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ES Windows Bathroom Remodeling: The Long Beach Owner’s Guide
ES Windows bathroom remodeling in Long Beach typically costs between $9,000 and $28,000 when the project replaces a failing window unit inside a shower surround, tub area, or water-exposed wall. Most of our Long Beach service calls begin with one of two discoveries: condensation trapped between panes that fog the glass forever, or a window frame that has started to rot at the sill because of years of moisture from the shower. Both are common in Long Beach’s coastal humidity, and both are fixable without tearing out the rest of the bathroom when you catch them early.
The part you’re likely looking for is either a replacement sash, a frame-to-tile waterproofing kit, or a full window unit sized to the original ES Windows rough opening in your bathroom. We match these parts to your existing model before the first day of work, and we give you a written price for the entire scope, including the waterproofing, the trim, and the clean-up, before anything is ordered. That written price is the same price on your final invoice. The price I write down on day one is the price on the invoice when we’re done.
Key Takeaways
- ES Windows bathroom units fail most often at the sash seals and the sill-to-tile junction, not the glass itself.
- Full bathroom remodel with ES Windows replacement typically lands between $9,000 and $28,000 in Long Beach, depending on tile scope and framing condition.
- You get a written price before any work starts, a photo of the clean-up before the crew leaves, and our 365-Day Done Right Promise on the completed job.
- Call (562) 512-7086 and you’ll reach a live person, not a voicemail box.
Which ES Windows Models This Applies To
ES Windows manufactures aluminum and aluminum-clad window systems, and the bathroom units we see most in Long Beach homes fall into two groups: fixed picture windows above the tub apron, and operable awning or casement windows placed higher on the wall for ventilation. The part that needs replacing depends on which group your unit belongs to. Fixed units typically need a new sash or a full reglaze; operable units often need new hinges, new weatherstripping, or a new frame if salt air has pitted the aluminum around the track.
Here’s the compatibility gotcha that saves our Long Beach customers real money: ES Windows sashes from the same era are not interchangeable between the fixed and operable lines, even when the visible glass dimensions match. The corner joinery and the channel depth differ. A sash from an awning unit will not seat properly in a picture frame, and vice versa. We always record the etched manufacturer code on the inside of the frame before ordering, and we take the unit’s daylight opening measurements on site, not from a previous owner’s paperwork. Long Beach homes have settled over decades, and a rough opening that was square in 1987 is rarely square now. We measure what is, not what was.
As for OEM versus aftermarket: for the glass pack and the exterior gasket, we recommend OEM ES Windows parts because the coastal UV and salt exposure in Long Beach are hard on generic rubber. For interior trim, flashing, and waterproofing membrane, we use Schluter Kerdi and matching profiles that carry their own manufacturer warranty. If you have ES Windows elsewhere in the house but the bathroom unit is the one failing, we also stock and work with kitchen and bath materials from KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone when the project scope extends beyond the window itself.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your ES Windows Bathroom Remodeling Is Failing
- Permanent fog between the panes. The desiccant inside the insulated glass unit has reached its moisture limit, which means the seal has failed. The glass will never clear. It needs a new IG unit sized for your ES Windows frame.
- Swelling or peeling paint at the window sill, especially near the tub. Water is getting behind the window flange and into the wall cavity. In Long Beach’s damp bathroom conditions, this shows up first as soft wood, then as mold, then as a tile crack.
- White crust or pitting on the aluminum frame. This is galvanic corrosion, usually from a steel fastener that was used where an aluminum-compatible fastener should have been. In coastal Long Beach air, the corrosion accelerates. We see this same failure in Belmont Shore and Naples flats where the original build used mixed metals.
- The window is hard to open or won’t stay open. The friction hinges or the balance mechanism have worn out. Forcing the window open once the hardware is spent will bend the operator arm and cost you more than the part itself.
- Water on the bathroom floor after a shower, but the tub and tile are dry. The water is traveling through the window assembly and down the inside of the wall, then reappearing at the baseboard. That means the waterproofing behind the window has failed, and replacing the window without fixing the waterproofing will not stop the leak.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
An ES Windows bathroom unit replacement in Long Beach, where the existing rough opening is sound, typically runs $3,000 to $8,500 for the window, waterproofing, trim, and labor. When the water has already reached the framing and the tile surround needs to come out to do the repair correctly, the project becomes a full bathroom remodel, which brings the total to the $9,000 to $28,000 range. That spread exists because some Long Beach bathrooms have two wet walls and original 1930s lath that needs structural work, while others need only the window replaced and a new waterproof surround installed.
Every quote from Elmstead Remodeling Long Beach includes the part, the labor, the waterproofing membrane, the trim, the drop cloths on the floor, and the shoe covers at the door. It also includes a photo of the clean-up before our crew leaves. If you choose tile or stone for the surround, we price from Cambria and Silestone for quartz slabs and from our local tile partners for porcelain. The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies to the completed job: if something is not done right, we make it right.
| Scope | Typical Long Beach Range |
|---|---|
| ES Windows sash or glass pack replacement only | $800 – $3,000 |
| Full ES Windows bathroom unit replacement with waterproofing | $3,000 – $8,500 |
| Bathroom remodel including ES Windows replacement (typical) | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Small bathroom remodel with window repair | $5,000 – $12,000 |
DIY or Call Us?
There are two things you can safely check yourself before you call us. First, look for the etched manufacturer code on the inside face of the frame, usually on the bottom rail. Write that down and keep it. Second, run your hand gently around the interior perimeter and note where the paint is lifting or the wall feels soft. That tells us, on the phone, whether we’re likely looking at a glass-only replacement or a full waterproofing repair.
What you should not do is remove the window from a wet-wall opening without the waterproofing plan in place. ES Windows bathroom units sit inside a laminated flange system that is tied to the surrounding tile membrane. Pulling the unit disturbs that seal. If you pull the window and install the new one without rebuilding the Kerdi flange to the tile, you’ll have the same leak within a season, now inside a freshly tiled wall. That is not a risk worth taking in a bathroom. If the job involves a tub-to-shower conversion or a full surround replacement, leave the framing and glass to a trained crew. We use quiet tools during family rest hours where possible, and we ask before we move anything that belongs to you. Call (562) 512-7086 and you will talk to a live person who can tell you whether your ES Windows unit is one we stock parts for.
FAQs
In Long Beach’s coastal environment, an ES Windows bathroom unit that is properly waterproofed and ventilated will last 15 to 25 years before the seals begin to fail. Units that are not ventilated or that were installed without a proper wet-area flange often fail in under a decade. Call (562) 512-7086 with your model code and we’ll tell you whether your unit is in the age range that typically needs a reglaze rather than a full replacement.
Yes, if the frame is sound and the only failure is the glass seal, an ES Windows bathroom sash can usually be reglazed with a new insulated glass unit for a fraction of the cost of a full replacement. If the aluminum frame is pitted or the flange has pulled away from the tile, replacement is the honest fix. We’ll tell you which one applies to your window when we see it.
A sash-only or glass-pack replacement usually takes one day, including the clean-up. A full unit replacement with new waterproofing and tile work in the surround typically takes three to five working days, depending on drying time for the membrane and mortar. We schedule around your family’s quiet hours when possible, and we keep the same two-person crew on the job from start to finish.
We stock the most common ES Windows sash sizes, gaskets, and hinge sets on our trucks for Long Beach service calls, and we order model-specific glass packs and frames directly with the manufacturer code. If your unit is an older or discontinued series, we’ll match it to a quality equivalent from our supplier network and show you the difference in writing before we order. For a free estimate, call (562) 512-7086.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling Long Beach at Elmstead Remodeling Long Beach, serving Long Beach and nearby areas. Graham grew up in Los Angeles and learned the construction trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, and has been doing remodeling work in Long Beach neighborhoods like Belmont Shore for over a decade.
