Installation | $8,000 - $25,000 |
| Window Replacement | $4,500 - $15,000 |
Several things move the number. Window count and size, whether the home is single-story or two-story, what’s behind the existing trim, and whether the house sits in an HDRC district all matter. We write every allowance into the contract, and every change arrives as a written change order before work proceeds. An allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate on any window or door project in San Antonio.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Antonio
Our crews work throughout the San Antonio metro, including Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, Kirby, and Windcrest. If you’re in any of these communities and need Windows & Doors in San Antonio, you’re still in our service area, and the same written-scope rules apply. One phone call covers it.
Serving San Antonio, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Antonio 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 San Antonio
Yes. In King William, Lavaca, and Dignowity Hill, exterior window changes require HDRC approval before work begins. The district has specific requirements for window profiles, materials, and sometimes colors. We handle the application and submit the right documentation. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk you through whether your project triggers review and what it will take to get it approved.
San Antonio’s expansive clay shrinks and swells with rainfall cycles, moving slabs and pier-and-beam foundations by inches seasonally. That movement racks door frames, causes binding, and can crack glass within two years if the installer didn’t account for it. We shim and seal every opening for movement, and we check the foundation condition before we hang the door. An exact assessment is part of the free estimate.
Caliche block is dense and load-bearing, but it’s also irregular and doesn’t behave like modern CMU. In many pre-1950 San Antonio homes, a larger window opening requires temporary shoring and an engineered header before any cutting happens. We don’t guess at this. We bring in a structural engineer, get the calculations in writing, and pull the permit so a third-party inspector confirms the work.
We stop work on that opening, document what we found, and give you a written change order with a price before we cut further. That’s the whole point of writing allowances into the contract from the start. You’ll know the number, you’ll approve it in writing, and then we proceed. No surprise invoices at the end. Call (877) 610-1318 if you want to talk through what this looks like on your house.
Impact windows protect against more than hurricanes. In San Antonio, the bigger threats are hail, wind-driven rain during severe thunderstorms, and debris from high winds that can shatter a standard pane and leave your house open to water damage. Impact-rated glass from brands like PGT and CGI also cuts UV fade on flooring and furniture and reduces outside noise, which matters along busy corridors like San Pedro Avenue or I-10. For a quote on impact windows in San Antonio, call (877) 610-1318.
What Happens Behind the Wall Is the Real Estimate
The single biggest reason a window or door quote moves in San Antonio is what’s hiding behind the trim. In the 78201 through 78210 corridor, we open walls and find caliche block, outdated wiring, undersized framing, failed waterproofing, and the code upgrades a permit triggers once the wall is open. We handle it by inspecting first, writing allowances into the contract, and pricing every surprise as a written change order before we touch it. On a craftsman bungalow in Woodlawn (78201), we opened an exterior wall to install a new sliding patio door and found the original window header was undersized and the caliche block jamb had shifted with the expansive clay soil, leaving a 1-inch gap at the top corner. Before we cut further, we shored the wall, had the structural engineer in writing, and pulled a permit so the third-party inspector confirmed the new load-bearing header and flashing before we closed up. No surprises, no change order beyond the approved allowance. That’s how this company has worked for over 25 years, and it’s how we work in San Antonio today.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving San Antonio since 1998.