Pella windows and doors

[dmdc411]

Looking for some advice. My home is 20yrs old. Has Pella Proline windows and patio sliders. They are wood with aluminum cladding. My question, while they're a pretty good, ok product, I'm ready to replace the sliders and most of the windows. Some have rot, others leak some. Bedroom windows are OK, but let the noises from outdoors through way more than we like. Should I stick with the Pellas, mainly because they're a direct replacement. Have found, the bedroom windows can be replaced with std size Andersons or Marvin windows. The 3 panel living room, family room, kitchen, and both patio doors,no such luck, only special order. I'm not willing to mortgage my house just for windows! Thinking of going with Pallas with sound glass for the bedrooms. A patio door replaced with a window, other just replaced. We're in Minnesota, the Pallas are ok for the climate, but not my first choice. This winter we've really noticed the drafts, ready to tackle window and door replacement. Between myself, my son inlaw, and his dad, we're more than capable of the work. Thanks!

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[mishkaya]

I would avoid the Pella windows personally. I would much rather Anderson or Marvin myself.

 

[jkeyser14]

I would avoid the Pella windows personally. I would much rather Anderson or Marvin myself.

I have Anderson 400's and they are meh. My parents have Pella triple panes which are much nicer and were the same price.

 

[bobj49f2]

We had 20 Pella windows installed in our house last year. The seem OK, a lot better than the 35 year old windows that were in the house when we bought it. We have an old two story farm house. We bought inserts, not the entire windows and they seem pretty nice. We had their better quality windows installed in the lower level because those are the ones everyone sees and had their lower cost white vinyl windows installed on the second story where no one looks at the windows. The installation was OK. The first day they installed the upstairs windows and missed caulking the windows on opposite sides of the house. It as in January and we froze the first night. They came back the next day and caulked the windows and installed the windows on the lower floor. A few days later it got even colder and the windows on the southside, upstairs had a large amount of ice flowing through the bottom corners and down the walls. We called and they said they should have installed some kind of sealing kit which turned out to be small "L" shaped filler pieces for the corners of the windows. Haven't had a problem since.

Overall I would say the windows are good but the installer isn't that good. They are a big dealer in the area and run ads on the radio continuously. My wife heard their ads and wanted to go with them because they were offering a great payment deal. The salesman came to our house and was our best for the night, promised their biggest value was communication. He said they'd be in constant contact every step of the way from the placing the order at the factory and notifications all along the process. Well, never heard from the guy again. I had to initiate the conversations throughout the entire process. Never heard from our best friend salesman, even when I called and left messages for him. Again, a year later when we needed warranty work on our $10K bay window had a lot of problems with communications to get someone out to do the the work. So overall the windows seem pretty good, the dealer not so much so I don't know if this is a Pella distributor thing or just this one place.

 

[Ralf11]

I would avoid the Pella windows personally. I would much rather Anderson or Marvin myself.

ditto

 

[Copymutt]

I have two homes. Pella replacements in one. Those on the south gave up the glue on the interior trim. The triple pane on the north have developed a haze inside that can not be removed. Large custom fixed over crank out units on the cabin were delivered and set on the extended return edge and returns cracked. Employees clueless. Notified dealer that i would fix it. Never even heard an acknowledgement. Did not get what i paid for, but very common.

 

[ddawg16]

Can you get Milgard in your area?

All of mine are Milgard...fiberglass on the outside, vinyl inside...double paned...argon filled, low E.

It's amazing how quiet they are.

 

[dmdc411]

Bobj49f2, sorry to hear of your bad luck with the installer. Unfortunately, there's alot of shady contractors out there! Don't let up on them!! I am fortunate to have learned from my father, and grandfather the art of doing anything and everything for myself!

Thank yous for the input. Pretty much heard exactly what I figured, and I feel pretty much the same on the Perla subject. My only concern, how much framing am I willing to change.....

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[dmdc411]

Ddawg,
I will look into them. Thank you!

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[loganb]

I'll go ahead and out myself....I work for Pella, specifically the manufacturer not a distributor, so with that admitted bias out there I'll keep this as neutral as possible.

The product in question was updated a couple years ago and is now called Lifestyle as it sounds like you may have found out already and gives you options for additional features such as the improved sound resistance and triple pane options. If the frames are in good shape without issues and it's just sashes or the glass units you can get replacement sashes for that product if you're interested in that instead of doing a "full frame" replacement. If you're interested in the triple pane option you would likely have to do a full frame replacement.

The advances in design, especially on insulated glass and coatings will give a marked improvement in thermal performance vs what you've got currently. I don't have access to our tech manuals for that vintage electronically, but the one I can get from 1995 says that the comparable Lifestyle Dual Pane product available now is between 20-50% more thermally efficient(U Value) than what you've got depending on what options it had originally...going with triple pane would of course increase that even more.

Andersen and Marvin both make popular windows as well that are well regarded, the Andersen comparable is the 400 Series, Marvin just rebranded and it'd be their Elevate brand as the comparable. Those 3 brands are also the 3 most common and most recognized window brands in Minnesota, but with Pella HQ in Iowa and both Andersen and Marvin headquartered in Minnesota it makes sense. They're also all privately owned, multi-generational companies with solid financial foundations which is important as a product warranty is only good as long as the issuing company is in business and many of the smaller, regionally focused vinyl companies have pretty short business lifespans. You'll find a lot of similar warranty items across all 3 lines but unless something has changed very recently Pella will have the longest coverage term with limited lifetime to the original owner as long as it's your primary residence.

I'd agree with your thought on putting the upgraded sound glass in bedrooms and if you have a busy street facing front elevation I'd consider it there to. It's a very marginal price for a marked improvement in sound reduction and I made the same decision on the windows I put on our front elevation and a couple bedrooms in our last house and was very happy with it. Other thing we have on our current house in our sliding patio door is the blinds between glass, which is especially handy for us with a dog and toddler keeping those blinds sealed and out of access from both of those culprits...but they're still there and easy to operate when we need to.

If you've got other questions I'm happy to answer them but don't want to turn this into an advertisement or sharing things you already know.

Bob-Thank you for your purchase and I'm sorry to hear the installation experience didn't live up to the expectation. I do know the distributor in question very well and the radio spots you're referring to and they get great marks on their follow up surveys and customer ratings but they aren't perfect as your experience shows. If you've got any outstanding issues let me know via PM and I'd be willing to chat and see if I can help make sure they're addressed

 

[p00p]

bought my house that has pellas. I can't crank some of them in without having to hold in position while cranking the window closed. I have to remove the screen to do this as there is no way i can do it from outside on a ladder & be inside cranking on the handle. The blinds in the window are a nice feature, but I noticed one evening that I can see in still from the outside when I leave a light on in the room. Don't go streaking by, or you'll be putting a show on!
The thermal loss is noticeable. Make sense since I have to guide the window shut. It's very cold by the window, even with minimal to no wind.

They look nice...

 

[Grant F]

The ease of a direct replacement may make it worth it. But I would say I am extremely disappointed in Pella quality. My house was built in 2010. All Pella windows and doors. The windows are like you describe, wood with aluminum cladding. Last winter (10 years old) Pella replaced one or both sashes in almost all of the windows in my house under warranty. The seal where the cladding meets the glass was failing and the wood was expanding from moisture bowing out the cladding. Had I not caught it, it would have been a huge mess in a few more years. I am sure I will be in the same boat in 10 more years. My sliding glass door which is all fiberglass unit has never shut correctly. Pella has worked on it twice and it has never been fixed. Anyway, I always thought of Pella as a good brand, the ones I have a junk.

 

[engineer2]

I would avoid Pella. I had them put in my first house and they made loud popping sounds whenever it got cold out. I asked about coverage because it was a known defect. They told me to pound sand since they were out of the 1 year warranty. Last time I drove by the house, the windows had been changed.

 

[dmdc411]

Logan, thankyou for the input. A nearby Lowes sells Pella . They've filled me in on the changes. Funny as it may sound, I used to live near the Anderson plant, I knew some employees, and have since moved out of the area. Back in the late 80s, lived in Theif River Falls Minn. Knew a bunch of Marvin windows employees. Both companies are, think still are very good to their employees, and put out an excellent product. I really appreciate your honesty, and view point. I've been leaning towards staying with Pella, because half my windows and sliders would be special order through Anderson and thought Marvin. So yah got me there!!. If the quality has improved like you, and Lowes sales guy says, then, I'm probably sold. We're pre retirement age, probably move "somewhere" different in 10+/- yrs, so it works for us. And being a do it myself er, the ease of swapping out is perfect!! Thanks Logan!!

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[puttinonthekritz]

I built a home 3 years ago thinking I didn’t want to break the bank and wanted low maintenance. I went with Andersen 100 series, the Fibrex material in a bronze color. Many came from the factory scratched and marred up. Had multiple Andersen reps come out and majority were considered “in spec” so they weren’t replaced.
More importantly over aesthetics, the 15 degree days or less results in the sashes and glass all frosted with ice on the lower 1/5th window. I built a shed this year knowing this and utilized a Marvin Fiberglass windows instead with NONE of the Andersen issues I just mentioned. Same builder for both my house and shed.

 

[acer66]

I have two vinyl pella windows and they work fine both are like 5 years old.
Weird thing was one is a 3 pane picture window and they did not offer insulation in the frame which seems very weird for a 3 pane window.

Not sure what my next window brand will be but it would have to be insulated and I will spend extra for sound proofing.

 

[Quarter Life Crisis]

Avoid Pella Windows if you can. I have a quality control and customer service nightmare on my hands dating back to 2017. We had a custom 60"x48" picture window with transom designed for a bonus room/playroom over my attached two car garage. We are now on the fourth window, waiting for the fifth to be installed as we speak. THEY ALL LEAK and they ALL LEAK IN THE SAME SPOT. The installers are brainless gorillas who will trash your house if you don't watch every move they make. Steer clear!

 

[jmiller_2308]

I chose Pella windows when I built my house - they **** and Pella support has been less than helpful.

Some of the windows had the cladding separate. Many of them just rotted within. All of the closures fail at one point or another. The screens fit horribly.

I tried to use the warranty and Pella provided very little. I think I got one replacement insert and maybe a dab of glue. I had a door hanging so bad that I decided to cough up and have Pella professionals install a new one. Well that sucked, I ended up having to take it off and hang it myself to get it to work correctly.

On one large set of Pella windows I tried to replace them with Renewal by Anderson which was an equally bad mistake. It seems the windows put in by Renewal are not the tried and good Anderson windows.

I have another large window set that I replaced with actual Anderson windows. These matched in color and are so much better than the Pella and renewal windows that I'll go this way again when the rest of the crappy Pella windows need to go. Also, the Anderson window guy actually knew how to adjust the window so that it would work properly - not so for Pella.

 

[58Yeoman]

I can't help you on the brands, and my house was built in 1979; I bought it in 2008. It has the original wood sash windows with adjustable aluminum "runners" inside the frame. We had to replace the bay window two years ago, as the cranking mechanisms were shot and not replaceable. It was by a local company and I couldn't be happier. I don't know the brand window, but it had to be special made. It's vinyl.

I painted the outsides of the wood windows last year, and a couple should be restained on the inside. Sounds like windows aren't lasting as long as they used to.

My last house was built in 1939 or so, and when I went to open an original wood window, the thing fell apart. I bought replacement windows at Menard's and installed them myself. They were vinyl and worked very well and were easy to install. There were 16 in that house. I've been out of there since 2008, so I don't know how well they held up.

 

[puttinonthekritz]

Check out windows and doors by Provia. Seem to be a good option with triple seals, additional thermal breaks, Argon and Krypton gas options, low e coatings, etc.

 

[jkuro]

Anderson

 

[yeldogt]

The three big window companies (Pella/Andersen/Marvin) All make different product lines. They also make "replacement" windows that are again a different product line.

All thee have had problems somewhere of one sort or another in my building lifetime. Andersen had cladding issues with the way they sealed the clad to the glass on the patio/ french doors and double hung windows. Marvin had frame rot issues due to a preservative failure. Pella had the clad issue as noted above.

Replacement windows -- the type that sit inside of the old frame come with there own set of issues ... they tend to be cheaper products as they have to hit a price point.

The biggest problem ... installation. More often than not most windows are installed incorrectly .... incorrect base flashing and too much caulk that leads to rot. Cheaper windows actually require more work to install correctly .... an inverse condition that typically does not occur

OP -- Can I assume you are replacing new construction windows. Now going with replacements? Or are you taking out the new construction window from 20 years ago?

When I built my beach house I went with Andersen 400 Casements -- why? Andersen makes a fully clad sash so when open and raining they can't be damaged. They make a decent casement that holds up to the shore weather conditions w/o maintenance. I also used the french casements on a brick retrofit situation .. again, it was the look and fit. The Andersen is not a great looking window ... but it's not offensive. I used Pella doors -- Pella makes the best clad door of the three. The new Andersen slider (they fixed the clad issue) is a decent product if it is installed properly with a strong structure around it -- it cheaper then the Pella. Still not as nice. I prefer the Pella double hung window of the three. Marvin gets picked when you need anything custom .. IE: traditional house. Marvin is set up to make any type of custom wood window or door .... they are the most traditional and best looking. Andersen does the least custom .... Pella is just not as good doing it as Marvin.

Now for the wild card. Aluminum. For my city properties w/ brick and masonry exteriors. I have a local company make full inserts. They make commercial building windows .. many of these companies will make residential windows as well. For a city property they make a false frame and the window fits inside -- custom made to the opening size and they don't use stock glass sizes. Proper proportions. This is the big problem with replacement windows -- The actual windows come in limited sizes and they manufacture spacers to fit the existing frame. They can be wacky. I had my brothers house done with AL replacement -- traditional house from the 70's. They can make the AL with thin side rails rails so when installed the glass area matches what was in the house ...

There is no "one" best window .... the last few houses I have done have required wood windows and I have been using a company from Canada that makes a nicer window than Marvin for not much more

 

[BD1]

I have Pella Casement windows with roll screens, a 12' bow window and 8' and 12' sliders.
Windows are 40 years old and are still great. I had patio sliders replaced 8 years ago. I have adjust windows from inside for closing.
I can't complain about Pella at all. Mine are installed in 2x6 walls so frames have extensions on them.


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[Onator]

I replaced 2 original (1950's) windows with Andersen's from H.D. From day-one they were awful. I could at least open them, but anything after Nov 1st turned that room into a second (but larger) refrigerator! For the remaining windows, I went with Marvin Tilt-Pack replacement sashes. Best decision I ever made. We're 15 years into these. They're quiet and well insulated. They still look and function like brand new. I had to custom order them but that was an easy-fast process and I'd say cost just slightly more than big-box full replacements. Installation was very simple.

My two cents: Go with Marvin or Pella and stay away from the Box-store quality version. If you're local to the TC's - I can direct you to a guy that will give you all the info/costs you need to make a decision, order anything you want for self installation or he'll install them for you.

 

[yeldogt]

I have Pella Casement windows with roll screens, a 12' bow window and 8' and 12' sliders.
Windows are 40 years old and are still great. I had patio sliders replaced 8 years ago. I have adjust windows from inside for closing.
I can't complain about Pella at all. Mine are installed in 2x6 walls so frames have extensions on them.


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The Pella from that time frame were really good windows. Were nice looking -- built like tanks. The casement with the roll screen being a great innovation. My parents built a house in 82 -- coast of SC. Mostly Pella double hung -- casement in the sun room and kitchen. They made them with removable panels and the muntins were inside the glass. You could get the blinds inside as well. They still make the doors that way.

The double hung were so easy to flip and clean .. great design. not thermo .... single with gap and energy panel.

 

[lolaetype]

Our house was built in 1969 with Pella double pane crank out windows throughout. these are the ones that pivot on the center so you cal lean out and clean both sides from inside the house. We bought the house in 2010 and needed a single screen; one was missing. I called the nearest Pella dealer, 70 miles away. They ordered the screen and when it came in delivered it for free and while the Pella guy was here he inspected and adjusted all the windows. No charge for the delivery or time spent adjusting everything.

I can't compare our windows to Andersons or Marvins, but I'm perfectly happy with the 32 Pella windows in this house.

 

[acer66]

Our house was built in 1969 with Pella double pane crank out windows throughout. these are the ones that pivot on the center so you cal lean out and clean both sides from inside the house. We bought the house in 2010 and needed a single screen; one was missing. I called the nearest Pella dealer, 70 miles away. They ordered the screen and when it came in delivered it for free and while the Pella guy was here he inspected and adjusted all the windows. No charge for the delivery or time spent adjusting everything.

I can't compare our windows to Andersons or Marvins, but I'm perfectly happy with the 32 Pella windows in this house.

That is pretty good CS!

 

[Showkey]

Pella make 9 different grades and three different material choices with a dozen other choices in design, function, hardware and upgrades.

Same for every other window and door manufacture.

As a couple of posts mention Pella does have a Lifetime warranty. Parts and seals on older windows can be a challenge. The window/door business has had some consolidation, buy/sell and manufactures closing all together.

 

[dcg9381]

I just built a house.. Well, am building a house...
I considered:
Don Young
Marvin
Sierra Pacific
Anderson

One of my neighbors is a home builder, his build range is 800k-2M and has had experience with almost all of the windows in my list.. After seeing his home in person and talking to references of people who had installed Sierra Pacific, I went with Anderson. Note, my home is below his build range.


I ended up buying Marvin essentials windows and Marvin Elevate sliding doors (8x8). They're fiberglass - which gets you away from the negatives of aluminum and vinyl. I'd be willing to share my sales receipt via PM. If you're after a "wood" window, there are some hybrid windows that are fiberglass, aluminum and wood.

People have mixed opinions on windows.. Everything from "windows don't sell homes" to "it's horrible to see nice houses with cheap windows". As I plan on being here for a while, I wanted a window that performed well, operated well, but didn't completely sink the budget.

Marvin came out and had their installers do the sliding doors.

Note, it's a little different when pricing "replacement" windows - those markets are awful to sort out. I've seen quotes as high as $100k for homes in the area to do replacements for builder grade original windows, which is ridiculous..


I'm very happy with the windows..

 

[andyvh1959]

Interesting to read all this. I had three windows replaced in my 1973 built contemporary house. Two were standard size two section sliders, in our master bedroom its a 60" high by 102" three section, center fixed and slider on each end. Damn near $9000 installed, by a "premier" local contractor with a lifetime transferable warranty. Triple pane E-glass. They're ok. But I really expected them to make the bedrooms much quieter. I can still hear highway traffic on I-41 a mile to the east of me. Some ****** aluminum cladding work outside that was filled in with a LOT of caulk. I used to do sheet metal layout for fire truck bodies years ago that were FAR more complex than what these "professional installlers" produced. And I wonder why I prefer to do my own work whenever possible? Still irks my ***.

 

[Skyking1992]

We had a custom home built in 1999. We had a pretty good sized window budget and went with Pella. I am disappointed. I have wood that is rotting, and air leaks. We have two sliding patio doors that have what looks like some kind of rot coming through the aluminum cladding from the inside.

We did not get these from a big box store. We went to directly to a Pella facility. The salesman told us these would be lifetime windows.

 

[yeldogt]

We had a custom home built in 1999. We had a pretty good sized window budget and went with Pella. I am disappointed. I have wood that is rotting, and air leaks. We have two sliding patio doors that have what looks like some kind of rot coming through the aluminum cladding from the inside.

We did not get these from a big box store. We went to directly to a Pella facility. The salesman told us these would be lifetime windows.

You are in the time frame ..... my memory is the settlement time has passed.

But,

Did you contact Pella direct ?

 

[yeldogt]

Interesting to read all this. I had three windows replaced in my 1973 built contemporary house. Two were standard size two section sliders, in our master bedroom its a 60" high by 102" three section, center fixed and slider on each end. Damn near $9000 installed, by a "premier" local contractor with a lifetime transferable warranty. Triple pane E-glass. They're ok. But I really expected them to make the bedrooms much quieter. I can still hear highway traffic on I-41 a mile to the east of me. Some ****** aluminum cladding work outside that was filled in with a LOT of caulk. I used to do sheet metal layout for fire truck bodies years ago that were FAR more complex than what these "professional installlers" produced. And I wonder why I prefer to do my own work whenever possible? Still irks my ***.

It's important to understand how a "window" will be constructed -- in your case it's three. Most times they just gang them and fill the gaps. This is where it's imperative to look at the various sizes from different manufacturers -- to see if you can make up what you need using standard sizes. With every company being a bit different --it's often possible. Or just having the center custom -- or use different spacers. Unless the window is tight around the frame of the house it will allow noise to enter

 

[reader2580]

People have mixed opinions on windows.. Everything from "windows don't sell homes" to "it's horrible to see nice houses with cheap windows". As I plan on being here for a while, I wanted a window that performed well, operated well, but didn't completely sink the budget.

A house across the street was flipped in 2019 and sold in early 2020. The windows are just ugly. I don't know that it is the design of the windows so much as the color of the windows. The bright white vinyl windows clash with the tan siding.

 

[jmiller_2308]

You are in the time frame ..... my memory is the settlement time has passed.

But,

Did you contact Pella direct ?

Similar to Skyking1992, my house was built in 1996 as a Parade house. As such, Pella kicked in their "best" window again with guarantees that led me to believe they would last a long time. They have not. They have delaminated, they have sagged, the latches fail, and tons of sh**ty finger jointed wood rotted.

Windows began failing within the first year. I DID contact Pella and they were of little use. About all Pella offered was 1 inside window part that I needed to paint and install. The only other thing they offered was a reduced price on a replacement door that I paid them to install and which they failed at so badly I had to take it off and rehang myself.

PELLA *****!