Marvin, Pella, or other architectural window?
Comments (15)
athensmomof3
14 years agostayn2busy
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Marvin vs Pella vs __?__ brand alum-clad double-hung windows
Comments (1)I bought the PElla wood vinyl-clad. I've had these before for at least 6 years, and was satisfied with them. There are only a few cosmetic differences between Pellla's highest series (Architect?) and the next one down (which is also wood vinyl clad), but the cost difference can be substantial. I recently bought some new Pella wood vinyl-clad from Lowes. Lowes carries the next one down from the top, and is cheaper than a regular Pella store. also, if you can get a stock size, that will be cheaper still....See MoreMarvin, Andersen or Pella?
Comments (11)Karateguy, I have lived in five states encompassing three different USA zones over thirty years. I have lived in 30 year old homes and new construction in humid, dry, hot and snowy weather. These Pella windows failed within five years of the home built. The previous home owner had replaced four doors and several sashes. The home inspection did not reveal that all the sashes were rotted. When I opened a window in the middle of a snow storm the sash fell out. I used a stocking to pull the window shut and then stuffed the window with insulation until the new window was ordered. I agree that windows do not last decades but 14 years for an entire home to replace 72 windows is a crime. These Pella windows have a seam that should have been under the side folds. I sold a home in another adjoining state that was also 14 years old. The double hung vinyl windows were in great shape . There was no mold , cracks or wood rot whereas the pella made windows are rotted. Design and construction were the obvious reasons for the need to replace. It did not help that Pella did zilch, nada, rien, zip to help . I had to stuff a french door for the winter cause Pella would not answer any calls in needing a new kerf designed weather stripping. "Windows and doors" spent hours searching for a product that would help my replacement weather strip.Windows and Doors spent two hours searching for a replacement piece that cost about 20 dollars whereas Pella stayed mute. When Pella installed a new french door for the homeowner they reused the old weather stripping and nailed it into the door. A Pella rep installed the new french door nailing the weather stripping . Sounds like a grand solution to a simple fix. I am not a Pella fan. I am dumpster diving tomorrow and submitting a class action complaint. I do not expect a cent. I will post my wonderful 14 year old Pella windows so others can see their product and read how well they treat their customers. I do find that products are made differently due to plant location. I had replaced double hung windows in a NJ home years ago and forgot to order one bathroom window. I paid 200 dollars more for that one single window. It is cheaper to buy in bulk....See MoreWindow decision Marvin, Soft-Lite, Pella 250, input requested
Comments (17)Did I say something that offended you Todd? Yes, I do explain to my clients and potential clients the pros and cons of various window materials and products including the performance ratings. If someone expresses that they are looking for something that is supremely air tight, I most certainly do give additional feedback on that. I would much rather set those expectations upfront than have customer complaints after the fact because their expectations were not met. Hopefully that answers your question....See MoreQuestion on Windows - Pella Architect, Marvin Ultimate, Anderson E
Comments (20)Yes this is high. I have had quite a for all thirteen windows in my house from all vendors. Marvin came out at $8500 for the Elevate which I got from the local hardware store. I’m getting them installed for $300 a window which is a steal, $600 is more avg. I’d take competitive quotes in, they try to beat them. I was deciding between Marvin and Milgard Ultra Series. Milgard only has wood grills not the entire inside of the window....See Moremythreesonsnc
14 years agocedar32
14 years agoallison0704
14 years agoWe looked at all the major brands when building five years ago. Went with BiltBest windows and lower level french doors. Some windows are operable casement. Some fixed. On the 4 larger windows, facing the lake, each end/side is a casement but the large center section is fixed to avoid another wooden divider down the center.
It's hard to impress my dad, but he liked them so much they used in their lakehouse. My builder has continued to use them after our build as well.
Only close-up I have on computer:
Here is a link that might be useful: BiltBest
mdev
14 years agoathensmomof3
14 years agomacv
14 years agoI strongly recommend extruded aluminum cladding instead of roll-form aluminum.
Marvin stopped using roll-form aluminum long ago because of the problems with wood rotting when water inevitably ges behind a thin aluminum covering. Most high level window manufacturers did the same. An extruded aluminum cladding is essentially an exterior aluminum window grafted to an interior wood window. In some designs the interior wood is more of a cladding. Obviously, this costs more to fabricate.
As far as I can tell, Pella still uses roll-form aluminum (with bad joints IMHO) for all of their residential windows and calls it "EnduraClad". This puts Pella a whole notch (or two) below Marvin and Eagle in quality. I can't tell you more about Pella because I stopped using them in the 70's.
Marvin's extruded aluminum cladding is available in 5 standard colors, 14 select colors, and unlimited custom colors. One of the select colors is Hampton Sage. Many other manufacturers offer surprisingly similar colors.
I like Eagle but haven't used them since Andersen bought them. I did have some leaks at the perimeter of the sash and at the glass on two jobs but Eagle was good about replacing the sash. I've never had any trouble with Marvin.
400
The Andersen 400 Series Woodwright Double-Hung is a good window but is in a category of it's own because it is the only plastic clad wood window (that I know of). It doesn't always save much but it is preferable to many cheaper windows. The other 400 Series DH window (the TiltWash) uses the same plastic wrapped frame but the sash is of such poor quality (painted instead of clad and thin muntins) that I will not use it.Prices for windows vary greatly from town to town and between different kinds of distributors/suppliers so it pays to bid with several big outlets. I would avoid Home Depot and Lowes because of their inflated prices, poor knowledge, sloppy ordering, poor service, and intentional lying about delivery dates. Find the three biggest independent suppliers and give them one chance to price the job (with a minimum of discussion, indecision and revisions; these guys are used to dealing with pros). A contractor will get a better price because the suppliers want repeat business and are more likely to trust them not to "shop" the job by taking their price to other suppliers to see if they can beat it (like Home Depot). Buying windows isn't like buying a used car; the good suppliers make a small percent profit and need to move a lot of windows fast.
Here is what a Pella roll-form clad sash joint looks like:
athensmomof3
14 years agomacv
14 years agoUser
14 years agoWe used Eagle for our build, they were installed just over 3 years ago, so it was just as Andersen was buying them, and the distributor told us that Andersen hadn't made any changes to the windows at that point. In our area (NNY) Eagle was about 15% cheaper than either Kolbe & Kolbe or Marvin, and since we felt they were comparable products, we went for the best quote.
We have mostly double hung and a few awning windows, 2 sliders and 1 set of french doors, we have been happy with the quality and look and would recommend the brand. Their color choice is excellent and they operate nicely.
I don't have a great close-up, but here's an old pic (our chimney is now stuccoed, yay), the color is Cinnamon Toast.
Good luck-
sandyponder
pps7
14 years agobetsy_anne
14 years agofecollier
14 years ago
Lil B