Retrofit vinyl double-hung
- Est. investment
- $450 to $950 per window
- Est. duration
- 45 to 90 minutes
Insert into the sound old frame, stucco left untouched
Commercial Windows in Carlsbad, CA
Carlsbad Quality Windows is the North County coast's trusted team in commercial window replacement, partnering with property managers, general contractors and building owners and specializing in storefront glass, association window programs, and occupied apartment glazing. We handle jobs from a 6-pane shop front to a 64-window apartment building released four units a day.
Get a free window estimate
Commercial Window and Glass Replacement That Keeps Buildings Open
Our crews work retail street fronts, condominium associations, rental buildings and office suites, phasing every opening around tenants, residents and business hours so suites stay leased and doors stay open. Backed by 13 years in business and our 2-year workmanship warranty on every installation, we have completed over 1,730 projects, and property manager and contractor references are available on request.
From the elevation-by-elevation takeoff and product submittals to the punch list and the closeout binder, our team handles the parts of a commercial window job that decide whether it finishes on schedule. Serving Carlsbad, Bonsall, Poway and the beach cities of Encinitas and Solana Beach, we hold the general contractor's schedule, work nights and weekends where a building cannot close, and turn each phase over ready for inspection.
Why Carlsbad Quality Windows
What You Can Hold Us To
13 yearsMeasuring and installing windows across North County
1,730Window and door projects completed
2-year2-year workmanship warranty on every installation
30 milesFrom Carlsbad to Poway, Bonsall and Lake San Marcos
Commercial Project Sizes We Take On
We take on commercial window work from a single shop front of 6 storefront panes, street-facing retail, up to association and rental programs of 48 to 64 windows. Between those sits the office suite, such as the 10 fixed office windows, tenant improvement in Poway Business Park, and mixed sites like a working ranch in Bonsall on rural larger lots. That ranch job put 14 windows, ranch office and barn apartments, on one spec of vinyl sliders, dual-pane Low-E, for an estimated $12,600 to $16,800 over an estimated 2 to 3 days in a single mobilization.
Property Types We Glaze Across North County
Most of our commercial calendar falls into four building types, and each one has its own page with the detail a buyer needs.
- Retail and restaurant street fronts in Carlsbad Village and along Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas, glazed in tempered or laminated panes.
- Condominium associations, from the bluff-top condominiums in Solana Beach to master-planned communities in La Costa and Bressi Ranch.
- Apartment buildings, such as the lakeside rentals at Lake San Marcos, replaced unit by unit with residents at home.
- Office, medical and R&D suites from Carlsbad to Old Poway, where the city's information technology, medical device and life sciences employers lease space and the glass is set to the landlord's standard.
Commercial Window Specification We Hold on Every Building
- Glass package
- Dual-pane Low-E with argon fill as standard; Low-E 366 on west and ocean-facing walls
- U-Factor
- 0.30 or lower on every Title 24 job; 0.25 to 0.28 typical on our standard dual-pane
- Solar Heat Gain (SHGC)
- 0.23 or lower on south and west walls
- Install method
- Retrofit pocket insert into sound frames; full-frame tear-out where the frame or sill has failed
- Sound control
- 26 to 34 STC on standard dual-pane; 35 to 42 STC with laminated acoustic glass
- Design pressure
- DP 30 to DP 50 on most homes; DP 60 or higher on exposed bluff-top walls
- Safety glazing
- Tempered glass near doors, tubs and low sills, per CBC R308
- Lead time
- Est. 4 to 12 weeks from final measure to install day
- Crew
- 2 to 4 installers; a 2-person crew sets 8 to 12 retrofit windows a day
- Deposit
- Capped at $1,000 or 10% of the contract, whichever is less (California law)
Commercial Window Pricing Per Opening and Per Phase
Picture or ocean-view window
- Est. investment
- $700 to $1,600 per window
- Est. duration
- 1 to 3 hours
Fixed glass, largest daylight opening, Low-E 366 on west walls
Storefront glass pane
- Est. investment
- $900 to $3,000 per pane
- Est. duration
- 45 to 60 minutes
Tempered or laminated pane set in an aluminum storefront frame
Investment and duration figures are estimates. Your written quote sets the final price and schedule.
Commercial windows around Carlsbad are typically budgeted per opening, with a retrofit vinyl double-hung estimated at $450 to $950 per window and a storefront glass pane estimated at $900 to $3,000 per pane, and the frame system, access and the number of phases move the figure most.
| Commercial job type | Est. investment | Est. time per unit |
|---|---|---|
| Retrofit vinyl double-hung | Est. $450 to $950 per window | Est. 45 to 90 minutes |
| Vinyl or fiberglass slider | Est. $750 to $1,400 per window | Est. 1 to 2 hours |
| Picture or ocean-view window (fixed office lite) | Est. $700 to $1,600 per window | Est. 1 to 3 hours |
| Storefront glass pane | Est. $900 to $3,000 per pane | Est. 45 to 60 minutes |
Treat every number in this section as a budgetary estimate for a North County building, one that can change after we read the spec and walk the floors; the written quote attached to your bid fixes the final price and the install schedule.
Commercial Projects: An Association and an Apartment Building
Ellen, bluff-top condominiums, Solana Beach
HOA Window Projects
- Material
- white vinyl sliders, dual-pane Low-E
- Size
- 48 windows across 12 units, one association
- Est. investment
- $41,000 to $58,000
- Est. duration
- 7 to 11 days
Bluff-top condominium association replacing every original slider on the ocean elevation at once
Gary, lakeside, Lake San Marcos
Apartment Window Projects
- Material
- white vinyl single-hung, dual-pane Low-E
- Size
- 64 windows across 16 apartments
- Est. investment
- $24,500 to $33,000
- Est. duration
- 7 to 10 days
Lakeside apartment building with original aluminum windows in every unit
Investment and duration figures are estimates. Your written quote sets the final price and schedule.
Ellen's bluff-top condominium association in Solana Beach replaced every original slider on the ocean elevation at once, 48 windows across 12 units, one association, in white vinyl sliders, dual-pane Low-E. The board approved one color and grid spec, we phased two units a day with notices to residents, and the estimated $41,000 to $58,000 program ran an estimated 7 to 11 days with no resident out of their home overnight.
Gary's lakeside apartment building at Lake San Marcos had original aluminum windows in every unit, so we set white vinyl single-hung, dual-pane Low-E, in all 64 windows across 16 apartments. Four units a day were released with resident notices, the work came in at an estimated $24,500 to $33,000 over an estimated 7 to 10 days, and one unit-by-unit punch list closed it out.
How a Commercial Window Bid Runs
A commercial window bid with us runs in seven steps, and each one produces a document your general contractor or board can file.
- Site walk with the manager, including a look at access, staging and any suite that cannot close.
- Takeoff by elevation and opening, numbered to match your drawings or unit list.
- Written bid naming the frame series, finish, glass makeup and safety glazing for each opening.
- Submittal package of cut sheets, NFRC values and shop drawings, returned approved before we place the order.
- A mock-up opening installed and signed off before the rollout begins.
- Install by phase, every opening taken out and closed up again inside one shift.
- Punch list walk, inspection and a closeout binder with warranties and product data.
Working Around Tenants, Residents and Customers
On a commercial window job the biggest scope driver is phasing an occupied building, since every opening we remove belongs to a room a tenant pays for. We size each block of work to fit one shift, so plywood never spends a night where a window used to be. Office floors and medical suites can move to evenings or weekends, shops get their glass before the doors open, and hallways are covered, walked off and posted with notices before any frame comes out.
Code and Compliance on Commercial Glass
Commercial glass in Carlsbad is checked against California's Title 24 energy rules and the safety glazing sections of the California Building Code, and every unit we install carries the labels an inspector reads. Doors, sidelights near doors and large low lites in lobbies get tempered or laminated glass with the maker's permanent mark in the corner. The NFRC label stays on each new window until final, and the closeout binder records the U-factor and SHGC for the building file.
Lead Time and Crew Capacity
Most commercial orders typically take an estimated 4 to 12 weeks from final measure to install day, and custom finishes or storefront framing sit at the longer end. Once units arrive, a crew of 2 to 4 installers works each phase, and a 2-person crew sets 8 to 12 retrofit windows a day, so a 64-window building is usually planned as an estimated 7 to 10 days of phased work.
Why Property Managers Choose Carlsbad Quality Windows
Property managers choose us because the crew that bids the building is the crew that installs it, and after 13 years and 1,730 projects we know what a commercial schedule can absorb. Our commercial project coordinator writes the resident and tenant notices with you, keeps a unit-by-unit punch list and sends progress by building. Every opening carries our 2-year workmanship warranty on every installation, plus manufacturer warranties passed through to you, commonly 20 years on the glass and 10 years on non-glass parts.
Commercial Service Areas Across North County
We bid commercial window work within a 30-mile radius of Carlsbad, from shop fronts in Carlsbad Village and Leucadia to offices in Poway Business Park and rentals beside the lake at Lake San Marcos. Associations in Solana Beach, Del Mar and Encinitas and ranch properties in Bonsall are bid the same way, and our residential side is on the Carlsbad Quality Windows home page.
Related Commercial Window Services
Each building type has its own page: storefront glass and aluminum entrances for shops and restaurants, HOA and condo window projects for boards that need one approved look, apartment window replacement with tenants in place for rental owners, and office and tenant improvement glazing for build-outs.
Commercial Window Questions From Property Managers and GCs
What is the smallest commercial job you take?
Our smallest commercial jobs are usually a single shop front of about 6 storefront panes, and there is no upper limit we have hit on association or apartment work.
Do you bid from plans?
Yes, we bid from drawings and an opening schedule for buildings from Del Mar Heights to Olivenhain, then confirm every size on a site walk before ordering.
What does commercial window replacement cost per window?
A retrofit vinyl double-hung is typically estimated at $450 to $950 per window, and your written bid sets the final per-opening price.
How long from award to install?
Most commercial orders typically need an estimated 4 to 12 weeks from final measure to install day, and we hold the start date in the bid.
Can you work nights and weekends?
Yes, offices and medical suites are often glazed in the evening or on weekends, and shops in Leucadia and Cardiff-by-the-Sea before opening, so tenants keep working.
Do you provide submittals and closeout documents?
Yes, product data, NFRC ratings and shop drawings go in for approval, and a closeout binder with warranties follows the punch list.
Are your crews in-house?
Yes, our own installers set every unit, from a Bonsall ranch office to full apartment programs, so one crew lead answers for the work.
How are payments scheduled?
Payments are typically tied to completed phases, and on smaller work the deposit is capped at $1,000 or 10% of the contract, whichever is less.
Request a Bid on Your Building
Contact us with the property type, opening count, drawings if you have them and your target dates, and we will walk the building and return a written bid.
Recent Commercial Glass
The process
How a Window Job Runs
The measure
We check every frame, sill and the stucco around it, then laser-measure each opening for the unit that goes in it.
The written quote
Frame material, glass package, label values and install method arrive in writing before anything is ordered.
Install and flash
Each window is set on a sloped sill pan, flashed and sealed, with the NFRC sticker left on for the inspector.
The final walk
We open and lock every window and door with you, and the city signs off the Title 24 permit.
Services
More Commercial Window Work
Where we work
Where We Install It
Free in-home measure
Talk to Us About Commercial Windows
Homeowners get a free measure at the house. Boards, managers and contractors can send plans or an opening count for a bid.
Calls only, we do not receive text messages.