Double hung
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CGIFree in-home measure and quote - PGT, CGI and CWS impact lines compared on your actual openings, style by style
Get your free estimateFast, Reliable Door Installation Across Pasadena
Door installation in Pasadena means working with homes built before 1940, and that changes everything about the job. A standard replacement door rarely fits the opening in a 1910s Craftsman or 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival without some frame repair, re-shimming, or custom trim work first. We plan for that. Our crews work across Bungalow Heaven, Madison Heights, Linda Vista, and every other Pasadena neighborhood, and we know what hides behind those old stucco walls before we cut into them. If you need a door replaced, repaired, or upgraded, call us at (626) 628-2308 for a free estimate with a written price before any work begins.
Key Takeaways
- Door installation in Pasadena typically runs $900 to $3,200 per opening depending on the door type, frame condition, and whether city design review applies.
- Many Pasadena homes need frame repair or rot remediation before a new door can be hung properly.
- Our Door Installation team specializes in older homes where off-the-shelf replacements don’t work.
- Every job includes a written price before work starts, and every crew follows the C.A.R.E. values on site.
- We serve all of Pasadena and nearby San Marino, Temple City, Arcadia, and El Monte.
Styles & brands we work with
Why Lightwell Windows Pasadena Is Pasadena’s Preferred Door Installation Company
Lightwell Windows Pasadena is an independently owned Cedarwell location led by Keith Yamada, and our whole model is built around treating Pasadena homes the way a careful neighbor would. That starts with the price: you get a written, line-item quote before we touch anything, and that number doesn’t move unless you approve a change in writing. No invoice surprises at the end of the day.
Our crews are background-checked and uniformed, so you know exactly who is at your door before they knock. On every visit, we lay down drop cloths, wear shoe covers, and protect your floors, furniture, and the path to the work area. Kids napping? We use quiet cutting tools during quiet hours and clean up before we leave, including a photo of the finished cleanup. Keith built this team around the C.A.R.E. values – Clean up like it’s our own home, Ask before we move or touch anything, Respect the family’s time and quiet hours, and Explain the price before the work. Those aren’t slogans we print on a brochure. They’re the instructions our crew gets every morning.
We also answer the phone with a live person, 24/7. When you call about a door that’s not latching right or a threshold leaking after a winter rain, you talk to a human, not a voicemail maze. That’s part of the Cedarwell Care Promise, and it’s been the operating rule since 2010.
Sliding Glass Door Installation in Pasadena
Sliding glass door installation in Pasadena is one of the most requested upgrades we handle, especially for homeowners with patios, backyards, or sunrooms that open toward the San Gabriel Mountains. The job involves removing the old door, inspecting and repairing the framing around the opening, installing the new slider, and flashing and sealing it properly against winter rain and Santa Ana wind. In Pasadena, a typical sliding glass door install runs $1,800 to $4,200 depending on the door width, glass package, and whether the framing needs repair. Older homes with stucco exteriors often need additional flashing work because the original installation had no proper moisture barrier.
Framing and Flashing Before the Door Goes In
We don’t just swap the panel. On Pasadena homes built before 1950, the rough opening is rarely square, and the sill plate often has rot from decades of water exposure at the threshold. We inspect the framing, replace what’s unsound, and install proper flashing so the new slider doesn’t leak within a season. If we find a problem, we price it in writing and get your approval before we proceed.
Glass Options for Sun and Heat
Pasadena summers are hot, and a west-facing slider can turn a living room into a greenhouse. We carry glass packages from PGT and ViewLux with low-emissivity coatings that cut heat gain without making the room feel dark. For homes near busy streets like Colorado Boulevard or Lake Avenue, laminated glass also reduces exterior noise noticeably.
Door Repair in Pasadena
Door repair in Pasadena often starts with a call about a door that won’t latch, a threshold that leaks, or a frame that’s started to rot. The work can be as simple as re-hanging a door on adjusted hinges or as involved as splicing in new wood where the old jamb has failed. In Pasadena, typical door repairs run $250 to $1,400 depending on the extent of the damage, the species of wood, and whether we need to match existing trim profiles. Older homes with original Douglas fir or cedar jambs respond well to splicing, but if the rot is extensive, replacement makes more sense, and we’ll show you both prices side by side before you choose.
Rot and Termite Damage Repair
Nineteen-teens and 1920s bungalows in Pasadena almost always have some rot in the bottom rails and jambs, particularly on north-facing doors. Termite damage is common too. We replace the damaged wood with matching species, treat the area, and re-install the door so it seals correctly. The repair is priced per linear foot of wood replaced, and we photograph the damage before work starts so you can see exactly what was wrong.
Weatherstripping and Draft Sealing
Santa Ana winds push hard against Pasadena doors in the fall. We replace worn weatherstripping with hidden systems that stop air leaks without changing the look of the door. For original doors in historic districts, this is a quiet but effective upgrade that keeps the original character while cutting heating and cooling loss.
Trusted Brands We Service in Pasadena
Because Lightwell Windows Pasadena is part of the Cedarwell network, we carry a curated lineup of eight manufacturer brands, which means the door we recommend fits your home rather than fitting our preferred vendor’s inventory. We regularly install and service Therma-Tru for entry doors, ViewLux for modern sliders and contemporary styles, and PGT for impact-rated and hurricane-resistant units. We keep local stock of common parts for these brands in our Los Angeles metro warehouse, so Pasadena customers aren’t waiting weeks for hardware. Dispatch and scheduling for Pasadena jobs are coordinated from the brand’s Los Angeles office, and the technicians you’ll see at your door live and work locally.
Common Door Installation Problems We See in Pasadena Homes
- Rotted or undersized framing behind stucco. On 1910s and 1920s Craftsman homes, the original door framing was often built thinner than modern code requires, and decades of moisture have eaten away at the wood. A new door installed into that framing will sag or bind within a year. We inspect before we install and replace framing that won’t hold.
- Old knob-and-tube wiring running along door headers. Opening up a wall for a wider door often exposes wiring that doesn’t meet current code. When the city inspector comes, they’ll require the electrical to be brought up to standard before the permit can close. We flag this before the job starts and work with your electrician so it doesn’t stall the project.
- Failed original flashing at side lites and thresholds. Pasadena’s winter rains expose leaks that many homeowners never notice until a new door is installed and water starts coming in around it. The original flashing on many pre-war homes was little more than a sheet of tar paper. We install modern flashing on every door we touch.
- Sticking doors from seasonal expansion and contraction. Pasadena’s hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters make wood doors swell and shrink through the year. A door that sticks in June may close fine in January. We adjust reveals and use stabilized wood or composite thresholds where the seasonal movement is worst.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for Door Installation in Pasadena, CA
A full door installation in Pasadena, with the old door removed and a new one hung in its place, generally runs $900 to $3,200. Entry door replacements with a standard Therma-Tru or ViewLux unit fall on the lower end of that range unless the framing needs work. Sliding glass doors run higher, $1,800 to $4,200, because of the glass package and the additional flashing requirements. French or double doors, which are common on Spanish Colonial Revival homes, typically run $2,200 to $5,500 per opening. The biggest variable is the condition of the framing inside the wall, and in Pasadena’s older housing stock, framing repair is a real possibility on most jobs. That’s why we inspect first, then write the price. Your free estimate includes a written line-item quote, and it won’t change unless you approve a change order in writing. Call (626) 628-2308 to schedule yours.
We Also Serve Cities Near Pasadena
Our Door Installation in Pasadena service area extends to the surrounding communities where the housing stock has the same character and the same challenges. We regularly work in San Marino, Temple City, Arcadia, and El Monte. If you live in one of those cities and need a door replaced or repaired, the same written-pricing promise and C.A.R.E. values apply. Call us and we’ll schedule a visit at your convenience.
Serving Pasadena, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Pasadena 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 About Door Installation in Pasadena
Yes, if the opening changes size or if the door is on a home in a designated historic district like Bungalow Heaven, Pasadena requires a permit for the work. A straightforward door-for-door replacement in the same rough opening may not require one, but if you’re widening the opening or installing a door where there wasn’t one, the city will want to review it, and design review often applies in landmark districts. We handle the permit paperwork and coordinate with the city so the job passes inspection. Call (626) 628-2308 and we’ll walk you through what applies to your home.
In many cases, yes. We splice in new wood that matches the original species, and we can keep the original door if the panel itself is sound. The frame around it is what usually fails first. We’ve rescued original three-panel doors on Craftsman bungalows where the jamb was completely rotted at the bottom rail. The cost depends on how many linear feet of wood need replacing and whether the door’s own stiles and rails are sound. We’ll show you the repair price next to the replacement price and let you decide with real numbers in hand.
Pasadena’s Mediterranean climate drives wood to expand in the heat and contract in the cold, and old-growth lumber in original doors moves more than modern kiln-dried wood. The expansion makes doors stick in summer, and the contraction opens gaps in winter when rain arrives. The fix is a combination of proper reveals, stabilized thresholds, and modern weatherstripping that can flex with the wood movement. On historic doors, this preserves the original look while stopping the seasonal fight.
Yes, but the door selection matters. We install sliders with narrow sightlines and wood-look interiors that read as deliberate rather than modern. A black or bronze exterior frame is common on Spanish Colonial Revival homes in Pasadena, and we can match it with a ViewLux or PGT unit that has the right finish. The interior can be a warm wood grain or a muted tone that sits quietly against plaster walls. Design review in historic districts may also require the door to read as original, so we’ll help you prepare the submittal if your home is a landmark property.
Expect the unexpected, and expect us to price it before we touch it. In Pasadena’s pre-1940 homes, opening a wall around a front door usually reveals one or more of the following: rotted framing, abandoned knob-and-tube wiring, or no insulation. We write allowances into the contract for these discoveries, and if we find something not covered, we stop, show you a written price, and get your approval before we proceed. Nothing moves without your sign-off. Call (626) 628-2308 for a free estimate and we’ll explain the process specific to your home.
What Older Pasadena Homes Actually Hide
Here’s the reality of door installation in Pasadena that a generic page won’t tell you. The city’s early 20th-century housing stock – the Craftsman bungalows, the Spanish Colonial Revivals, the Mid-Century ranch homes – was built before modern flashing, before modern framing standards, and often before building codes required anything like the waterproofing we’d install today. In Bungalow Heaven and other landmark districts, city design review often requires matching original wood species, muntin profiles, and in the strictest cases, even single-pane glass with exterior storms. That means a door installation can’t rely on off-the-shelf replacements. It requires measuring, matching, and fabricating or ordering to spec.
On a 1912 Craftsman bungalow in Bungalow Heaven, our crew found the front door’s original Douglas fir jamb had severe dry rot in the bottom rail – a signature issue on north-facing openings of these homes. We spliced in matching fir, re-hung the original three-panel door with a Therma-Tru replacement in matching style, and installed hidden weatherstripping to stop Santa Ana wind leaks. That’s the difference between a crew that knows Pasadena and a crew that just swaps panels. The information on this page isn’t boilerplate. It’s what we see every week, and it’s why we price Pasadena jobs with an allowance for the things we know these walls hide – rot, wiring, and permit triggers – before a single hinge is hung.
Call Lightwell Windows Pasadena for a Free Door Installation Estimate
If you live in Pasadena and you’re ready to replace a door, repair a threshold, or open up a wall for a wider slider, call us at (626) 628-2308. Keith Yamada and the Lightwell Windows Pasadena team will schedule a visit, inspect the opening, and write you a line-item price before any work starts. Free estimates. Written pricing. No surprises. That’s the whole point.
Written by Keith Yamada, Owner at Lightwell Windows Pasadena, serving Pasadena and the surrounding communities under the Cedarwell Care Promise since 2010.
Six Reasons Homeowners Choose Lightwell Windows Pasadena
Laminated glass and reinforced frames hold up to wind-driven rain, hail and flying debris, so your openings stay sealed when the weather turns.
Low-E insulated impact glass from our manufacturer lines commonly cuts monthly cooling bills 20-30%.
Laminated impact glass shuts out up to 40% of outside noise - traffic, neighbors, weather.
Monitoring services run $30-90 a month. Laminated impact glass resists forced entry around the clock, with no subscription.
Tighter seals and insulated glass even out hot and cold rooms and stop the drafts at the frame.
A full impact package upgrades curb appeal, buyer confidence and appraised value in one project.