Window replacement for homes built before 1978
Window Replacement for Older Pleasanton Area Homes
If your home was built before 1978, window replacement isn't just a renovation choice — it's federally regulated work. Under the EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule, any contractor who disturbs painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home must be a certified firm using EPA-trained, lead-safe work practices. Window replacement is explicitly named as covered work under this rule, alongside remodeling and weatherization. Custom Exteriors holds this certification. Not every contractor does.
Why window replacement triggers the EPA's lead-safe rule
Lead-based paint for residential use was banned in 1978, which is why the rule draws its line there. Homes built before that year commonly have lead-based paint somewhere in the window assembly — frames, sashes, sills, or trim — even if it's been painted over many times since. Removing and replacing a window disturbs those painted surfaces directly, which is exactly the kind of work the RRP Rule was written to control.
The rule allows an exemption only when certified testing confirms the specific painted surfaces being disturbed fall below the regulated lead threshold. Short of that test, a contractor working on a pre-1978 home is required to follow lead-safe practices, without exception.
29 Years In Business at the Same Location
30,000 Projects Completed
AAMA Certified Master Installers
Diamond Certified Since April 2002
What happens when a contractor skips it
Two things are at stake, and they're not the same thing.
The first is what happens in your home. Uncontrolled removal of lead-painted window components can release lead dust into living spaces, which is a genuine health hazard, particularly for children and pregnant women. Lead-safe practices exist to contain and clean up that dust properly, not just to satisfy a regulation.
The second is what happens to the contractor. Firms that perform this work without RRP certification are violating federal law, and as of 2026 the EPA's civil penalties for RRP violations run more than $10,000 per violation, per day. That's not a fee homeowners pay, it lands on the contractor. But a contractor willing to skip a federally required safety step to save time or cost is telling you something about how they'll handle the rest of your project too.
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How Custom Exteriors handles lead-safe window replacement
Custom Exteriors is EPA Lead-Safe Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Certified. Before installation begins on any pre-1978 home, our team confirms whether lead-safe procedures are required and follows the appropriate practices to protect the home, the people living in it, and the crew performing the work.
That work is carried out by our own full-time AAMA Certified Master Installers, not subcontractors. The same trained, employee-based team that handles your window installation is the team accountable for doing the lead-safe portion of the job correctly, from the first day of the project to the last.
Older housing stock across the Tri-Valley and East Bay
This isn't a rare edge case in our service area. Many homes in Pleasanton, Livermore, Walnut Creek, Alameda, Oakland, and surrounding East Bay communities were built during the decades when lead-based paint was still standard, which means lead-safe practices are a routine part of window replacement work here, not an exception.
For homeowners in these older homes, replacing original single-pane, painted wood-frame windows is also where the performance upgrade is most noticeable. Custom Exteriors installs Infinity from Marvin windows, built with Ultrex fiberglass, a material that expands and contracts far less than vinyl or the original wood frame, holding its seal through the seasonal temperature swings that cause older windows to draft, stick, and fail.
Why Choose Custom Exteriors?
We’ve built a reputation for providing the best possible value on truly custom remodeling solutions that help homeowners fall in love with their homes again. Whether you're looking for window replacement, siding replacement or want new doors, our Pleasanton team is ready to help.
29 years. 30,000+ projects. Same location.
We’ve been at the same address in Pleasanton since 1997. If something goes wrong with your installation three years from now, we’re still here to make it right, with the same name, the same team, and the same accountability to this community.
AAMA Certified & Trained Installers
Our installers are Custom Exteriors employees. They’ve been on our team for years, they’re trained to our standards, and they’re accountable to us, not to the lowest bidder on a job board. When something needs attention in year three, the same team that installed it is still here.
Diamond Certified Since April 2002
Diamond Certified is a third-party certification based on independent customer satisfaction surveys, not self-reported scores. It’s one of the most credible local trust signals in the California market, and we’ve earned it.
A physical showroom, not a brochure
You cannot accurately judge a window’s weight, a siding panel’s texture, or a door’s finish quality from a photo or a manufacturer’s website. Our showroom at 2142 Rheem Drive in Pleasanton exists so you don’t have to guess. Come see the products before you decide. No commitment, no pressure.
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Frequently asked Questions
If your home was built before 1978 and a contractor is being paid to perform the work, yes. Federal law requires the firm to be EPA RRP certified and to follow lead-safe work practices when the renovation disturbs painted surfaces, which window replacement does.
Homes built before 1978 are assumed to have lead-based paint somewhere on painted surfaces unless certified testing proves otherwise. A certified renovator can test the specific areas being disturbed before work begins.
Yes. Custom Exteriors is EPA Lead-Safe Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Certified, and our team confirms whether lead-safe procedures apply before starting any project on a pre-1978 home.
It depends on the scope of the project and what the pre-work testing finds. Ask your Custom Exteriors project consultant for specifics before work begins rather than assuming a number in advance.
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