Peachtree - yay or stay away?

13 years ago

We have a very large picture window to replace, flanked by two casements on each side. The picture window is 124" alone, with the casements adding another 56" on each side. We would like to replace the picture with a bay or bow, and replacement the casements, too. So I have two questions:

1. A bay would let in more light and be a little less expensive than a bow, but it seems that more people are choosing bows over bays. Are bay windows outdated?

2. We have quotes ranging from a little over $6000 for Peachtree through Lowes, to over $10,000 for Marvin. I haven't read good things about Peachtree, but all of what I've read is from a year ago or longer. Can anyone shed some light on Peachtree's current level of quality?

We also have quotes for Pella and Stanek. Who else should we check out? If it matters, the house is a 1957 ranch with original Pella casements. Quotes for all windows in the house range from $20,000-30,000. Due to cost, we want to start with the picture window, then do the rest of the windows in stages.

Since this is such a big investment and since that picture window is so huge, we don't want to make a big mistake, so I'm asking the experts!

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Comments (7)

millworkman
13 years ago
Personally my opinion would be to stay away from Peachtree, they were not great a few years ago and the management has done nothing to make me feel they would be any better. Plus in my opinion Lowes selling them(even though I much prefer them HD) would make me even more likely to stay clear of them. I do not trust box stores selling windows(my own issues)as I came from a traditional lumber yard background and progressed to working for window specialists and I just feel that someone selling me a lawnmower one day has no business selling windows the next. You cannot go wrong with Marvin but that is up to you and the price point. You may want to look at Integrity by Marvin, Kolbe, Lepage and sky or WOW can turn you on to some vinyl companies that would be very good as well.
skydawggy
13 years ago
Peachtree is made by Atrium. It's an OK brand but there are better choices available IMO. The installation of a bay/bow window can present potential issues and my recommendation would be to have the most experienced installer you can find do the work. If they aren't installed properly, you can end up with your worst nightmare.

If you have decided on a vinyl window, the brands I am familiar with that I think make an excellent product are Sunrise, Okna, Gorell and Softlite.

You didn't give any details in terms of where you live so I can't really advise you on the appropriate glass packages offered by these manufacturers.

You will have to have a test done for lead paint, so it's important to make sure you are dealing with a company that has the EPA Certification to do this job correctly. If a company isn't EPA certified by now, they are the wrong company to do any work.
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millworkman
13 years ago
I thought Peachtree was owned by SNE which is the Shield family of Weathersheld fame. Had I known they were Atrium I would have given them a worse review.
skydawggy
13 years ago
You are right, Peachtree is owned by SNE aka the Shields Family.
millworkman
13 years ago
still a good reason to stay away though
pompeii
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the info. How about Anderson? We have a quote for Anderson through HD but would get another quote from a window dealer. I love the Marvin, but $10,000 is hard to justify. But I also don't want to spend $6,000 and have nothing but problems.

We live in NE Ohio, so cold temps and snow are a fact of life.

One of the guys tested the frames and yes, there is lead based paint.
skydawggy
13 years ago
Depends on which model Andersen you are looking at. I would avoid their vinyl windows. The Woodwright and Eagle are better if you want wood. Marvin, well, what can you say? Great company and great products but all good things come with a high price tag.

If you want vinyl, stick to the brands I recommended and you will be fine.

Peachtree - yay or stay away?

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Peachtree - yay or stay away?

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