Able Glass Company provides and installs a variety of products for residential clients in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. The company’s main focus is window and patio door replacement, but it also offers custom screens, tub and shower enclosures, table tops, mirrors, skylights, and more. Its Santa Clara showroom carries both retrofit and new construction windows from several well-known manufacturers.
Second-generation owner Eric Holder has been involved with Able Glass Company since he was 12 years old. He eventually bought the business from his father, who founded the company in 1969. Mr. Holder says he’s proud to continue the traditions of his family-run business with each successive job. “Our efforts have also been noticed by the media—the San Jose Mercury News has given us 15 consecutive “Best Window Installer” and “Best Door Installer” awards (2010 through 2024) and inducted us into their Hall of Fame category.”
Able Glass Company also offers free in-home estimates and conducts comprehensive home evaluations to determine what products will best fit clients’ homes.
“Our goal is to attain complete customer satisfaction by providing the best possible products and services. We’ve been in business for 56 years, so our customers have the added assurance of knowing we’ll meet our goals every time.”
Experience can’t be bought, only earned.
In the window and glass industry, says Eric Holder, there is little substitute for experience.
Mr. Holder, owner of Able Glass Company, shares a technique for quickly discovering how long a glass company has been around: The contractor license number. Companies with lower numbers date back the longest—and have probably left behind a verifiable track record of good work and satisfied customers.
A few tips on finding a good window contractor— and avoiding problems:
• Beware of contractors who won’t provide references, who require cash, or who insist on up-front payment.
• Get multiple estimates in writing. Ask each vendor to separate labor costs from parts so you know what you’re paying for.
• Watch out for contractors who “just happen” to have materials left over from a previous job.
• Call a building planner or inspector to verify that the quote you got is in the right price range.
• If you know anyone who has had similar work done, compare your quote to what they paid.
• If a contractor asks you to pull the required building permits rather than doing it themselves, they might not have a proper license.
Perhaps most important, don’t allow yourself to be pressured into a decision. Beware of quotes that are contingent on your “acting now.” Reputable contractors are perfectly content to quote the job and then back off and, if you so choose, letting you evaluate other offers.
"Back when I was a kid, there was a handshake. That's just how things were done," says Eric Holder, owner of Able Glass Company.
Holder credits his father, from whom he bought the business over 22 years ago, with teaching him that "When you give your word on something, your word is as good as any document you're signing."
Mr. Holder feels uniquely qualified to serve his Santa Clara County and San Mateo County clientele, having grown up in Sunnyvale and having worked in the industry since age 12. The four-man operation he purchased from his father at age 21 is now a company with a staff of 25.
Able Glass specializes in patio door and window replacement, both retrofit and new construction. It carries quality products from manufacturers such as Jeld-Wen, Milgard, Ply-Gem and Simonton. Able Glass and Window's glazing department specializes in tub and shower enclosures, custom tabletops, mirrors, broken windows, wardrobe mirror doors and much more.
In addition, screens can be ordered and replaced.
Able Glass is vigilant about keeping on schedule, rarely failing to finish a job before promised. The overwhelming majority of installations and repairs can be completed before day's end, so customers need not worry about being inconvenienced or their homes being exposed to the elements.
Mr. Holder sits on a number of advisory councils for window manufacturers and has completed coursework on energy efficiency in the industry.
Unlike companies that try to keep prices low by hiring uninsured subcontractors, Able Glass uses only its own installers. Each one is properly licensed, bonded and insured. Many have been with the company for years.
