San Rafael has just about every kind of house Marin has to offer, and each one is hard on windows in its own way. Up in Terra Linda and nearby Lucas Valley, the Eichlers built in the late 1950s and '60s were designed around walls of glass, and many still have single-pane glass, some in aluminum sliders and some set straight into the wood framing. Those rooms run cold all winter and bake in the afternoon sun. Closer to downtown, the older homes in Gerstle Park and around Dominican have wood sashes that have been painted, repainted and finally painted shut. And along the Highway 101 corridor, the steady hum of traffic finds its way through any window with a gap.
We replace windows across the city, from a single bedroom to the whole house, and we fix the ones that only need a part or new glass. Most homes here are a good match for low-maintenance vinyl, while the older craftsman houses usually look best with wood-clad windows that keep real wood inside. Call us or send the form for a free estimate at your house.
Replacing Glass in San Rafael's Eichler Homes
Eichlers are a special case. Many of the big panes sit directly in the post-and-beam framing rather than in a separate window frame, and the whole look depends on those thin, clean lines. Dropping in bulky stock windows would ruin it. For these homes we use slim-profile frames, or we replace the glass itself with dual-pane units sized to the existing openings, so the house keeps its character. Dual-pane low-E glass makes a big difference in a home with this much glass, cutting the winter chill along the floor and the heat that builds up on west-facing walls by late afternoon. We also look closely at the wood around each pane, since decades of condensation running down single glass often leaves soft spots at the bottom. On some Eichlers, replacing only the sealed glass is enough, and our glass-only window repair keeps every original frame in place.
Road Noise, Heat and Damp Across San Rafael
San Rafael sits right on Highway 101, and homes near it, from Puerto Suello Hill through downtown and out toward the Canal, live with constant road noise. Dual-pane windows cut it a lot, and laminated glass on the side facing the freeway cuts it further. The northern neighborhoods also run noticeably warmer than southern Marin in summer, so low-E glass that blocks solar heat is worth the upgrade on south and west walls in Terra Linda and Marinwood. Down near the bay, homes in the Canal area and along Point San Pedro Road deal with more damp air and salt, which is tough on old aluminum frames and hardware. We pick frames and hardware that suit each spot. If you live just over the hill in San Anselmo, you'll recognize a lot of the same older-home issues we handle here every week.
Common Questions
Yes. We match the thin sightlines with slim-profile frames, or replace only the glass in the existing openings, and keep the floor-to-ceiling proportions intact. Dual-pane units for Eichlers are often custom sized, so expect a little more lead time. We go over each wall of glass with you and point out anywhere the wood around it needs repair first.
All of them, including Terra Linda, Marinwood, Lucas Valley, Santa Venetia, Gerstle Park, Sun Valley, Dominican, the Canal and Peacock Gap, plus everything in between. If you're not sure your street counts as San Rafael, call and ask. We work throughout Marin County, so the answer is almost certainly yes.