what a huge bummer, Kathy. I hope it gets rectified right away! do you have a sense for whether the errors were made in the measuring, installation or production of the doors? just wondering how much of the problem is due to Loewen, the contractor, etc.

Kathy,
sounds like the contractor framed the rough opening too large.
Bummer. Someone must close up the gap with insulation and millwork. It can't really be open to the outside, can it? Who did the installation? It must have been pretty obvious to whomever put the door in that it was way small for the opening.

This does not appear to be an installation issue...when I say too small for the frame I mean the frame around the unit itself...not the framed in size of the opening. From the outside when the doors are closed and locked the space is between the door edge and the surround the doors are attached to from the factory as well as between the doors where the latch is. This issue is independent of the rough opening size. I will try to post pictures later.

That truly sucks.
Could it be that it is not hung square?
I just find it hard to believe that it could leave the factory that way after you have paid, what, 2500 bucks for it?
I would really like to hear how this plays out.
Loewen should make good if it is a production issue.

Hi from Loewen,

I was on the site due to another post, happened to spot this and thought I'd reply.

Kathy - I trust you are working through the point of purchase, that's best. If for any reason this is not working - please contact me and I'll route your call personally. ads@loewen.com. 800.563.9367. Mitch

Here is a link that might be useful: Loewen

Well, I sprang for the Loewens. Mucho dinero but I hope worth the bucks.

Windowsurfer, I hope that you can help Kathy out wiht her issue. Probably not hung square, no?

Update on Loewen doors - I received a call yesterday from a rep at Loewen who had received my letter / pictures. They would like to send one of their service guys out to take a look and make any necessary changes - including new product if necessary. Thanks Mitch for your response above. I will post any updates.
Thanks all. Kathy

Oooh! I'm on the way to look into Leowens for an old adobe house in New Mexico - just the inserts - double hung, wood exterior. Any thoughts on true divided light, as opposed to simulated? Am I insane to go with wood exteriors? To my eye, there's a big difference between wood and alum. clad.

Kathy, I hope everything is working out for you. I was just at a Loewen dealer the other day who actually told me they don't recommend their doors, although they'd go to their grave recommending the windows. At the time I thought that was rather odd, but now that I see what's happened to you, I have to wonder.

We priced both, but in the end decided to go with Marvin in pine, which was 30 percent less. Since our windows are protected by a very deep overhang and will be painted, I think we'll be fine and it's not worth the extra cost for the douglas fir.

Chimayo: I don't think your nuts at all. Sure it will be more maintenance, but not that much if you keep an eye on them. And I imagine it rains much less in NM than it does here in Virginia.

Ivette

It's very interesting to see the pro's and con's of Loewen windows and doors compared to the other manufacturer's. And yes I am a plant employee here at Loewen so I might be a bit bias. But the archetectual difference is striking between PVC or non Loewen wood windows and doors. Even though the delivery times may be long sometimes, we ensure that every order is done as if they were being put into our own homes. We all take alot of pride in our work and do our best to prvide a quality product.

Kathy - Sorry to hear that the TD was not fitting properly, i'm sure that with the help of your dealer and the Loewen head office, your disappointment will turn around.

Chimayo - the difference between TDL (true divided light) and SDL (simulated divided light) is that in a TDL all the panes are separate inside each grille, as SDL is a complete sealed unit with a metal and or wood grill attatched to it from both sides. The TDL's are more expensive but provide a huge difference in the look and feel of the room.

Also nice to see you here windowsurfer, glad that forums and chat groups provide information on our customers needs, wants, concerns and praises.

I'm a Loewen employee and am proud of it!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Loewen

I had 19 Loewen windows installed last week and couldn't be happier with the units. The fit and finish on almost all was perfect. A little splintering to the exterior of the frames from where the blocks were stapled in for shipment but that's hidden in the walls. I love the joinery of these windows. Much better than any other windows I'd checked out.
Now I'm busy preping the windows to stain them. This is going to take forever!

I'll follow up as I have more experience during the harsh upcoming weather.

Kathy, mtobias, toomuch, ted or anyone else, We are considering putting in a Loewen Terrace door and are wondering how you have fared with your door purchases or if learned anything of interest about them. Is this a door that you are happy with in the balance? Kathy, I would love an update on the mis-designed door situation. My architect recommends Hurd windows and doors and that's another I've been thinking of finding out about. I'd love some help if you could provide any. Thanks.

Loewen is sending someone out next week - Monday and Tuesday - to take a look and determine what needs to be done. Thee doors look beautiful but are most certainly not 'weather tight'. I will let you know my feelings after next week with the factory rep. We have outswing terrace doors, stationary terrace doors and sliding terrace doors.

Kathy_NY - How did things get resolved with your door problem?

I am having a similar experience with Eagle French Doors that were installed on a new home contructed by a large builder. They charged $4000 per set of French doors and now they are giving me the run around.

dsr10627 - The rep is coming to our house next week 12/19 and 12/20. Not sure if I am hoping for bad weather or a nice sunny day. I will report back.

Mindstorm,

I had a Loewen sliding glass door and about 40 windows (double hung, casement, and awning) installed a couple of months ago. They look/work great and have a nice tight fit. I would highly recommend them.

Thanks so much for the recommendations. We have finalized our order and just placed the order, sliding it in before the impending price increase at the end of this year. Much thanks for all the feedback, I hope we too will have a good experience with them. I must confess that the representatives have been nothing if not helpful. They even came by my house to help me with the sizing because there seemed to be something odd with the existing door unit that we want to replace.

Well, as the original poster I want any of you who have interest in this,to know that I have had Loewen casement windows installed and they are absolutely terrrific.
So the answer to my own question is Loewen.

Sorry for the late tune in to this posting. We have installed 3 Loewen windows and one sliding door in kitchen and have been most pleased with them. We are again getting ready to order one more for over the kitchen sink. We stained the straight grain fir and they really look great. Only bad thing is length of time to receive them. We went to all the show rooms for the major brands in Puget Sound and liked Loewen (saw them at Langley BC showroom) the best. Home depot in our area does not have them and we purchased through local glass company and my contractor installed them.

I just finished putting 2 coats of oil base polyurethane on my loewen windows and doors. It looks too orange and I was wondering if i can mix in a little tint in the polyurehtane and put on a 3rd coat? Can anybody help me out? Any ideas at this point for modifying the color?

Just installed 11 Loewen units last week. The largest units were 7' wide by 8' tall, with triple glass, two coats of Low E and Argon gas. Also two sliding doors 8' x 8'.

I've been a contractor for over 30 years and until now had never used the Loewen product. These units were for my own home and I wanted the best. The quality is superb, way above any window I've used in thousands of projects for other people.
The point being, that not everyone wants or needs a window of this quality, but if you do Loewen is amazing!

One caution, since these were huge AND triple glass, it took 7 men to get each unit off the truck and into the openings.
Loewens frames are twice as thick as the norm, plus three layers of glass, wow!

Beware Loewen.

I don't specify Loewen for my projects anymore. There are some good Loewen products, but the problem is that there also some true lemons. In particular I would stay away from the large casement windows. Loewen uses the same size framing on the larger windows as on the smaller ones, and it is inadequate to support a larger window properly. As a result the windows tend to warp when you close them, if you can close them at all. I had a project in which you had to go outside and press the top corner of two of the windows in to close them at all. Another inherent design flaw is that the point at which the window is pulled shut is from the bottom. Add that to a 5 foot tall window that warps, and it simply doesn't want to seat itself properly when you close it.

Unfortunately I have also found Loewen to be unresponsive to addressing problems. What use is a good warranty when there is no backup to get the work done? It is a shame because Loewen windows look great, the craftmanship is excellent, but there is a design flaw in the system. My recommendation is that unless you just have small windows in you house, stay away from Loewen until the large window product line is fixed.

I was interested in this thread because we just installed some EXPENSIVE Marvin windows due to the good reports of them on this forum. I had some trouble with a couple of other windows and decided to go with Marvin for a very large bay with casement sides and a French door. We had some issues with the bay and those Marvin reps were out here soooo fast! There were 3 people from Marvin, one of whom fixed the superficial problems and also came back 2 more times to help my contractor install the door knob and deadbolt in the French doors. The customer service was worth the money, especially with a 10 year warranty and 20 years on the glass.

Windowsurfer and Whitewolfe,

I am curious about your comments regarding the posting from pnwarchitect. This is the 2nd time I have read this same type of complaint. Here is another one http://www.greenerbuilding.org/product_detail.php?cid=60&pid=26

I am just in the process of spec'ing the window type for my architect for a new build and in the ring is Pella and Loewen. But I am building lake front on a massive lake facing your country, Lake Erie. I find it interesting that living less than 100 miles from you my options for distributors/service are VERY limited. I only have 1 dealer in my entire "viewing" area. And the comments about the large windows being a problem has set back a bit. I am optimistic as your windows are far superior to anything I have seen to date but pesimistic for the reasons stated above.

Here is a link that might be useful: Loewen big window defect

I've been gradually replacing windows and doors in my 30+ year house. We started with Marvin because of the reputation and expertise with custom windows - since the first one in need of replacement was custom. I got a recommendation for an installation contractor from Marvin. Though I've had nothing in terms of Marvin products requiring follow up, I did need some corrective action on some non-Marvin products and the service and commitment to satisfaction of the Marvin affiliated installation contractor has been excellent.

I've been delighted with everything I've received from Marvin. The oldest window is now about 10 years old and is like new. I just got a new 15 1/2 foot, four section, custom slding french door - it is a thing of beauty and operates flawlessly. I'm in Minnesota so I will only go with top quality windows - because others just do not hold up in our weather extremes. I also have Marvin at my lakehome - now about fifteen years old - again, still like new.

Kathy, whatever happened with your Loewen windows? Did they fix them? We need to replace all the windows in our home plus two 8 foot patio doors. We cannot afford to order windows and then have problems that won't be addressed. This will be a one shot deal. I am a little confused about the wide variations of comments from "great" windows to ones with "design flaws". I also see a repetitive theme that service is sketchy at best. Am also concerned that I have not seen any response to pnwarchitect's comment from windowsurfer and whitewolfe.

I recently put Loewen windows in for my gut remodel with 2nd story addition. They are gorgeous. I have a significant problem with one 12-foor FOOF slider, resolution still in work. Customer service has been reasonable overall but slower than I would like. The technican who comes out is quite skilled. Loewen contracts out to local people for support, so it may vary from area to area. I think we will get the problem worked out. I have no large casement windows so I can't comment on that.

I am unsure of what constitutes a large casement? Is the height more of a concern than the width? When you say that loewen contracts out to local people for support do you mean their local dealers? I might just call loewen and ask them about possible problems with large casements and see what they say. I have not seen it addressed by windowsurfer (Mitch) in this forum. That makes me think there may be something to this. I think I will give him a call.

I believe that it is impossible to accurately compare brands of windows in online forums like this one. Everyone is talking about a different window. I have found that the final selection of a brand is usually based on size, type, performance and features. Many good windows are therefore eliminated and often there is only one window that will satisfy all the design requirements. I have used most of them at one time or another and would use all of them again except Pella.

In my opinion, without all of the design criteria for the project there is little point in discussing different brands.

Hello from Loewen,

Rabbit12, If you are in the Chicago area, there are several very good dealers in your area. The all have their own territory, punch your zip code into the dealer locator on the loewen website. As for the casement issue...any oversized units will have butt hinges on them, like door hinges that support the sash in several places. By oversized, I mean not standard size, and have to be approved by the drafting department. Also, if you are in chicago, there are two Loewen factory service techs located there, as Chicago was once our US head quarters. Most sash sagging issues are due to the unit not being installed square and plumb. Has nothing to with frame being too thin, as we use thicker frame componets than all other window companies. You can check that by looking at the cross sectional drawings of the different companies out there...usually can get that info from the dealers in their tech books. I do agree with MIGHTYANVIL, we really need to know your design criteria to help you...including ..is your project new construction or replacement...what size units do you want, what type, french style, push out, roto gear etc...how many will you be mulling together...are you going wood exterior or clad...glazing type wanted...please fill me in, I hope I can help you...and anyone else that might have questions with Loewen

My next building project is a home with Loewen Doors and Windows. There are several outswing french doors (clad) as well as many large casement windows in the 4"6" to 6'0" height range...widths being 2'0" to 2'6". The posts on this site are disturbing to say the least. (Kathy NY and pnwarchitect especially). So a question to sbutler28 is: if I understand your answer correctly, you state that if casements are in the larger sizes, Loewen's design team will address the problem with the proper number of butt hinges, etc. and that will solve sagging issues; this should go without saying. Kathy's problem seems to be that the reveals between the door edge and the jamb are excessive leading to weatherstrips that don't contact and seal effectively.
This sounds like sloppy manufacturing.There's basically no excuse for this problem in ultra high end window and door products like loewen, or Marvin. I've had plenty of experience with Marvin, and the fact is that manufacturing is not a perfect process and mistakes happen. We recently bought 2 marvin sliding doors costing $22000 and one of them had binding issues due to a bad weatherstrip and poorly constructed and misaligned stops. Marvin sent a crackerjack technician out and he had them working perfectly 3 days after our complaint call to the dealer. Have any of you had that kind of service response from Loewen? The service followup is the key to getting a window or door that functions as it should. Too often there is little, inadequate, or zero followup and customers are stuck with a lemon. I don't buy the rap from sbutler28 that shifts blame to installers... I tend to believe pnwarchitect's complaints. Long narrow casement sashes can come warped from the factory... and they do flex somewhat making closing them difficult if the closing latch is at the bottom. Marvin will replace warped sashes. The question is: will Loewen?.. or will they blow you off and blame any problems on the installers. We used Eagle windows recently on a 6000 SF Craftsman house; the closing mechanism latch is about a foot up from the bottom.. on the large casements this arrangement worked.
I'm going to look at these problems much closer due to reading these posts.
Our window and door order from Loewen is about $100,000. We can't afford to make a big mistake... Luckily, I have a Contractor friend that is about to install Loewen's in a 6000 SF new house. We'll see how good they function before we commit to using Loewens in my next client's house.

I have been considering this post for a week or so and wasnt sure if I ever wanted to actually post it. But, now that I have seen posts from other folks who are concerned about purchasing Loewen because of seeing specific negative posts on this (and other) forums, I have decided to comment. As usual, it is probably too long.

kavo United States  registered on November 18, 2006  birthday June 19.

From kavo on November 18, 2006 at 1919 (in the Windows forum) Â

"A cautionary note...we are having a major problem with some of Loewen windows just installed on a new addition to our house. The service from Loewen has been terrible and their rep is unresponsive."

From kavo on November 18, 2006 at 1922 (in the Windows forum) Â

"We are having a major problem with large french casement push out windows by Loewen. Just installed and do not operate properly -- the rep insists they are fine and is stonewalling us"

Kavo has no additional posts on any THS forum

pnwarchitect  United States  registered on November 19, 2006  birthday May 19

From pnwarchitect on November 19, 2006 at 2138 (in the Remodeling forum)Â

"In particular I would stay away from the large casement windows. Loewen uses the same size framing on the larger windows as on the smaller ones, and it is inadequate to support a larger window properly. As a result the windows tend to warp when you close them, if you can close them at all. I had a project in which you had to go outside and press the top corner of two of the windows in to close them at all."

From Adrian Justin on November 19, 2006 (not from a THS forum - but the link to this post is in a THS forum post) Â

"Âthe larger ones are defective. The primary reason for this is that Loewen does not increase the size of the frame in the larger windows, allowing them to warp signicantly when they are closed and therefore not lock correctly. Two of our windows actually require a person to stand outside and push on the window while another pulls to get it to seal correctly."

From pnwarchitect on November 19, 2006 at 2303 (in the Windows forum) Â

"I'm not surprised. Loewen has been going downhill since it (over)expanded a few years ago. Sales have become more important than quality. I think that attitude will catch up with Loewen soon, I've heard many negative stories about Loewen from builders and other architects recently."

From pnwarchitect on November 19, 2006 at 2310 (in the Windows forum) Â

"If you choose to go with wood, I would stay away from Loewen, their large windows are underdesigned and fragile."

From pnwarchitect on November 19, 2006 at 2320 (in the Windows forum) Â

"Some manufacturers do not upsize the window frames for larger sizes and the windows do not function correctly due to warpage without constant adjustment. Loewen windows are notorious for this problem. Whatever you get, make sure that the larger windows have upsized frames."

From pnwarchitect on November 19, 2006 at 2326 (in the Windows forum) Â

"Unfortunately for you, Loewen casements are a problem in larger sizes (small ones are ok). Also, Loewen windows are generally fragile, the douglas fir is a veneer and can come apart easily"

pnwarchitect has no additional posts on any THS forum

magnum pio  Canada  registered on December 5, 2006  birthday January 6

From magnum pio on December 5, 2006 at 2004 (in the Windows forum) Â

"I wouldn't waste any time with Loewen (speaking from experience!)"

From magnum pio on December 26, 2006 at 2008 (in the Windows forum) Â

"I'd love to E-mail you some pictures of my Loewen windows (triple glazed units!) with frost/ice build-up on the inside of the glass!
Do waste your money on Loewen!"

magnum pio has no additional posts on any THS forum

My point to all this?

In the intelligence biz (my previous occupation before entering the glass and window industry) one looks for consistency and patterns when gathering data. People tend to be creatures of habit  they tend to be consistent in how they do certain activities.

Note, for example, that the number/date of registration and the number/date of birthday is the same (once) and one number lower (twice) for these three folks and that for two of the "individuals" the date of registration was also the date of their only posts to THS.

Note the similarity of pnwarchitect post and the Adrian Justin post on another website forum  and on the same dayÂnote the timeframe of posts from all three individuals.

From all three "individuals"  the essence of their posts is to slam Loewen  nothing else. In addition, pnwarchitect made a number of factual errors and misstatements that have been addressed by others following his posts in the specific threads.

Also note that in all three cases the "I live in" was the country US, US, CAN. Again, many people also list their country of origin  many donÂt.

Again, there is nothing about any of these comments that cannot be applied to many others who have posted on THS and elsewhere  but within the framework of this particular discussion there are a good many consistencies that seem to add up.

I will offer no conclusions since this is simply idle conjecture, but I would suggest some interesting possibilities.

Again, while I have debated with myself whether to actually post this thing  and I really donÂt care one way or the other if folks decide on Loewen as their window company  but it does bother me when I see other folks becoming hesitant about their potential window purchase based on information in posts that one might consider to be not quite as straightforward as they might be.

And as a disclaimer, I certainly donÂt spend my days "analyzing" what other folks post - I really enjoy reading what other people write - but, I was once trained to recognize patterns and I have spent a good part of my life identifying and analyzing consistencies  and in this case the numerous consistencies pointed out a very distinct pattern that I could not help but notice  I suspect that others may have noticed these as wellÂ.

Wow, Oberon..did you work for the CIA? Thanks for the back up...I see what you are saying..might all be the same person that had a bad experience.

RMC Builder, I am not saying Loewen is perfect...no company is...including Marvin. Have you been in the buisness long enough to experience the rot issues and law suits Marvin had a number of years ago?..ten or so...I invite you to do a search on window company law suites concerning rot, performance, seal failure...etc. Please tell me what you find.

Loewen has had no catestrophic failure issues with any aspect of their product.

Loewen will replace warped sashes and I am not saying that we do not product them once in a blue moon...I would be stupid if I did say that...However all of our casement sashes are all laminated fir that is put together at opposing grain angles...wood warps towards it's grain angle..we have three pieces of wood working against eachother, thus more structually sound and eliminating any warpage issues. I invite you to look into that specific detail of our sashes and tell me what you think. We feel it is much more rigid that just on piece of pine...(give me your email, I will send you what I am talking about)

We also use double and mortise tendon joints, a traditional way of putting wood together..again much more rigid joint than a single mortise and tendon (Marvin). Other companies use a mitered joint...very weak..others dowel

We do have Loewen factory employees that will go out on larger service issues. All other smaller adjustments are done by local dealer, who are all factory trained at our service training in Steinbach, Manatoba. (It is a requirerment to be a dealer) There are three levels to the training...most dealers have at least level two training..in level three.. they learn really special stuff..like reganging copper clad units and sodering them in the field (if needed for some reason)...etc. All the basic to hard things are covered in levels 1-2.
If you are in anyway not satisfied will dealer's sevice on product issues, have them involve their territory manager. TM then gets Loewen factory service tech to fix the issue if needed.

I don't think you understood my statement about the casement units. Butt hinges are only put on units coming out of the factory that are specially approved by drafing department that are oversized ..meaning not within our standard size categories. Butt hinges are not put on standard size units as some type of fix for sash sagging. I have seen this sagging issue before in the field 95% of the time it was because of shotty install..Loewen product will be twice as heavy as pine..therefore you have to be dead on in your install. You cannt have Johnny framer installing the windows. Has to be level and plumb and installed by a guy that takes pride in his work, not just stuffing a vynal window in a hole in two minutes and moving on. Again not saying this sash was not warped, but I invite you to research our constuction that I discribed..and argue how other companies address it..

OK, talking/typing too much..Sorry for mispellings...I always need spell check!
Looking forward to comments. I trust your contractor buddy will complain about the wieght of our windows, but will be impressed by the fit and finish and quality.

Wow, Oberon..did you work for the CIA? Thanks for the back up...I see what you are saying..might all be the same person that had a bad experience.

RMC: pnwarchitect (pacific northwest?) and Adrian are probably the same person.

RMC Builder, I am not saying Loewen is perfect...no company is...including Marvin. Have you been in the buisness long enough to experience the rot issues and law suits Marvin had a number of years ago?..ten or so...I invite you to do a search on window company law suites concerning rot, performance, seal failure...etc. Please tell me what you find.

RMC: Been in business since 1987, mostly ultra expensive custom homes...
Never personally experienced those kinds of problems from marvin... Kolbe and Pozzi were particularly bad in quality and lack of service.

Loewen has had no catestrophic failure issues with any aspect of their product.

Loewen will replace warped sashes and I am not saying that we do not product them once in a blue moon...I would be stupid if I did say that...However all of our casement sashes are all laminated fir that is put together at opposing grain angles...wood warps towards it's grain angle..we have three pieces of wood working against eachother, thus more structually sound and eliminating any warpage issues. I invite you to look into that specific detail of our sashes and tell me what you think. We feel it is much more rigid that just on piece of pine...(give me your email, I will send you what I am talking about)

RMC: All sounds good.....

We also use double and mortise tendon joints, a traditional way of putting wood together..again much more rigid joint than a single mortise and tendon (Marvin). Other companies use a mitered joint...very weak..others dowel

RMC: Also sounds good.....

We do have Loewen factory employees that will go out on larger service issues. All other smaller adjustments are done by local dealer, who are all factory trained at our service training in Steinbach, Manatoba. (It is a requirerment to be a dealer) There are three levels to the training...most dealers have at least level two training..in level three.. they learn really special stuff..like reganging copper clad units and sodering them in the field (if needed for some reason)...etc. All the basic to hard things are covered in levels 1-2.
If you are in anyway not satisfied will dealer's sevice on product issues, have them involve their territory manager. TM then gets Loewen factory service tech to fix the issue if needed.

RMC: Also sounds good... our dealer has assured me of the service competence and their willingness to make things right.

I don't think you understood my statement about the casement units. Butt hinges are only put on units coming out of the factory that are specially approved by drafing department that are oversized ..meaning not within our standard size categories. Butt hinges are not put on standard size units as some type of fix for sash sagging. I have seen this sagging issue before in the field 95% of the time it was because of shotty install..Loewen product will be twice as heavy as pine..therefore you have to be dead on in your install. You cannt have Johnny framer installing the windows. Has to be level and plumb and installed by a guy that takes pride in his work, not just stuffing a vynal window in a hole in two minutes and moving on. Again not saying this sash was not warped, but I invite you to research our constuction that I discribed..and argue how other companies address it..

RMC: On our last job the very large casements (Eagle) came fitted with full length "piano hinges"... someone in design knew the hinges needed to be stiff.
We've been doing this along time so our installers are very competent.

OK, talking/typing too much..Sorry for mispellings...I always need spell check!
Looking forward to comments. I trust your contractor buddy will complain about the wieght of our windows, but will be impressed by the fit and finish and quality.

RMC: My finish carpenters will be doing the interior of his house so we'll see firsthand. We're going ahead with the Loewens since our architect has specified them for 12 other houses and still likes them. Thanks for your input... RMC- monterey bay area builder

I do not have time to read all the posts here, but I have installed both Loewen and Marin windows. I have an old house with large window openings. The Marvins just had trouble dealing with the large window sizes. They are not really engineered for it.

The Loewens I have I cannot say enough good about. I just put a clear finish on the douglas fir and have received many compliments, even from contractors and architects.

I live next to the entrance to one of NYC's major tunnel, the sound-proofing by using window panes of different thickness is exemplary.

I am using an unusual type of window that rotates almost 360 degrees so the outside can be cleaned from the inside. Even at large sizes these windows work great.

I am beinning the process of replacing my 17 year old Marvin windows with new Loewen ones. Enuf said?

rmc - Please continue to update us on your Loewen experience. I am curious about Loewen's customer service.

Good Luck!

I have had to use Marvin in order to get larger sizes. You see so much bs on these forums.

Boy, this is a thread that never dies.
I originally posted it a year and a half ago.

We went with Loewen windows, and could not be happier.
They came perfectly and fit just right.

We have a wall of glass that is 17 ft high in the south exposure. It is composed of windows 6', 5', 4' and 2' at the top. There is 4 inch supports between the panes. It is 10 feet wide with vertical 4" supports. BEAUTIFUL.

We used casements where we wanted openings. Terrific, they seal so tightly. Guess they have cold weather in Canada.

Anyway, They have clear stainable fir on the inside and extruded aluminum exterior. We plan to stain them and then put the Polyurethane on the interior.

Service and all was excellent. TImely delivery. No problem with the Loewen windows or doors.

We have Marvin. I was shown how they open up for cleaning of the exterior surface before we bought them. After they were installed, I learned that the windows on the second floor won't open far enough to clean the exterior surface because of changes done to accomodate egress laws. If you have a second floor to your home and don't want to hire professional window cleaners for the rest of your life, I don't recommend Marvin. Ultimately this will cost us many thousands more.

To Brak,

Could you go into specifics about the size, type and product line of Marvin windows you installed? I am considering replacing my 4.5 x 4 gliding windows with Marvin Infinity casements but I also need to meet egress codes.

To anyone else,
I would prefer to have low maintenance windows so I have looked at Shuco and Renewal by Andersen. I'm not all that comfortable going with vinyl because of its expansion/contraction over time. I live in Minnesota like gibby3000 so I must have longevity of the U-factor, not just how it rates in a factory test. I haven't found any statistics on Shuco or Renewal windows over time. Does anyone know of any?

Because of my concerns about vinyl, I feel I should go with fiberglass so I would love more feedback on people's experience with Marvin Infinity. One builder I spoke with told me not to use Infinity but I haven't seen many complaints online with this product so more input would be fabulous.

Hi Meglizar,

You might want to check out the Windows forum for more info. (I think it is younger than this thread!)

I'm a happy Marvin replacement window-owner in S. Wisconsin.

-Lena

I am torn between eagle wood clad aluminum vs Lowen. The Lowen looks like a superior window but some of the posts about fit and finish have me concerned. The Lowen will cost 10K more then the Eagles--not a small decision. Anyone have experience with either?

I installed Loewen in my Solarium. They are first quality windows. Our installed raved about the quality and strength of the windows. He had never installed them before and was very impressed.

I would not hesitate to go with them again.

That being said I am about to use Marvin Casemaster windows in part of the house. The reason has nothing to do with the quality of the Loewen windows but is due to the fact that I can get the Marvin for less money and of the standard sizes quoted the Marvin are a better fit.

I posted previously very positively about Loewen.

My second batch of Loewen windows have had numerous problems, including sashes that were defective, the wrong hardware, poor communication about the style of the window, etc.

I cannot say enough good things about the quality of the windows when manufactured correctly. But it has taken far too long for the Loewen rep to make needed repairs and the distributor for NYC is completely passive.

I still owe the distributor a lot of money, and the problems have not been solved for months, despite two visits by the local rep. These are nice people, but they live without a sense of urgency.

In response to Loewen Vs, Marvin. I sell several brands (Loewen, Marvin, Semco, Windsor, Jeldwen, Unilux) All these brands have something different to offer. Loewen is considered to be much better and stronger since some of their new engineering for their doors and windows has come out versus Marvins Douglas fir, Loewen is by far better. Now that is comparing apples for apples. Most people try to compare Loewen (only made out of Douglas fir or Mahogany) to Pine made products such as Marvin, Semco, Jeldwen, Windsor and others made from pine. Their is no comparing. Douglas Fir is much stronger than pine. As far as the glass, all the manufacturers order sealed glass from Cardinal glass accept Loewen, Loewen ordered their glass from cardinal however they build their own sealed units in a revolutionary way and have a stricter criteria of whats acceptable glass and what is not. Loewen sends back approximately 30% of the glass they receive from cardinal because it has defects. Loewen is stricter in what they tolerate in regards to what is acceptable, they are the strictest. The other brands are not as precision oriented.

Listed from best to least quality
1) Uni-lux
2) Loewen
3) Marvin (Tied)
3) Windsor (Tied)
3) Jeldwen (Tied)
3) Semco (Tied)

If you need a distributor let me know, at cj_spolski@comcast.net

In reply to Loewen not servicing their product, I assure you I have found this to be problem. I used to work for a Loewen dealer that did not have a sense of urgency in taking care of any matter's or issues. I found that Loewen has the least problems as a manufacturer, however the dealers that sell it sometimes have no urgency. The Loewen factory is urgent to take care of any problems, although they cannot unless the dealer notifies them. I left this Loewen dealer because after two years all I saw is a no sense of urgency response and my clients became very dissatisfied with service. Therefor I am one of the Co-owners of a company called Home Choice who sells, services and installs all their products in Tennessee and the surrounding areas's. If you are looking for a company that focuses on architectural Quality and helping you after the sale contact me. Cory cj_spolski@comcast.net

We are replacing 33 windows and three swinging French doors at our house in Calif. Our contractor recommended Marvin and Andersen Woodwright, which we've looked at. A relative who does high end residential construction recommended Loewen to us...I had never heard of them until now. Fr what it's worth, the dealer locator on their site didn't seem to work.

Are there any up to date comments about Loewen vs Marvin...this original thread is pretty old. Thanks

Our GC has recommended SEMCO windows for our new construction. I've looked at other brands Pella, JW, Peachtree, and others..... planning on Aluminum clad, DH.
SEMCO product seems to provide quality at a lower cost. Curious if anyone has had experience with SEMCO and your impressions.

Any Feedback Appreciated

We just had 20 windows replaced with Loewen all wood windows. Before the purchase we did a comparison with Pella, Marvin and Jeld Wen, however, for the look, the quality of manufacturing and rave reviews everywhere, we went with Loewen. Their service seems to be quite good. The Loewen rep. visited our home twice to take the measurements, the existing shutters had to fit. And fit they did, no problem whatsoever. The installer broke one of the screens and also later I noticed a wrong orientation of an operator, both were taken care of promptly when communicated. After the clear coating interior finish, the windows look awsome with their vertical grain jamb and matching Douglas Fir window trims.

Resurrecting this thread after several years... Hello Google search!
My wife and I are renovating a Cedar Log home. 1st job, converting part of the 3 car garage to an office. It's 2x4 construction, w 2x6 added inside for extra thick walls/super insulation/soundproofing. We are on the fence between Marvin aluminum clad exterior w mixed grain fir vs Anderson Eagle/E-Line.
The prob w Marvin is they mixed grain fir is highly inconsistent, and even the sample in the store is totally unacceptable to my wife and me. The very helpful sales rep says "take it or leave it". If the wood is too white, get used to it, no replacements will be made. The straight grain fir is a 40% upcharge, so forget that, as the Marvin's are already more than the E-Line.
The windows we are looking at are casements, 5' wide by 6' high, triple glazed. The rest of the house will be re-modelled this summer.
We will contact the Loewen rep today, but he is 125 miles away, coincidentally where I went to school.
I remodel apartments that my wife and I own, and have never used anything even close to high-end. Ironically, the Alside's that we use have a lifetime broken glass replacement, and I've used it several times. Cheap windows w free glass for life, sounds good to me, too bad no-one else offers that!