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PGT Home Additions & ADU: The San Diego Owner’s Guide
We install and service PGT home additions and ADUs across San Diego, and the typical installed project range runs $53,100 – $153,400 depending on square footage, site prep, and finish level. Most owners reach out to us after discovering that a previous contractor’s work failed a city inspection, or after realizing the original addition wasn’t permitted at all. You’ll get a written price before any work starts, and every job carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Here’s the thing about PGT-branded work in San Diego: it usually refers to the PGT windows and doors specified into an addition or ADU, not a PGT-built structure itself. PGT is a Florida-based window and door manufacturer that produces impact-rated products. But plenty of San Diego homeowners call us saying “the PGT window in my addition leaks,” or “the PGT slider won’t close.” That’s where we come in.
Which PGT Models This Applies To
PGT makes three window lines that show up most often in San Diego additions and ADUs: the 400 Series, 700 Series, and WinGuard impact-rated line. The 400 Series is the entry aluminum frame product, the 700 Series is upgraded aluminum with better thermal breaks, and WinGuard is the heavy-duty laminated glass built for hurricane zones. In San Diego, WinGuard is overkill unless you’re in a wildfire zone or specifically want the sound dampening. The 400 and 700 Series are what we see in maybe 80 percent of the additions we service.
To identify what you have, look at the spacer bar between the two panes of glass. PGT engraves the series number there, along with the manufacture date code. The date matters because PGT changed frame extrusion profiles in 2019, and older sash balances don’t match newer frames. If your window label is faded, measure the visible glass area and the frame depth. A 2-5/8″ frame depth is almost always 400 Series. A 3-1/4″ depth is 700 Series or WinGuard. When we come out, we verify this before ordering anything, because an aftermarket sash that’s off by an eighth of an inch will bind or leak.
One gotcha we run into regularly in San Diego: PGT sold through specific supply houses, and some older model sashes from the 2000s are no longer manufactured. When that happens, we can usually rebuild the existing sash with new glass and new weatherstripping rather than replacing the whole window. That saves a lot of money compared to opening up an exterior wall.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your PGT Home Addition or ADU Is Failing
- Water staining below a window or at a corner joint. This usually means the frame’s weep holes are clogged, or the original installer never flashed the rough opening correctly. In San Diego’s coastal moisture, a missing drip cap shows up within one rainy season.
- Sliding glass door that’s hard to move. The rollers are worn or the track has settled. ADUs are often built on compacted fill, and older additions shift slightly. A door that binds is a sign that the framing moved, not just that the rollers are old.
- Drafts around the window edges even when locked. The weatherstripping has compressed past its useful life. PGT windows from before 2015 used a flat pile weatherstrip that flattens out in about eight to ten years of San Diego sun exposure.
- Condensation between the two glass panes. The insulated glass unit’s seal has failed. This is not repairable in place. The glass unit has to be replaced, but the frame can usually stay.
- Sticking or sagging addition doors. French doors or patio sliders in older additions often sag because the header was undersized. We see this a lot in garage conversions done without permits, where a 2×4 header was used instead of an engineered beam.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
In San Diego, fixing or replacing PGT components inside a home addition or ADU typically falls between $53,100 and $153,400 when you’re talking about the whole project, not just a window swap. But here’s the honest breakdown: a straight PGT window or door replacement inside an existing opening usually runs $1,200 – $4,500 per unit. The bigger number comes in when the original framing was done wrong, when city permits were never pulled, or when the addition needs structural corrections before the windows or doors can be installed properly.
- Home Addition (new construction): $53,100 – $153,400
- ADU Construction: $106,200 – $259,600
- Garage Conversion: $35,400 – $94,400
Every estimate we write includes the parts, the labor, the permit fees if required, and the disposal. You get one number. If we find something behind the wall that changes the scope, we tell you before we touch it, and you approve the change in writing. We don’t come back at the end with an invoice that’s 40 percent higher than the quote. Our name is on the line with Trevor Nash walking the job himself.
DIY or Call Us?
Some of this you can handle yourself. Cleaning PGT weep holes with a small wire brush, vacuuming the slider track, and replacing a torn window screen are all safe, straightforward jobs. If the screen frame is bent, you can order a new one from PGT’s parts distributor and swap it in about ten minutes.
What you should not do is remove a window sash, replace an insulated glass unit, or try to reset a sliding door. A PGT sash can weigh over 40 pounds, and a slider panel can exceed 80 pounds. When a panel comes off its track, it can tip and take a hand or a foot with it. Glass units are under tension from the frame compression, and a cracked impact-rated unit is holding laminated shards that fall in sheets when the frame is released. If the work requires anything beyond cleaning or a screen swap, call us at (619) 604-9624. Tell me what you need, I’ll tell you what it costs, and we’ll go from there.
FAQs
A properly installed PGT window or door should give you 20 to 30 years in San Diego, with weatherstripping replacement around year 10 to 12 and possible glass seal failure between years 15 and 25 depending on sun exposure. Coastal salt air accelerates frame corrosion on the older 400 Series, so homes west of Interstate 5 tend to see shorter lifespans. Call (619) 604-9624 if you’re not sure whether yours is worth rebuilding.
Yes, in most cases. If the frame is square and the original opening was flashed correctly, we can rebuild the sash with new glass, new weatherstripping, and new balances. That usually runs about 60 to 70 percent of the cost of a full window replacement. The frame only comes out if it’s rotted, twisted, or was installed without proper waterproofing. We’ll give you a straight answer before you spend a dime.
Most single-unit replacements take one day, including removal, re-flashing, install, and cleanup. If the rough opening needs repair or reframing, plan for two to three days and a permit. A full addition or ADU project runs anywhere from eight to sixteen weeks depending on scope. We leave the job site cleaner than we found it, every time.
We keep common PGT weatherstripping, rollers, and screen frames on the truck, along with glass units for the 400 and 700 Series in standard sizes. Odd sizes and WinGuard laminated units come direct from PGT’s distribution, which in San Diego usually means three to five business days. We’re an independent service provider, not a PGT dealer, so we’ll always tell you if a genuine PGT part is worth the price or an equivalent aftermarket part will do the job just as well. We also work with KraftMaid cabinetry, Cambria quartz, and Silestone surfaces on the interior side of your addition or ADU.
If you’re dealing with a leaking window, a sticking slider, or an addition that was never built right to begin with, call us at (619) 604-9624. We’ll schedule a walkthrough, give you a written price, and stand behind the work with the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling San Diego at Penhallow Remodeling San Diego, serving San Diego and nearby areas.
