Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
ES Windows Kitchen Remodeling: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide
ES Windows kitchen remodeling in Los Angeles typically runs $16,520 to $53,100 for a full kitchen rebuild built around existing or new ES Windows units, and we handle the window-to-cabinet integration as part of that scope. We stock common ES Windows replacement hardware and trim kits on the truck, so most window-related fixes during a kitchen remodel don’t add a separate trip. The way homeowners usually find us: they’re mid-remodel, the drywall’s open, the new cabinets are going in, and the old ES window frame is either out of square, leaking at the sill, or the operator crank is shot and the window won’t lock. That’s the moment the phone call happens.
What you’re really paying for in a Los Angeles kitchen remodel that involves ES Windows isn’t just cabinets and counters. It’s the prep work around those window openings: reframing the rough opening to accept new construction flanges, flashing it correctly for California’s wet-dry cycle, and trimming it so the window still operates after the granite and tile are in. Get any one of those wrong and the window binds, leaks, or gets sealed shut by a backsplash installer who didn’t plan for the crank handle’s swing radius. We plan for it. That planning is built into the price, and it’s why our written quotes are line-itemed instead of lump-sum.
Which ES Windows Models This Applies To
ES Windows manufactures aluminum-framed windows and doors in two main product families: the ES Classic series (single-glazed, standard 3-1/4″ frame depth) and the ES Premier series (dual-glazed, thermally broken, 4-9/16″ frame depth for better insulation). The Premier series is the one you’ll find in most newer Los Angeles homes, particularly in mid-century remodels where the original steel casement windows have been swapped for aluminum. The model number is etched on the inside of the frame, on a silver sticker near the top hinge of the sash, or stamped into the aluminum on the lock rail. You’re looking for a code that starts with “ES” followed by four to six digits.
Here’s the compatibility gotcha most people miss: ES Windows changed their lock alignment between the 2012 and 2013 model years, so a replacement sash lock from a 2011 Classic window will not engage correctly on a 2014 frame even if the window dimensions are identical. We carry both versions and we check the year stamp before ordering anything. On the OEM-versus-aftermarket question, we use OEM ES hardware whenever the window is still under warranty or the part is a structural component like a hinge or lock assembly. For non-structural trim, glazing bead, and exterior snap-in mullion caps, we use aftermarket equivalents made from the same 6063-T5 aluminum alloy, which hold up as well in Los Angeles sun and salt air and cost about 30% less.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your ES Windows Kitchen Remodeling Is Failing
- The window crank turns but the sash doesn’t move. This is a stripped operator gear, usually caused by years of forcing the window against a warped or swollen frame. Once the gear teeth skip, the window won’t open or close fully and it won’t lock.
- Water staining on the drywall below the kitchen window. In Los Angeles, this is rarely a sign of constant rain. It’s the weep holes in the window track getting blocked by paint, debris, or the tile setter’s mortar from the last remodel, trapping water against the frame until it migrates into the wall cavity.
- The window binds at the top corner and won’t close flush. Foundation movement is common in Los Angeles neighborhoods like Silver Lake and Eagle Rock, and a house that has settled half an inch changes the window opening from square to parallelogram. The frame flexes, the sash binds, and the lock misses the strike plate.
- Condensation between the glass panes of a Premier series window. That’s a failed thermal seal, and it means the insulated glass unit needs replacement. It’ll never clear on its own, and it gets worse every summer as the Los Angeles heat expands and contracts the seal.
- You can hear street noise through a closed window. ES Windows sound performance depends on the gasket seals staying pliable. After 15-plus years of California sun exposure, the foam and vinyl weatherstripping dries out, shrinks, and lets air and sound leak past. The fix is new glazing gaskets, which we keep in common ES sizes on the truck.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
A full ES Windows kitchen remodel in Los Angeles, including new window units where needed, cabinet work, counters, backsplash, and finish trim, lands between $16,520 and $53,100. A smaller kitchen remodel with existing windows kept in place runs $10,620 to $23,600. If your ES windows need replacement as part of the project, window replacement in Los Angeles runs $5,310 to $17,700 depending on how many openings and whether we’re swapping in dual-glazed Premier units or rebuilding the opening for a larger window.
What drives the price within those ranges: the number of windows involved, whether the rough opening needs reframing, the cabinet run length, countertop material, and whether we’re doing a full gut or a refacing. Every quote you get from us is a written, line-itemed price before work starts, and it stays that price. We don’t do change orders unless you change the scope. The work carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the window integration, the cabinet fit, or the trim work isn’t right within 365 days of completion, we fix it at no cost to you. That includes a free second visit if something fails.
DIY or Call Us?
There are exactly two things a homeowner can safely check on an ES Windows kitchen unit. First: clean the lower track and confirm the weep holes are clear. Second: spray a dry silicone lubricant on the operator arm pivot points. Everything else, and I mean everything else, is where DIY goes sideways. Removing an ES sash means releasing the hinge pins under tension, and the sash on a dual-glazed Premier kitchen window weighs 35 to 50 pounds. Dropping it through a tile backsplash is not a story you want to tell. The operator replacement requires pulling the interior trim and working inside the frame channel, and doing it wrong leaves the window unable to lock, which is a security issue on a kitchen window facing a Los Angeles alley or side yard.
If the window won’t lock, won’t seal, or is fogged between the panes, call us. Isaac Pruett has been remodeling Los Angeles kitchens long enough to know when a window can be salvaged and when it’s cheaper to replace the sash than fight the old hardware. Call (803) 680-2547 and we’ll come look at your ES windows as part of a free kitchen remodeling estimate, no obligation.
FAQs
Aluminum-framed ES Windows in a kitchen environment typically last 20 to 30 years before the seals fail or the hardware needs major attention, though coastal areas near Playa del Rey or San Pedro with salt air can shorten that to 15 to 20 years. The frame itself won’t rot, but the gaskets, operators, and thermal seals will all deteriorate on a predictable schedule in California sun. Call (803) 680-2547 for an exact assessment of your windows, and the estimate is free.
Yes, most ES Windows hardware failures can be repaired: operators, locks, balances, and weatherstripping are all replaceable parts that we stock or order quickly, and the repair typically costs far less than a new window. The exceptions are a failed thermal seal between the panes and a frame that’s been bent or twisted by foundation movement, both of which usually mean replacement is the smarter spend. Call us and we’ll tell you straight which path makes sense for your Los Angeles kitchen.
A single ES Windows unit swap, including removing the old window, prepping the opening, installing the new window, and trimming it out, takes one day of on-site work when the window is a standard size we can source locally. If the rough opening needs reframing or the window is a custom size, allow three to five days for fabrication before the install day. Your written estimate will include the timeline so there are no surprises.
We keep common ES Windows replacement operators, locks, glazing gaskets, and mullion caps on the truck for Classic and Premier series units, and we can source sash assemblies and insulated glass units within a few days through our supply chain. We’re an independent Los Angeles remodeling and installation provider, not an ES Windows dealer or affiliate, which means we repair what makes sense to repair and replace what doesn’t, without a sales quota pushing one answer. Call (803) 680-2547 and tell us your window’s model number and the symptom, and we’ll give you a straight answer.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner, Mason Remodeling at Mason Remodeling, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.
