Bel Air Windows & Doors for Older Homes
Bel Air window and door work in sequence: parcel checked for fire rules, openings surveyed, sashes restored in the shop while replacements are set.
Bel Air jobs start on paper. Fire hazard maps take in parts of Bel Air, so the parcel is looked up ahead of choosing any unit, to learn whether ember-resistance rules apply. The survey comes next, opening by opening, marking each sash for restoration or replacement. Sashes being restored go to the shop first, and the replacements are set while they are away, with the empty frames boarded until they return.
Shop work on kept sashes
A sash coming out for restoration is labeled with its room and position, and its opening is covered with a fitted panel. In the shop, loose paint is stripped, cracked panes are replaced with glass of a similar look, and the joints are reglued and pinned. Fresh glazing putty and primer go on before paint. Back at the house, the frames get new cords, weatherstripping and a coat of paint on the jambs, and each sash returns to the opening it came from.
Setting the new units
Replacement windows go in during the shop time. The old frame is removed, the rough opening is checked and repaired, and a sill pan and jamb flashing are installed before the unit is set level and shimmed. On a mapped lot, the new glass is tempered and insulated, and exterior doors get a solid-core or rated slab. Exterior trim is put back or milled to match, the interior casing is reinstalled, and final paint ties old and new together. Each new unit is opened, closed and locked several times before the inner casing goes on.
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If the joints are tight and the wood holds up to a probe, the sash can be restored in the shop and rehung. Broken cords and loose putty are routine repairs. Frame rot, or a sash warped too far to seal, points to a replacement made to the original dimensions.
At every opening we record the frame width, sash height and muntin layout, with photos inside and out. Replacement units are ordered to those dimensions, and where the house has a distinctive grille pattern, it is copied pane for pane. Sound casing and sills are kept, and missing pieces are milled to the old profile.
For Bel Air, part of the City of Los Angeles, LADBS issues and inspects the permit. If a header changes, the framing is inspected while the wall is open. At final, the inspector checks the energy labels and, on a mapped lot, that glass and door slabs satisfy the ember rules. Restored sashes in their own frames count as repair work.
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