Window Hood Costs: What Homeowners Actually Pay in 2026

Window hoods for houses run $150–$900 per unit installed across most U.S. markets in 2026. That spread is wide for a reason: a basic primed MDF hood on a single window costs around $150–$220 installed, while a custom built-up wood cornice with dentil molding on a large double window can push $700–$900 once the trim carpenter finishes the returns.

For a full house with 8–10 windows, budget $1,200–$7,500 total. The low end gets you PVC or primed MDF hoods on standard 3/0 x 5/0 windows with basic labor. The high end reflects custom millwork, cedar or composite lumber, full paint prep, and scaffolding on a two-story elevation.

Here's the line item breakdown most contractors won't hand you upfront:

The material you choose drives more of the final price than most homeowners realize. PVC window hoods are the most common spec right now — they don't rot, take paint well, and a standard 36-inch unit runs $45–$90 in materials. Fypon and Ekena Millwork are the two brands I see on job sites most often; their stock profiles land at $55–$120 per unit depending on projection depth.

Primed MDF is cheaper upfront — $30–$65 per unit — but it's moisture-sensitive. Any gap in the caulk joint and you're replacing it within five years in a wet climate. I've seen this exact failure pattern on probably a dozen jobs in the mid-Atlantic region alone.

Cedar and clear pine are the premium wood options. A custom-built cedar hood with a 4-inch bed mold, 3/4-inch plywood (which runs $55–$70 a sheet at current lumber yards) as the backer, and built-up returns will cost $120–$220 in materials per unit — before the carpenter touches it. The Lumber & Wood Products PPI hit 267.9 in March 2026 (FRED/BLS), meaning real wood trim is running roughly 15–20% higher than it was three years ago. Budget accordingly.

Composite options — cellular PVC or fiber cement — split the difference at $75–$150 per unit in materials. They hold paint longer than MDF and outlast raw wood in humid climates. Honestly, for most production homes, composite is the right call.

Labor is where estimates get fuzzy fast. A straightforward PVC hood install on a first-floor window — remove old trim if any, set the hood level, nail and caulk — runs 45 minutes to 1.5 hours per unit for an experienced trim carpenter. At $65–$95/hour (the going rate in most markets), that's $70–$140 in labor per window.

Custom built-up hoods are different math entirely. A carpenter fabricating a cornice assembly with side returns and a bed mold is looking at 3–5 hours per window for fabrication and install. At $75–$110/hour for a skilled finish carpenter, you're at $225–$550 in labor alone before materials hit the invoice.

Two-story installs add a scaffolding or ladder cost that almost never appears in the initial quote. Scaffold rental for a single day runs $180–$400 depending on height and market. If your contractor says nothing about second-floor access costs — ask. Every time I've seen this go wrong, it's because the homeowner assumed the ladder was free.

Most trim carpentry work falls below the permit threshold in residential zoning codes. But don't assume you're exempt. Some municipalities classify any exterior modification — including decorative window hoods — as a structural alteration if it changes the drainage plane or requires flashing into the wall assembly. That triggers a building permit.

Permit costs for minor exterior work run $0–$150 in most jurisdictions. A handful of high-cost urban markets (parts of California, New York City, Boston) charge $150–$300 for exterior alteration permits on cosmetic work. Pull the permit yourself if the contractor won't — unpermitted work that alters flashing can void a homeowner's insurance claim after water damage.

Quick note: HOA approval is a separate cost entirely. If you're in a planned community, decorative trim changes typically require an architectural review that runs $50–$200 in filing fees and 2–6 weeks in lead time. Budget both.

Labor markets make a real difference here. The same PVC hood install that costs $190 per unit in the South runs $280–$340 in the Northeast — almost entirely because of labor rate differences, not materials.

In the South, you'll also find more contractors who stock standard PVC hoods and install them as a flat-rate service — $125–$175 per unit turn-key. That pricing exists almost nowhere in the Northeast, where custom millwork expectations drive up scope creep on every job.

Here's a comparison that actually matters: stock PVC hoods versus custom-built cedar hoods.

Stock PVC runs $55–$120 per unit in materials, installs in under 90 minutes, and holds paint for 8–12 years with proper prep. Total installed cost: $150–$280 per window. Cedar looks better, photographs better for resale listings, and gives you a custom profile — but materials run $120–$220 per unit, labor runs $225–$550 per unit, and raw cedar needs repainting every 5–7 years. Total installed cost: $400–$750 per window.

On a 10-window house, that's a gap of roughly $2,500–$5,000 upfront. Cedar requires a repaint cycle at roughly $800–$1,200 in materials and labor every 6 years. PVC needs repainting every 10 years at similar cost. Cedar breaks even versus PVC at approximately year 14 if you factor in the paint cycles — and only if you don't have wood rot issues before then.

For most standard suburban homes, stock PVC is the correct financial decision. Custom millwork makes sense on historic properties, high-end resales, or situations where the existing trim profile is so specific that stock hoods would look mismatched.

Nobody talks about flashing in a window hood estimate. That's a problem.

A window hood that isn't properly flashed at the top — meaning there's no step flashing or kick-out detail where the hood meets the wall — will drive water behind the siding within two to three rain seasons. I've pulled hoods off walls and found black OSB and rotted sheathing behind them because a contractor caulked over the joint instead of flashing it.

Proper flashing adds $10–$35 per window in materials (aluminum step flashing, self-adhesive membrane, backer rod, and paintable caulk). Labor to do it correctly adds 20–30 minutes per unit. That's $15–$45 more in the bill — and it's the most important $15–$45 on the invoice.

Any contractor who doesn't mention flashing in their scope of work on an exterior hood install is either cutting corners or doesn't have enough finish exterior experience. Ask specifically: "What's your flashing detail at the top of the hood?" The answer tells you a lot.

Window hood jobs attract margin inflation more than almost any other trim project — because the work looks simple, the parts are cheap, and most homeowners don't price materials before the bid.

Red flag #1: Material markup above 30%. A standard Fypon PVC hood retails for $65–$95 at Lowe's or a lumber yard. If a contractor's invoice shows a "window hood unit" at $200–$250 per piece with no breakdown, they're running 100%+ markup on materials. Ask for an itemized materials list with unit prices.

Red flag #2: "Custom fabrication" on a stock profile. Clients who come to me after a bad bid always show me invoices where a contractor charged $350–$450 in "custom fabrication" for a hood that's clearly a stock Ekena Millwork unit. Pull the catalog number off the hood if you can — or ask the contractor to name the manufacturer.

Red flag #3: No mention of paint or caulk in scope. A hood installed without primer and two coats of exterior latex will peel within two years. If a contractor's bid doesn't include paint prep and finish coat — or specifically excludes it — that's a hidden cost that will show up six months later as a separate job.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, home improvement fraud is among the most reported contractor complaint categories nationally. Always get three bids and request itemized line-item breakdowns — not lump-sum quotes.

• Material markup above 30% on stock PVC or MDF hoods — ask for unit prices
• "Custom fabrication" charges on identifiable stock catalog profiles
• No paint or caulk in the written scope of work
• No flashing detail mentioned for exterior installations
• Lump-sum bids with no labor/materials split — always red flag on trim work
• Permit listed as 'not required' without checking your local jurisdiction

Spend the money on flashing, caulk quality, and primer. Seriously. A $12 roll of self-adhesive flashing membrane and a $9 tube of Sikaflex paintable caulk will outlast $200 worth of decorator labor if the underlying weatherproofing fails.

You can safely save on profile complexity. A simple flat-head hood with a 2-inch bed mold looks clean on most colonial and craftsman elevations. You don't need dentil blocks and a keyed pediment on a $350,000 suburban house — and the visual upgrade from a $150 stock hood to a $600 custom one is modest at best from street distance.

Paint is non-negotiable. Every hood, whether PVC or wood, needs a bonding primer and two coats of 100% acrylic exterior latex. That step costs $15–$30 per unit in materials. Skipping it costs $150–$280 per unit in early replacement. The math is not close.

For a 10-window house, a realistic well-executed budget looks like this: $2,200–$4,500 total using stock composite or PVC hoods, a qualified trim carpenter, proper flashing at every unit, and a full paint finish. That's the number to hold your contractor to.