Residential glass
This is the service for a rotten or rusted frame
Window replacement fits a complete new window unit, frame included, into the existing opening. It is the right choice when the frame is rotten, rusted, bent or no longer seals, or when single pane windows are being upgraded. Roxy Glass supplies and installs vinyl, aluminum and wood framed windows in standard and custom sizes.
Free estimates, no obligation. Request a free window replacement estimate.
If any of the following describes what you are looking at, this is the service that handles it.
The honest answer first
Replacement windows are a much larger job than glass work, and plenty of companies will happily sell you the larger job. Here is how to tell which one you actually need.
| What you are experiencing | What it usually means | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Fog or haze between the panes | The sealed glass unit has failed. The window itself is unaffected. | Sealed unit replacement |
| A cracked or broken pane | Impact or stress damage to the glass only. | Window glass repair |
| Drafts and water around the frame edges | The frame or its seal against the wall has failed, not the glass. | Window replacement |
| The window sticks, drops or will not lock | The frame has moved, swollen, rusted or bent out of shape. | Window replacement |
| Soft or crumbling wood at the bottom corners | Rot in the frame. New glass in a rotted frame does not fix rot. | Window replacement |
| Single pane glass, cold rooms, street noise | The windows are working as designed. The design is just old. | Window replacement, specified for heat or noise |
If you call us about replacing windows and the frames turn out to be sound, we will say so and quote you for the glass instead. It is a smaller job. We would rather have the smaller job and your trust than the larger job and a customer who later works out they did not need it.
Specifying the window
Retrofit is quicker and leaves the stucco, siding and interior trim alone, at the cost of a slightly smaller glass area. Full frame removes the old frame entirely, keeps the full opening and lets us see what condition the wall around the window is really in.
Vinyl is the most common and the most economical. Aluminum is slim and strong and suits a mid century look. Wood is the most expensive and needs maintaining, but it is often the only appropriate choice on a period property or in a design review district.
A low emissivity coating reduces heat gain through the glass. Laminated glass damps sound much better than a standard sealed unit. Tempered safety glass is required by code in doors, beside doors, in bathrooms and below certain heights.
Sliding, single hung, double hung, casement and awning windows each suit different openings. Casements seal tightly and catch a breeze. Sliders and hung windows do not project outward, which matters beside a walkway or a deck.
The work itself
These are the stages the job actually runs through, from the first look at the opening to the finished glass.
What happens next
Call the line for your area or send the estimate form. A photo of the damage and a rough measurement lets us tell you straight away whether it is a glass only repair or a full replacement.
Glass is cut to the opening, not to a catalog size, so the measurement has to be exact. For most jobs we measure on site. For a simple pane you can measure it yourself and we will tell you how.
The estimate is free and it sets out the glass type, the thickness, whether safety glazing is required and what the work involves. Nothing is ordered until you approve it.
Standard glass is usually cut at our Newark shop. Sealed double pane units, tempered glass and made to order shapes are fabricated to your measurements, which is what sets the lead time.
We fit the glass, check that it seals and operates properly, and take the old glass and packaging away with us.
Cost
Roxy Glass does not publish a fixed price for this work, because the price depends on the opening in front of us. Estimates are free, so the fastest way to get a real number is to send the measurements and a photo, or to have us come and measure.
Where we do this work
This work is carried out from our Newark shop across Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Francisco and southern Marin County.
Santa Clara County from San Jose out to Los Gatos and Cupertino.
San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Milpitas.
San Mateo County and the northern Santa Clara Valley.
Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Mateo, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Atherton, Redwood City, San Carlos, Belmont, Foster City, Burlingame, Millbrae, San Bruno.
The Tri City area, the Hayward and Oakland corridor and the shoreline cities.
Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, Alameda, Richmond.
Inland Alameda County and central Contra Costa County.
Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, Sunol, San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Martinez.
San Francisco, northern San Mateo County and southern Marin County.
San Francisco, South San Francisco, Daly City, San Rafael, Mill Valley, Larkspur, Corte Madera, San Anselmo, Tiburon.
Send your details on the free estimate form and the team that covers your address will answer. You can also call the Newark shop on (510) 400-7788, which is where every Bay Area job is dispatched from.
Questions
Look at the frame rather than the glass. Open and close the window. If it moves freely, closes fully, locks properly and the frame feels solid, then whatever is wrong is a glass problem and you need glass, not a window. If the frame is rotted, rusted, bent, swollen or the window no longer seals or operates, then new glass would go into a failed frame and a replacement window is the right call.
A retrofit window fits into your existing frame, which stays in the wall. It is quicker, less disruptive and does not disturb the stucco, siding or interior trim, but it slightly reduces the glass area because the new frame sits inside the old one. Full frame replacement removes the old frame back to the rough opening, which allows the wall around the window to be inspected and repaired, keeps the full glass area, and costs more.
It can, but the glass makeup matters more than simply having two panes. Laminated glass, which has a plastic interlayer bonded between two sheets, is markedly better at damping sound than a standard sealed unit, and differing pane thicknesses within a unit also help. If noise is your main reason for replacing windows, tell us at the estimate stage so the glass is specified for it rather than for heat alone.
Requirements are set by your city or county building department, not by us, and they differ across the Bay Area. Like for like retrofit replacement is treated differently from changing the size of an opening, and historic districts add their own review. We will tell you when we think permitting or design review is likely to apply to your property so you can check with your local building department before work is scheduled.
The fitting itself is usually the shortest part. Replacement windows are manufactured to your measurements, so the lead time between the measuring visit and the installation is what sets the overall timing, and custom sizes, wood frames and special glass extend it. We give you the expected timing with the estimate once the specification is settled.
Yes. There is no requirement to do a whole property at once. Where the windows are visible together from the street it is worth considering how a few new units will look beside older ones, and we will point that out, but replacing the worst windows first is a perfectly reasonable way to stage the work and spread the cost.
Fog, haze or streaks trapped between the panes means the sealed unit has failed. The glass unit is replaced, not the window.
Read about double pane glass replacement
Cracked or shattered glass replaced in your existing frame, usually without replacing the whole window.
Read about window glass repair
Sliding patio doors, French doors and bi-fold doors, including tempered glass replacement and rollers that no longer glide.
Read about glass doors and patio doors
Next step
Send photos of the windows and tell us what is actually going wrong. If the frames are sound we will tell you, and quote you for the glass instead.
Estimates are free. Tell us what broke, send a photo if you have one, and we will tell you whether it is a glass only repair or a full replacement before any work is booked.
Leave a message or use the estimate form and we will reply when we open.
