Free in-home measure and quote - PGT, CGI and CWS impact lines compared on your actual openings, style by style
Sliding glass doors
Impact garage doorsPGTCGI
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Custom Windows & Doors Across San Rafael
Custom window and door work in San Rafael typically runs $850-$2,400 per opening for standard replacements, and $2,800-$7,500 for fully custom shapes, oversized glass, or openings that need reframing. Most jobs in 94901 are completed in one visit once materials arrive, though hillside WUI compliance can add a permit review step. If you’re calling from San Rafael, we’re already familiar with the split between fire-zone hillsides and salt-air flats, and we quote accordingly. Call (888) 635-0804 for a free written estimate.
San Rafael is not one housing market. It’s two. The hillside neighborhoods above the 101 corridor sit inside California’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. The Canal district along the bayfront deals with salt air that eats aluminum tracks. A window crew working both sides of 94901 in the same week needs to know both sets of rules, and we do.
Why TruePane Windows & Doors Is San Rafael’s Preferred Custom Windows & Doors Company
Our Custom Windows & Doors team has been opening up San Rafael walls long enough to know what’s behind them. That matters more here than in most Marin towns, because 94901 housing stock splits so sharply. A 1950s Canal-area apartment with original single-pane sliders sits ten minutes from a Dominican hillside ranch where the county wants tempered glass and intumescent seals. Same ZIP code, two different jobs.
Dale Kessler founded TruePane in 2008 on a rule that still governs every install: if the pane is not true, the job is not done. We carry that into every San Rafael project, from a Craftsman bungalow near Sun Valley to a mid-century ranch off Lincoln Avenue. Our background-checked technicians measure every opening twice and quote manufacturer lines side by side on paper, so you see exactly what you’re buying before you sign.
San Rafael homeowners call us because they’ve been burned. They remember the contractor who installed a door that binds in July, or the fogged seal nobody would warranty. We register both manufacturer warranty layers in writing before the truck leaves your driveway. That’s The Keystone Standard, and it’s on every job we do in 94901.
When you call (888) 635-0804, a live person answers. Not a voicemail tree, not a callback form. The same is true at 2 a.m. as at 2 p.m.
Our Custom Windows & Doors Services in San Rafael
Custom Shape Windows
Older San Rafael homes rarely have square openings. Arched tops, radius corners, and odd-angle bays on Craftsman houses near Dominican or mid-century ranches in the flats don’t fit catalog sizes. We order custom-built units to the eighth of an inch, and we check the rough opening for framing damage before we order anything. A custom arch window in San Rafael runs $1,900-$5,200 installed, depending on glass package and frame material.
Commercial Storefront Glazing
Downtown San Rafael storefronts and Canal-area commercial buildings need glazing that holds up to foot traffic, weather, and the occasional shopping cart. We handle tempered safety glass, door closers, and aluminum storefront framing for San Rafael businesses, and we stock local parts so a broken pane on Fourth Street doesn’t sit boarded up for a week. Commercial storefront work in San Rafael typically runs $1,200-$6,500 depending on opening size and glass type.
Curtain Wall Systems
Larger commercial and mixed-use buildings in San Rafael, especially newer construction near the Civic Center corridor, use curtain wall framing that a residential glazier can’t properly service. We install and repair these systems with the same standard we bring to a hundred-year-old Craftsman: measured twice, set true, sealed correctly. Curtain wall installation in San Rafael runs $85-$180 per square foot for typical mid-rise applications.
Architectural Grilles & SDLs
San Rafael homeowners in historic or period homes frequently want the divided-light look without giving up dual-pane efficiency. Simulated divided lites and architectural grilles let you keep the Craftsman character on Hillview Avenue or the ranch aesthetic off Sir Francis Drake while meeting today’s energy code. Expect $85-$185 per window for SDL upgrades on a new dual-pane unit in San Rafael.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Rafael
We’re an authorized installer for more than a dozen manufacturer lines, and the ones that come up most in San Rafael are PGT, CGI. PGT and CGI matter here because both make impact-rated and WUI-compliant products that pass Marin County’s Chapter 7A review. Milgard’s vinyl and fiberglass lines fit well in San Rafael’s mid-century ranch stock. We quote them side by side on paper so you see the tradeoffs in writing. We also keep common local parts for Ply Gem and CWS units in stock for repair calls.
Common Custom Windows & Doors Problems We See in San Rafael Homes
- Fogged insulated glass on 1950s-60s Canal-area sliders. The original single-pane aluminum sliders in the Canal’s older apartments and small homes develop seal failure, and once moisture gets between the panes, the unit is done. The salt air off San Rafael Bay doesn’t help. Replacement is the fix, not repair.
- Corrosion on bayfront aluminum tracks and hardware. The eastern edge of 94901 gets measurable salt-air exposure that pits untreated aluminum faster than comparable properties a few miles west in San Anselmo. We use corrosion-resistant hardware and finishes on every Canal-area job as a baseline.
- WUI compliance failures on hillside replacements. Hillside homeowners above downtown are often surprised to learn that a straightforward window swap triggers a Marin County WUI review. Original windows without multi-pane tempered glass or intumescent door seals fail that review, and then the job changes scope late. We flag this at estimate time, not after the permit comes back.
- Undersized or rotted framing in Dominican and hillside ranches. Older wood-frame ranches and Craftsman-era homes frequently have undersized king studs, warped jambs, or rotted sills that make a standard replacement frame impossible. We write a framing allowance into the contract for exactly this reason, so the discovery doesn’t become an argument.
Pricing for Custom Windows & Doors in San Rafael, CA
Custom window and door pricing in San Rafael breaks down like this:
- Standard dual-pane replacement: $850-$2,400 per opening installed
- Custom shape (arch, radius, angled): $1,900-$5,200 per opening
- Oversized glass panel: $2,800-$7,500 per panel, depending on structural support required
- Architectural grilles or SDL upgrade: $85-$185 per window added to the base unit
- Framing allowance for rotted or undersized openings: $300-$1,200 per opening, priced and approved in writing before we touch the wall
- WUI compliance upgrade (tempered multi-pane, intumescent seals): $450-$1,800 per opening, depending on fire-zone requirements
What moves the number is mostly what’s behind the wall. A clean opening in a 1970s flat costs less than a rotted jamb in a 1950s Dominican ranch that needs new king studs. We inspect first, write allowances into the contract, and any surprise gets priced and approved in writing before we touch it. No change orders you didn’t sign off on. Call (888) 635-0804 to schedule your free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Rafael
Our San Rafael customers come from every part of 94901, and we serve the neighboring communities as well. You’ll find our Custom Windows & Doors in San Rafael crews working in Larkspur, Kentfield, Corte Madera, and San Anselmo throughout the week. The fire-zone rules and salt-air concerns shift from town to town, and we adjust the spec accordingly.
Serving San Rafael, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Rafael 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 San Rafael
Yes, in most hillside areas of 94901 the county’s WUI review gets triggered by any window or door replacement that changes the glazing or opening. The review typically requires multi-pane tempered glass and intumescent door seals, which adds $450-$1,800 per opening depending on the product. We flag this at the estimate stage so the permit doesn’t blindside you. Call (888) 635-0804 and we’ll tell you what applies to your street before you sign anything.
Because the Canal sits against San Rafael Bay, and the salt air off the water settles on untreated aluminum tracks and hardware continuously. That salt exposure pits the metal and grinds sashes to a stop within a decade or two. Fairfax and San Anselmo don’t get that marine layer the same way. On Canal-area jobs we use corrosion-resistant hardware and finishes as a baseline, which costs roughly 10-15% more but triples the life of the hardware. For an exact quote, call (888) 635-0804 - estimates are free.
Yes, we can match any rough opening, but the honest answer is that older Dominican ranches often have undersized or rotted framing that a standard unit simply won’t fit. That’s why we write a framing allowance into the contract up front, typically $300-$1,200 per opening. If the framing is clean, the allowance isn’t touched. If it needs work, you’re already covered and we price it in writing before we cut anything. Call (888) 635-0804 to have us measure your openings.
Fogged glass means the seal has failed, and the insulating gas between panes is gone. That window now lets heat through in summer and leaks it in winter. It cannot be repaired; the glass unit has to be replaced. On an older single-pane aluminum slider in the Canal area, the best move is usually full window replacement with a dual-pane low-E unit, which runs $850-$2,400 per opening in San Rafael. Call (888) 635-0804 for a free estimate on what your specific windows need.
Yes, San Rafael requires a permit for any window replacement that alters the rough opening or framing. Straight swaps into existing openings often still need a simple over-the-counter permit. Hillside work adds the WUI review on top. We pull every permit, schedule the inspection, and don’t consider the job done until it passes. Call (888) 635-0804 and we’ll walk you through what your specific street triggers.
Written by Dale Kessler, Owner at TruePane Windows & Doors, serving San Rafael and Marin County since 2008.