Awning & Hopper Windows in Los Angeles, CA

Awning & Hopper Windows in Los Angeles, CA

Awning windows hinge at the top and swing outward from the bottom, letting you keep them open in light rain without water getting inside. Hopper windows hinge at the bottom and tilt inward from the top, which makes them a natural fit for basements, crawl spaces, and tight wall openings where a sliding or double-hung window simply won’t work. In Los Angeles, where many older hillside and canyon homes have low foundation walls and unusual opening sizes, these two window styles bridge the gap between “we want more light” and “a standard window won’t fit.” We’re Westlight Windows Los Angeles, an independently owned and operated Kingswell location, and we stock awning and hopper lines from ViewLux, PGT, CWS, and CGI so we can match the right unit to the opening rather than forcing a generic size into a space it was never designed for. If you’re wondering whether awning or hopper windows make sense for your home, call us at (213) 810-3461 and we’ll walk you through what fits, what it costs, and what the installation actually involves. This page is part of our larger Window Installation service, and it covers everything specific to awning and hopper units in the LA market.

Key Takeaways

• Awning windows swing outward from the top hinge; hopper windows tilt inward from the bottom hinge. Both work in openings where standard sliding windows can’t fit.
• Awning and hopper window replacement in Los Angeles typically runs $450 to $1,100 per unit installed, depending on size, brand, frame material, and whether the surrounding wall needs repair.
• We carry awning and hopper lines from ViewLux, PGT, CWS, and CGI, including impact-rated units, which matters if you live in a canyon, hillside, or wind-exposed area.
• Every job comes with a written price before work starts, a committed arrival window, a clean job site, and a written guarantee, all backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
• For a free, no-pressure estimate, call (213) 810-3461. A live person answers, 24/7.

When You Need Awning & Hopper Windows

These window styles are not the first thing most homeowners think of, but they solve problems that standard double-hungs, sliders, and even Bay & Bow Windows simply can’t. Here are the scenarios we see most often across Los Angeles neighborhoods, from Silver Lake bungalows to hillside homes in Mount Washington and small-footprint houses in Leimert Park:

• Your foundation walls are short and your window openings sit low. In raised-foundation homes built before 1960, basement and under-house windows often sit just a foot or two above grade. A hopper unit fits those low, wide openings and tilts inward for easy cleaning and airflow.
• You want ventilation during rainy season without water coming in. An awning window’s top hinge and outward swing creates a natural awning effect, so you can leave it open when it drizzles. In neighborhoods like El Sereno and Highland Park, where winter mornings bring on-and-off light rain, this matters more than you might think.
• You have a bathroom, laundry room, or kitchen window above a counter or sink. Awning windows are common in these spots because they operate with a crank, not a lift rail. You don’t need to lean over a countertop to open them.
• Your existing awning or hopper unit has a failed seal, a bent crank mechanism, or a frame that won’t close flush. Fogged glass, condensation between panes, and rusted hardware are all signs the unit is past its service life. When the crank gear strips, the window either won’t open or won’t stay open, and that’s the point where replacement usually makes more financial sense than repair.
• You’re adding a small, awkward opening during a remodel. If an architect or contractor has spec’d a window into a short wall, a space between studs, or a tight corner, hopper and awning units often fit where sliders can’t.
• You need impact-rated glass in a wind-exposed canyon or hillside area. PGT and CGI both manufacture awning and hopper units with impact-rated glass, which is relevant for homeowners in Malibu, Topanga, the Hollywood Hills, and parts of the San Fernando Valley where wind-driven debris is a real concern during Santa Ana events.

If any of those sound like your situation, the next step is measuring the opening and checking the wall condition. But before you pull out a tape measure, a caution worth the read: window openings in older LA homes, especially stucco-over-wood-frame construction from the 1920s through 1950s, often hide dry rot, termite damage, or a water-damaged sill behind the old frame. You won’t know until the old unit comes out. That’s exactly why we give you a written price before any work begins, and if we find hidden damage during removal, we show it to you, explain the repair cost in plain numbers, and get your approval before we spend a dollar of your money.

Our Awning & Hopper Windows Process

Here’s how a typical awning or hopper window replacement works when you hire Westlight Windows Los Angeles. Owen Satterfield set the standard in 2009: say the price before the work, show up in the window we gave, leave the place cleaner than we found it, put the guarantee in writing, and come back if it fails. We call it the Kingswell Way, and it applies to every single project we take on.

1. You call and talk to a real person. No voicemail tree, no chatbot. A live human answers at (213) 810-3461, asks about your window situation, and schedules a site visit at a time that works for you. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
2. We show up, measure, and inspect. A background-checked, uniformed technician arrives at the committed time, measures the rough opening, checks the wall framing and sill condition around the old window, and takes notes on sun exposure, moisture, and access for the install.
3. You get a written price before any work starts. We write down the full project cost: the unit itself, installation labor, any required flashing or trim, and disposal of the old window. That’s the price. It does not change at the door. This is the Kingswell Guarantee, and it’s non-negotiable on our end.
4. We install the unit with the proper flashing and insulation. Awning and hopper windows in Los Angeles have to stand up to two things: intense UV exposure on south-facing and west-facing walls, and occasional wind-driven rain. We flash the rough opening correctly, seal for air and moisture, and set the unit square so the crank mechanism operates smoothly for years, not months.
5. We clean the site and hand you a written guarantee. Old window, packaging, caulk debris, and trim scraps leave the job with us. The worksite looks better than it did when we arrived. Before we go, you receive the written guarantee on the completed work.
6. If anything fails, we come back at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the window doesn’t operate correctly, if the seal fails, if the crank binds, if anything related to our installation is not right within the guarantee period, one phone call gets us back on site. Free. We also include a free second visit automatically if a repair fails. No negotiating required.

Awning & Hopper Windows Pricing in Los Angeles

The short version: most awning and hopper window replacements in Los Angeles run between $450 and $1,100 per unit installed, with the average landing around $700. Here’s the longer version, because “it depends” is a cop-out and you deserve real numbers before you dial.

What Affects the Cost

• Window size. A 2-foot by 2-foot hopper for a foundation opening costs less than a 4-foot wide awning unit for a living room wall. More glass means more money.
• Frame material. Vinyl is the most affordable and works well in LA’s climate. Aluminum is common in mid-century homes and carries a slightly higher price. Wood-clad or fiberglass units cost more but matter if you’re matching a specific architectural style.
• Glass type. Standard dual-pane insulated glass is the baseline. Low-e glass, which is a thin coating that reflects heat back into the room in winter and back outside in summer, adds incremental cost but cuts energy bills. Impact-rated glass from PGT or CGI adds the most, but if you’re in a wind-exposed canyon or hillside area, it’s the right call.
• Brand. ViewLux and CWS offer solid mid-range and premium vinyl and aluminum units. PGT and CGI specialize in impact-rated and coastal-zone products. The brand affects price, but we carry eight manufacturer lines at Westlight so we match the right unit to the job rather than forcing the job to fit one brand.
• Wall condition. If the rough opening has rotted wood, a cracked sill, or termite damage behind the old frame, repair work adds to the total. We show you exactly what we find, quote the repair separately, and don’t proceed without your go-ahead.
• Access. A ground-floor window with easy exterior access costs less to install than a second-story unit requiring ladder work or a hopper set into a tight basement well.

Typical Price Ranges

• Small hopper window (basement or foundation opening, 2’x1′ to 2’x2′): $450 to $700 installed
• Standard awning window (bathroom or kitchen, 2’x3′ to 3’x4′): $550 to $900 installed
• Large awning window (living room or primary bedroom, 3’x4′ to 4’x5′): $800 to $1,100 installed
• Impact-rated awning or hopper from PGT or CGI: $900 to $1,400 installed, depending on size and whether the frame needs reinforcement to meet impact standards
• Wall repair (rotted sill, framing repair, flashing replacement): $100 to $400 per opening, quoted separately only if we find damage during removal

Those are installed prices, meaning they include the unit, labor, caulking and sealant, exterior flashing, and haul-away of the old window. They also include the guarantee. The estimate we give you before work starts is a fixed, written number. If you want a precise quote for your specific openings, call (213) 810-3461. Estimates are free, and nobody will pressure you into signing anything on the spot.

Is It Cheaper to Repair or Replace?

Most of the time, replacement is the better financial decision. If the glass is fogged or the seal has failed, the insulated glass unit has lost its argon or krypton gas fill, and a new IG unit alone can run $200 to $400, plus labor. If the crank mechanism has stripped gears, a replacement hardware kit is often $60 to $120, plus the service call. When both the glass and the hardware are failing on a window that’s 15 or 20 years old, you’re looking at repair costs that approach 60 to 80 percent of a new unit’s price, and you’re still left with an old frame. A new awning or hopper window from ViewLux or CWS gives you a fresh frame, new glass, a new crank, and our written guarantee for a few hundred dollars more than the repair would have cost. Call us at (213) 810-3461 and we’ll give you an honest assessment over the phone, including what repair would cost in your case, before we ever schedule a site visit.

Awning vs. Hopper: Which One Does Your Home Need?

We install both, and the honest answer depends on where the window lives. Awning units are the right choice above counters, above sinks, and anywhere you want to leave the window open during light rain. They shed water naturally because the sash swings out and up, creating a shield over the opening. Hopper units are the right choice for low, wide openings near grade, in basements, and anywhere an inward-swinging window makes more sense than a crank-out unit. The hopper tilts down into the room, which means exterior access isn’t required for cleaning, and the tilt angle directs airflow upward. In Los Angeles, we see awning windows most often in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms, and Garden Windows in sunrooms or over sinks where plants need light, while hopper windows appear most often in raised-foundation basements, crawl space ventilation openings, and converted garages. When the opening is short and wide, hopper usually wins. When the opening is above a work surface and you want rain-safe ventilation, awning is the call. If you’re not sure, that’s exactly the kind of question we answer on the phone every day.

Los Angeles-Specific Considerations

The climate and building stock in Los Angeles create a few specific considerations for awning and hopper windows that you won’t read about on a generic national window website. First, sun exposure. South-facing and west-facing walls in neighborhoods like Mid-City, Jefferson Park, and West Adams take intense UV for hours a day. That fades wood frames, degrades caulk, and accelerates seal failure. We recommend low-e glass on those exposures, and the late-afternoon sun that pours through a good west-facing window is exactly where the Westlight name came from. It’s bright, warm, and worth doing right. Second, older homes. Much of LA’s housing stock was built between 1920 and 1960, and those homes often have window openings that don’t match modern standard sizes. That’s where hopper and awning units shine, because they can be ordered in custom sizes without a massive upcharge. Third, hillside and canyon wind. If you live in Mount Washington, Montecito Heights, or anywhere in the Santa Monica Mountains corridor, wind-driven rain and debris during winter storms and Santa Ana events put real stress on windows. Impact-rated units from PGT and CGI are built for that, and we stock them. Fourth, seismic movement. LA homes shift. A window that was square when it was installed in 1985 might be slightly out of square today. We check the rough opening for plumb and level before ordering the unit, and we account for the small discrepancies that are normal in a 60-year-old wood-frame house.

If you’re in a neighborhood we serve frequently, like Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Atwater Village, or Highland Park, there’s a good chance we’ve already replaced awning or hopper windows on a house with the same era of construction as yours. Those are the neighborhoods where we see spring failures due to repeated crank cycling, failed seals from decades of sun exposure, and rusted hardware on units that were never properly flashed. We know what we’re going to find before we take the old window out, and we price accordingly.

Why Homeowners in Los Angeles Choose Westlight Windows

Owen Satterfield founded this company in 2009 on a premise that still holds: a homeowner should know exactly what a window job costs before the work begins, and the company that does the work should stand behind it in writing. That’s the Kingswell Guarantee. We’re an independently owned and operated Kingswell location, not a franchise passing through with rented crews. We carry eight manufacturer lines, including awning and hopper units from ViewLux, PGT, CWS, and CGI, plus Casement Windows for homeowners who prefer side-hinged operation, so we genuinely have product choice. We also carry energy-efficient ECO Window Systems and trusted entry-door brand Therma-Tru for homeowners who are doing a broader replacement project. Every technician on your job is background-checked and uniformed, and our phone lines are staffed by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you call at 3 a.m. because a window won’t close and rain is coming in, a real human picks up. Not a voicemail box, not a chatbot.

We also do the unglamorous things right: we show up in the window we gave, we cover floors and furniture in the work area, we bag the old window and frame before carrying them through the house, and we sweep and vacuum before we leave. The 365-Day Done Right Promise is exactly what it sounds like: if the work is not right within the guarantee period, we come back and make it right at no charge. If a repair fails, a second visit is free automatically. Those are the terms we put in writing on every job, handed to you at completion.

If you’re still comparing options, read through our Window Installation in Los Angeles page for a broader look at how we handle projects, brands, and pricing. For awning and hopper units specifically, this page is your starting point.

FAQs – Awning & Hopper Windows

How much does an awning window cost in Los Angeles?

A standard awning window in Los Angeles typically costs $550 to $900 installed, with small units starting around $450 and large or impact-rated units reaching $1,100 to $1,400 installed. The price depends on size, frame material, glass type, and whether the rough opening needs repair. Every Westlight customer receives a written price before any work starts, so you’ll know your exact number before you commit. Call (213) 810-3461 for a free estimate on your specific openings.

How much does a hopper window cost in Los Angeles?

A hopper basement or foundation window in Los Angeles typically costs $450 to $700 installed, depending on size and whether the surrounding wall framing is in good condition. Hopper units are common in raised-foundation homes and cost slightly less than awning units on average because the openings tend to be smaller and the installations simpler. For an exact quote, call (213) 810-3461. Estimates are free and there’s no obligation.

Can you replace an awning or hopper window the same day?

Yes, in most cases we can replace an awning or hopper window the same day we arrive for the scheduled installation. Once the old unit is removed and the rough opening is confirmed sound, installation typically takes 45 minutes to 2 hours per window, depending on size and the condition of the surrounding wall. If you have an emergency, like a window that won’t close, call (213) 810-3461 and we’ll work with you to get someone out quickly.

Is it cheaper to repair an awning window or replace it?

Replacement is usually cheaper in the long run. Crank mechanism repair and glass replacement on a 15 to 20 year old awning window often costs $350 to $550 combined, which is close to the price of a new unit, and you still keep the old frame and failed seals. A new awning window includes fresh glass, new hardware, and our full written guarantee. For an honest repair-versus-replace assessment on your window, call (213) 810-3461 and we’ll give you real numbers over the phone.

Are impact-rated awning and hopper windows worth the extra cost in Los Angeles?

Impact-rated awning and hopper windows from PGT or CGI typically cost $300 to $500 more per unit than standard versions, and that premium is worth it if your home sits in a wind-exposed area like the Hollywood Hills, Mount Washington, Topanga, or the Santa Monica Mountains corridor. Impact-rated glass resists wind-driven debris during storms and Santa Ana events. For most flatland Los Angeles neighborhoods, standard dual-pane units with low-e glass provide plenty of protection and better everyday value. We carry both and will recommend what actually fits your location, not what ships faster.

Got an Awning or Hopper Window That Needs Replacing? Call Us.

You’ve got our number: (213) 810-3461. A live person answers, day or night. We’ll ask about your window, give you an honest sense of what it costs, and schedule a site visit if you want one. Before any work starts, you’ll receive a written price. After the work is done, you’ll receive a written guarantee. In between, you’ll see a background-checked, uniformed technician who arrives on time, treats your home with care, and leaves the site cleaner than it was before. That’s the Kingswell Way, and it’s how we’ve operated since 2009. Call today for a free estimate.

Written by Owen Satterfield, Owner at Westlight Windows Los Angeles, serving Los Angeles.