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Before
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Before
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AfterFast, Reliable Custom Windows & Doors Across Hillsborough
Custom window and door work in Hillsborough is not a standard replacement job. The Town’s Design Review Commission requires stamped architectural drawings and board sign-off before permits are issued on older estate homes, which adds weeks of lead time that neighboring cities like Burlingame or San Mateo don’t require. We know this process because we work within it regularly, and we know the homes because we’ve measured, specified, and installed on them for years. Call (888) 635-0804 and you’ll reach a live person who can talk through your project same day.
Why TruePane Windows & Doors Is Hillsborough’s Preferred Custom Windows & Doors Company
We’re not the cheapest bid in Hillsborough, and we don’t try to be. Homeowners here call us because the alternative is a contractor who learns about Design Review after the order is placed. Our Custom Windows & Doors team has navigated enough 1920s Tudor and Spanish Colonial projects to know which drawings the board will accept, which hardware profiles need documentation, and which material substitutions will raise a flag during review. That hard-won familiarity saves Hillsborough residents weeks of redesign and resubmittal.
Dale Kessler started TruePane in 2008 out of a simple rule: if the pane is not true, the job is not done. That standard applies to every opening we touch in Hillsborough, from a single arched casement to a full estate facade. Background-checked, uniformed technicians measure every opening twice, quote manufacturer lines side by side on paper, and register both warranty layers before the truck leaves the driveway. That’s The Keystone Standard, and it’s in writing on every job.
Local reputation matters here. Hillsborough homeowners talk to their neighbors, and we’ve earned referrals the hard way: by showing up when we say, doing the work right the first time, and answering the phone after the job is done. A live person answers our calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Not a voicemail tree. Not a callback form.
Our Custom Windows & Doors Services in Hillsborough
Custom Shape Windows
Arched casements, circular porthole windows, and eyebrow transoms are common on Hillsborough’s Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean estates. These aren’t available off any shelf. We spec each custom shape with a manufacturer that can produce the exact radius, divide-light pattern, and sightline to match the original architectural character. In Hillsborough, that match isn’t just an aesthetic preference; it’s a Design Review requirement.
Architectural Grilles & SDLs
Simulated divided lites (SDLs) give a new window the authentic multi-pane look of a 1930s hand-made original without sacrificing energy efficiency. On Hillsborough Tudor Revival homes where true divided-light windows were originally set in steel or wood, the grille profile, bar thickness, and spacer color all matter. We match them. Then we document the match for the Design Review Commission’s files.
Oversized Glass Panels
Hillsborough’s estate homes often feature interior light wells, bay assemblies, or conservatory-style glass walls that require panels exceeding standard residential sizes. Handling oversized glass on hillside lots means coordinating crane or lift access, managing wind load on exposed elevations, and specifying glazing that stands up to marine air. We’ve done it on lots along Hayne Road, Skyfarm Drive, and Black Mountain Road.
Curtain Wall Systems
While most Hillsborough homes don’t have commercial curtain walls, occasional modern additions or detached studios do. Our glazing experience with curtain wall systems means we can handle the structural anchoring, thermal breaks, and drainage details these systems demand in a marine fog zone.
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 are an authorized installer for more than a dozen manufacturer lines, including, PGT, and CGI. For Hillsborough’s custom estate work, we frequently specify Marvin for custom-shaped units, ES Windows for oversized architectural glazing, and CWS or ECO Window Systems for coastal-rated performance. We keep relationships with local distributor yards so custom orders arrive on schedule, and we register both manufacturer warranty layers before we leave your driveway. No fine print. No paperwork fights.
Common Custom Windows & Doors Problems We See in Hillsborough Homes
- Seized steel casement hardware: Original steel operator hardware on 1920s-60s estates corrodes faster in Hillsborough’s marine fog zone than in fog-shielded towns like Atherton. Cranks lock up, sash arms snap, and windows that should open to the Bay view become permanent art pieces. We replace with marine-grade stainless hardware, not plated imitations that fail again within a few fog seasons.
- Rot at the drip edge of wood sills: Windward elevations on hillside lots take the full force of afternoon marine air. Water collects at the drip edge, wicks into the sill, and rots the jamb from the bottom up. The window may look fine at eye level, but the sill profile is gone. We catch this with a moisture probe during the estimate.
- Thermal shock cracking on single-pane glass: Damp marine mornings followed by direct afternoon sun on upper hillside exposures set up stress fractures in oversized single-pane windows. This failure pattern is more common on Hillsborough elevations that face the Bay, and almost always points to replacement with impact-rated or thermally insulated glazing.
- Original divided-light deterioration: True divided-light wood windows from the 1920s and 30s lose their putty, their seal, and eventually their panes. Some can be restored. Some cannot. We assess each sash honestly and tell you which is which, because spending $2,000 restoring a sash that should be replaced at $1,100 is a disservice.
Pricing for Custom Windows & Doors in Hillsborough, CA
Custom work in Hillsborough runs higher than standard replacement because of Design Review documentation and the material specifications marine fog demands. A single custom arched casement window typically runs $2,800 to $6,500 depending on the manufacturer and glazing package. Architectural grilles and SDLs add $180 to $450 per window. Oversized glass panels on estate homes often land between $4,000 and $12,000 per opening, with installation complexity driving the upper end. A full custom replacement package for a 4,000 square foot Hillsborough home typically ranges $85,000 to $220,000.
What changes the price: the number of custom shapes, the glazing spec (impact-rated, low-E, argon fill), whether the original jamb is salvageable, and whether your home sits on a hillside requiring lift access. We provide line-item written quotes so you see exactly what each element costs before you sign anything. Call (888) 635-0804 for a free estimate with no obligation.
We Also Serve Cities Near Hillsborough
Our Hillsborough crews regularly work in nearby Parkway, Arden-Arcade, Ladera Heights, and Commerce. If you’re in one of these communities and need custom window or door work done right, you’ll get the same written pricing, the same Keystone Standard warranty registration, and the same live person on the phone.
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 - Custom Windows & Doors in Hillsborough
Yes, Hillsborough’s Design Review Commission typically adds 4 to 8 weeks to the front end of a custom window replacement on older estate homes, because they require stamped architectural drawings and board sign-off before a building permit is issued. We’ve passed many of these reviews on the first submittal by documenting original hardware profiles, sightlines, and material matches from day one. Call (888) 635-0804 and we’ll walk you through what your specific home will need.
Steel casement hardware corrodes and seizes faster in Hillsborough because moist marine air from the Bay settles on metal surfaces and holds there. We specify marine-grade stainless steel hinges, operators, and locking points for coastal-facing elevations; standard hardware will fail again in a few fog seasons and cost more in the long run. Our Done Right Promise covers every piece of hardware we install, and the estimate you receive up front reflects the coastal-spec price, not a low inland bid that quietly omits what you need.
Yes, we match original divided-light patterns on Hillsborough Tudor Revival and Spanish Colonial homes by specifying either true divided-light custom wood windows or SDL (simulated divided lite) units with bar spacing, thickness, and profile matched to the original. On one 1930s Spanish Colonial Revival estate off Crystal Springs Road, we replaced a missing arched casement sash with a custom-matched Marvin unit featuring low-E glass, argon fill, and a fusion-welded frame, then rehung the original steel jamb with new stainless hinges. Design Review passed it on the first submittal because the hardware profile was documented. Call (888) 635-0804 and bring us your original window; we’ll tell you what’s restorable and what needs full replacement.
A coastal-spec custom window for Hillsborough uses marine-grade stainless steel hardware, impact-rated or thermally insulated glazing, and sealed joints rated for persistent moisture exposure; an inland-spec window uses standard hardware and glazing that will fail within a few fog seasons. The coastal-spec version costs 15 to 25 percent more up front, but the cheap spec will need hardware replacement and possible frame repair within a decade. On a $6,000 window, that’s a $900-to-$1,500 choice that the fog will decide for you if you don’t decide it yourself. We quote both options on paper so you see the difference in writing.
Look at the sill and the jamb where the window closes: if the wood is soft to a fingernail press, if the sash drops when opened, or if you can see daylight through the sill joint at the exterior, the window has likely failed structurally and needs replacement. Slight paint peeling, surface putty cracking, or a stiff operator can often be restored. We’ll inspect every opening during your free estimate, and if restoration is the honest answer, we’ll tell you that even when it means a smaller job for us. Call (888) 635-0804 to schedule the inspection.
Written by Dale Kessler, Owner at TruePane Windows & Doors, serving Hillsborough with custom window and door expertise since 2008.