I’m looking to replace 12 (unknown brand) poor quality wood casements approx 2′ x 6′-4 ( I can adjust the opening some as needed) with wood interior and clad exterior casements and have narrowed my selection to Anderson, Pella and Marvin. Any preferences by the pros would be appreciated.
Harsh MN winters (sometimes).
Thanks
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Replies
Marvin by a longshot.
There isn't any comparison. If price isn't an issue, you'll love the Marvins.
fka (formerly known as) blue
Sorry Jim
I like Anderson.
Just worked on a house this week.
Long term problem with Marvins leaking.
With Marvin you have a extruded aluminum frame with joints that can leak.
With Anderson you have a shrink wrap type of vinyl on frame and sash.
Which is going to last longer. Take your pick.
Both of you could fill in your profile. Click your name and a profile box will pop up.
Jetsfan, do a search. BT has covered this again and again and again.
Rich
Use Marvins. They're a notch above the Andersen and several notches above Pella.
Everytime this discussion comes up, the comparison is between Pella, Anderson and Marvin. behold the power of marketingI'm in a comparatively small market and I can name at least 4 regional manufacturers of windows. Do some research, decide what it is you need in a window, see what's out there
Barry E-Remodeler
behold the power of marketing
I agree. The OP only offered three choices, so I opined about those. Personally, I would be looking locally for smaller indepenent suppliers.
I've had nightmare experiences with pella and anderson. I don't respect either company at any level.fka (formerly known as) blue
I saw that he only had those 3. thought he should expand his search.Pella is one of our "local" manufacturers. IMO they started the slide downhill when they came out with Proline to market to the big boxes.We still use Pella, when needed, and have good local service, but given the choice, I'd do like you said
Barry E-Remodeler
I actually prefere the proline (with the brickmolds...not those cheesy fins) to their other product. I lke the beefiness and studiness of the proline as compared to the flimsy frames of the pro series.
Either way, I'm avoinding Pella at all costs.
jimfka (formerly known as) blue
I've looked at alot of windows in order to narrow down the field. I have not found a another local manufacturer (Anderson and Marvin are local and Pella is accross the border) that compares to the quality, price, warranty, etc. as they do. Someone mentioned Hurd. Any thoughts? I have no desire to put in vinyl no matter who makes them.
Thanks for your comments
It depends on the job I'm doing and the pricepoint I'm looking for.If I'm looking for a good custom window I like Eagle http://www.eaglewindow.com They are here in Pella country also and although they were bought by Anderson it hasn't seemed to affect them yet. <g>Kolbe & Kolbe has a good rep. I really don't have anything against Marvin. Best to remember that a big part of how good a window works is in the installation. Another point is who will you get the best service from after the sell. It varies from area to area.Have you looked at this site for energy ratings? http://www.nfrc.org/
Barry E-Remodeler
Thanks for the info
I checked out the website and found a couple of local suppliers of Eagle windows. I'll take a look at them. From what I've seen of Kolbe & Kolbe I'm not too impressed. Once I've narrowed down my choices, I'll compare them at NFRC.
I'm in the middle of building my third house in 20 years. Fro the first two I used Kolbe and was very pleased.
For this one I looked at Kolbe of course as well as other brands including most of those mentioned above.
Ended up going with Eagle and so far I'm pleased. The one minor drawback is their 12' SGD units require a LOT of assembly. That's really not a big deal but the fly in the ointment is the instructions that are delivered with the door are VERY poor.
There is a note with the door however to go online and get better instructions. Those instructions are very complete but is some some carpenter, upon showing up at the job to install the doors and windows, really going to stop, find a computer with online access and printer so he can get on with the task that morning??? I don't think so.
As a way of comparison, in my case the Kolbe price and the Eagle price where within $100 of each other but Eagle uses extruded alum and the Kolbe product used rolled aluminum.
Runnerguy
I'll put in a vote for Hurd, now that you've mentioned them. Their casements are nice units. Much more reasonably priced than Marvins, much better quality, imo, than Integrity. Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press
Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out but when they will I can only guess.
They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy,
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me.
I can't help it if I'm lucky.
We are in the middle of our first job with Hurd.
I'm really impressed with the window's themshelves.
Either their customer service or our local supplier are dropping the ball big time though.
Windows coming in the wrong size, taking forever to get a replacement, screens not shipping with the order nor the muntins/grills.
But Integrity by Marvin, being a window made of pultruded fiberglass sections, is in a class by itself.
Isn't it?
What other brand is made this way?
The only other mfgr that uses this material in a fenestration product is Andersen, in the frame of the Frenchwood hinged door product line.
I have always thought that Semco is a great window line, but not widely distributed.
Where I am, Bonneville, a French-Canadian outfit, delivers a great window, but who knows about them?
Like most everything in housebuilding, it's all local, which is what Tip O'Neil said about politics.
Isn't Bonneville the ones that got bought out and re-va,ped 3-4 years ago and now another name....Lepage?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Maybe someone bought them, but they are still sold under the Bonneville name.
Look here. Test your knowledge of francaise. http://www.bonnevillewd.com/window-door/index_ang.cfm
"But Integrity by Marvin, being a window made of pultruded fiberglass sections, is in a class by itself.Isn't it?"I just thought they were an over-hyped,flimsey-finned fiberglass exterior, available w/ wood interiors, window that sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. And, their doors bite<G> Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press
Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out but when they will I can only guess.
They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy,
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me.
I can't help it if I'm lucky.
No, they are really solid sashes. The composite is really impressive. The only thing I dislike about them is the nailing fins. Flip-out flimsy plastic that let the window flop in the RO 1/4" untill you pin the frames with shims and finish them out
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I'm just not impressed by Integrities...and after fighting 4 12/0 8/0 Marvin wood sliders today, I don't feel like saying anything nice about any Marvin lines ;-) Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press
Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out but when they will I can only guess.
They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy,
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me.
I can't help it if I'm lucky.
I've liked every Hurd that I set too.fka (formerly known as) blue
Guess I'll be taking a look at Hurd also.
Thanks for the comments
I'm just a lowly DIY type, but we chose weathershield after some research.They must be local or something though because I never hear about them on here.My local yard has them, and they impressed me over the Andersen and Pella in some ways, and especially on the price.A medium to large guy named Alan, not an ambiguous female....
NOT that there is anything wrong with that.
The windows in my house are Weathershield and I like them.But warrantee service after the sale is a big part of window buying. They all have a flaw every now and then.And Weathershield does not seem to have a big fan lub on that score.I can buy them through my lumberyard, but they like to dissuade me. They have had a couple poor experiences with other customers buying them andf they say that if I have a problem, I am on my own direct with the ccompany
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
That is odd. Warranty is one of the reasons my yard steered me towards them.I had a rep out just a few days after install, because one of the panes was warped and mot shutting right.Of course he didn't do anything but tell me it was installed wrong, so there you go.It was and still is plumb and square in the house, I clamped it shut on a shim and got most of the warp out so it seals properly now,.A medium to large guy named Alan, not an ambiguous female....
NOT that there is anything wrong with that.
I have had Anderson replace windows that are in the 15-20 year old range free of charge.
I have ordered wood casements that are 50 years old.
Perfect fit down to the screw holes in the right place.
Fargo Paint and Glass has the distruborship in this area of the Midwest.
I have also seen the vinyl shink and start to crack.
Rich
Same here, I had a customer get a large picture window panel free to replace a thirty year old one in a harsh location. I have replaced several wood casement sashes more than once and found them a perfect match. last batch came with not being pre-drilled for hardware though.
That is the strength of Andersen. I have had Pella ignore or insult me after only a year out. I think less of them every time I try to use them.Which is only twice now, but both were bad experiences.I had two big jobs a couple years ago.
The owners are friends and visit each other.
We used Pella on one and Marvin on the other.
The Pella owners wish they had Marvins.
The Marvin owners are glad they didn't go with Pella
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I've used Loewen casements for several jobs. They are less expensive than Marvin and you get fir instead of pine. I have used Marvins and would again, but a lot of folks here want fir windows and trim with clear finish, hence the Loewens.
No window is trouble-free or leak-free. You install them KNOWING they will leak and you'll be all right.
I've seen the Loewen casements and agree with the quality of the windows. In the past, I was told they were more expensive then the other three so I have not priced them. The 12 windows are in the same room so it's not an inexpensive project. But, I'm not going to install another batch low end windows like the previous owners. My mistake for not getting some real quotes.
Thanks for your comments
Pella isn't even in the running with either Marvin or Andersen. I'll go with Marvin first, then either Integrity or Andersen
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
I believe Integrity is made by Marvin.
Yes, it was developed by them for an economy unit to compete with Andersen. The composite material is the same that they had been using for thresholds for years with good results.Show me a vinyl window where somebody would use the same material for a threshold to walk on...;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Windows are like asking what's a better boat, car, truck ect.
I'll take my Pella architect series as they fit your requirement of clad and wood over the Andersons I'm looking thru right now. The thing I don't like about Anderson is the fact that the cladding wraps around the glass so that if you have a forest green clad, you will see that clad on the inside of the glazing where it meets the wood. That was NOT going to happen against my clear stained wood work in home #2. Right now in home #1 with white clad and white painted window trim it's not an issue.
With Pella you have no idea what color the clad is from the inside of the room without searching for it.
I also like the way Pella windows lock with a single handle vs doubles on the Anderson. The fold flat cranks look better also.
Marvin was a little to much money but they make a nice product.
My local yard sold all 3 brands plus a few others. They sell more Pella than any of the others. There was one screw up in the order and it was straightened out PDQ. Parts for Pella and Anderson are easily found.
I've had 3 bad windows (seal) and a few casements from day one (17 year old house)that never cranked very well. This also led to my choice on the second home to use Pella.
Thinking back to when #1 was new, the Pella units still operate better. Both had top quality crews.
After you have been in of number of homes in the upper midwest and seen the varnish on the sash destroyed by the condensation and the beautiful wood blackened and stained, then you apprieciate the vinyl wrap on the sash.
When the temperture gets low enough, the condesation is going to form no matter whose window unit it is.
With Anderson it takes careful staining to get their pine to look good. Most HO botch it up. Not their fault they just don't know.
Rich
It's worthwhile to consider whether this is new construction or not. You get a lot more moisture problems with new construction -- settles down after 3-5 years.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
My house is in Northern Maine. The painter disassembled every window, preped, stained, and varnished every unit prior to install.A hunter green stripe running around the inside of every window would have looked stupid. At a final of 275/ft the little details were important to me.
I was just giving you a perspective of a carpenter who has seen alot of window units. In all kinds of conditions, beyond the control of the factory, the builder or the painter.
I agree the green strip would not look good.
Rich
Agreed, that's why it's there. :-)Have a nice day, I got to run to the Cape.
You might also consider Andersen.
Might want to take a look at Pozzi. We used them for our home. No up-charge for custom grids (which was important for us, we labored over the plans for an arts-and-crafts-look renovation). Very nice so far (about 5 years out). Company formed by former Marvin folks. Now apparently owned by Jeld-Wen.
Johnny