Outragious pricing for Pella windows?

3 years ago

I was just quoted $1875/window for Pella Lifestyle series (wood/aluminum clad exterior), to replace windows that are approximately 36 x 58, but also some that are smaller. This is by Pella directly, not a third party (or so he says). The salesman had a Pella truck...

The sill of one of my windows is rotted, but it is a 100 year old home and the windows are about 35 or so years old. I am not shocked that the sill is rotted... But, they are telling me that I have to have the exterior trim removed and they will remove all the rotted wood and then put in a "new construction window", so not a replacement window. They will insulate and then put up new exterior window trim, which will be smooth cedar to match what I have. (There is no clear evidence of rotted wood in the framing around the window and we wouldn't know that until the window is removed.)

The salesman is telling me that if I get replacement windows for my replacement windows, that they are going to put the new windows inside the last replacement window frame. I think this is what he is saying, but he isn't all that clear... Maybe he is saying they will just remove the replacement window and put the new replacement window in where it was, but that that is a bad idea because it's not properly insulated and this configuration will allow water to get to the windows somehow, or the sill... and cause rot or further rot.... I am not sure... This is what I am gathering to be his argument against just getting replacement windows, as opposed to the new construction process that he is recommending.

The salesman was saying that all of my windows were installed incorrectly and this is what needs to be done to correct the issue. I can't figure out how the windows are installed incorrectly... I mean, they are Pella from the 80s, which was when double pane windows just came out. The are aluminum clad wood windows. At some point, a previous owner decided to caulk most of the windows shut. I don't know if this is because they were drafty, but I have to assume that is the case. Regardless, I think it is just the poor quality and age of the windows more than anything. I don't think the installation of the windows caused the sill to rot. My guess is that it was ok when they installed it over 35 years ago and in that time, because many previous owners didn't do any maintenance as far as having it repainted, the sill was exposed to water and rotted....

What do you think? Do you think if I have, from what I can see, one rotted sill, that I need to spend $1875/window to have new construction windows put in, rather than just getting replacement windows, which would cost about $1000/window? (I am getting 9 windows for $16,870.)

Does anyone know what this salesman is talking about? Is this justified, or is he trying to get me to spend an extra $875 for no good reason?

What other brands do you like? I am thinking about Anderson and Marvin now... All I know is that I want to have wood interior windows and no drafts!

Thank you!

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Comments (6)

millworkman
3 years ago
Personally I think he may be trying to sell you, but that is sight unseen. I have a general disdain for anything Pella so there is that as well. Are these double hungs? What condition is the frame in?
lorikristin77
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
@millworkman They are double hung. I don't really know how to know what condition the frame is in. What do I look for? On the inside, I see nice painted wood. Nothing that looks unusual... On the exterior, I do not see anything that indicates an issue with the window frame. The sills are not looking too hot... They are wood and one is rotten for sure.. The paint is peeling off them... The whole house will be painted after all the work is done.

I am just not understanding why tear off the exterior window trim to install new construction windows? Why not just remove the replacement windows and put in new replacement windows where they were?

How would I tell if there is rot in the frame? I can get out there and take a picture.

They can replace the sill if they do a replacement window, right? The other company who quoted me for vinyl windows said they would replace rotten wood...
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We actually just went through this process as we are building a new home in New Jersey. We currently live in a 1911 colonial and after dealing with the maintenance of the original wood windows, there was no way that my husband wasn't going to get maintenance free windows for our new house. Just to give you an idea of how long we researched windows, we got our first estimate in January and didn't order the windows until the end of June. We visited many different showrooms and spoke with many different reps. We also spoke with people we know who have each type of window and did research with consumer reports, etc. Our 40 Marvin Ultimate Clad Double Hung windows with 1 1/8" SDL grills and our 2 sets of french doors with transoms in the upgraded wineberry color just arrived on Thursday and they are GORGEOUS. We were also comparing the Marvin Clad, the Pella Architect Series and the Anderson Woodwright. Every response we heard and all of the research said that the Anderson and the Pella were comparable in price, so that wasn't an issue, but they said that based on construction they wouldn't choose Anderson. We also ruled out Anderson because if you pressed on the center of the glass window, it really gave and felt really flimsy, the others felt substantially stronger. So that narrowed it down to Pella and Marvin. Next we looked at the cross sections of each window. The exterior of the Pella has wood that is wrapped in the cladding material and there is a space where water could easily get behind it and rot the wood. The exterior of the Marvin is 100% cladding, no wood, so you never have to worry about rot. That was the deciding factor for us, next to not having a significant price difference. We were 100% leaning toward Pella because our cousin works for the main factory and we were getting a 30% discount (FYI - there is a 100% mark-up on windows). So we got the best possible quote from Pella (verified by our cousin), which came to $35,000 and change, for a standard color, standard hardward, and the smaller grills. We got our Marvins in the upgraded color with the larger grills size for $39,000. A few things that we learned regarding pricing from the process is that for both Marvin and Pella, selecting a non-standard finish (we love oil-rubbed bronze) for the hardware adds thousands of $$$$ to the price, while upgrading the color and grill size really doesn't add that significantly to the cost. So we chose to get the standard white hardware figuring it will be covered by window treatments and it will blend in because we are painting the interior of the windows glossy white (we ordered the windows pre-primed). If the cost is prohibitive for the Marvin Clad, you should look into Marvin's Integrity series. The principles are basically the same except the exterior cladding material is made from a different material and you can't customize the windows (two choices of hardware colors, and only a few choices of exterior colors). Also if you have obscure shapes and sizes you might have to mix and match the windows with Marvin Ultimates. The other difference with the Intergrity is that the hardware to get the windows to tilt out is recessed in the top ledge next to the sash lock, where with the Ultimates it's part of the sash lock. If we couldn't have afforded the Ultimates we were going to definitely go with the Integrity over Pella. Don't get me wrong, Pella is a great window, but for the $$$ Marvin just had more advantages. Pella can easily such you in because they have a lot more cosmetic features that Marvin doesn't (e.g., vivid view screens (you can't tell there is a screen on the window) and those blinds in between the window panes), but I think that hands down Marvin is better quality and construction. I hope the novel that I've just written helps. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me.
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jrb451
3 years ago
We've used Marvin double hung in a previous remodel and were pleased with them. Our current home has Pella casement and they're just fine, though I dislike the mechanism for raising and lowering the blinds between the two panes. (They've improved this in later versions.) We had Pella price some fixed pane replacements. Their bid came in almost 3Xs higher than the company we went with.
ci_lantro
3 years ago
I am just not understanding why tear off the exterior window trim to install new construction windows?

Go outside & look.

Is the trim nailed to the window jambs?

Window flashing can't be installed with trim in the way.

I'm going to suggest that you are way out of your depth and need to do quite a bit of reading up on replacing windows before you sign on the dotted line. Get the basics nailed so answers to your questions make sense to you.

la caveat emptor--says that right on your money. Yeh, it sucks to have to go back to school but window sales people don't generally have only your best interests at heart.
lorikristin77
Original Author
3 years ago
@ci_lantro I research the heck out of everything I get my hands on, so for me it doesn't suck to have to do that... I am looking for info on line, but I also wanted to post here just in case someone could offer good info. I talked to another window company that sells several brands and they will also be removing the exterior trim to install REPLACEMENT windows that will cost almost half what Pella is wanting to charge me! So YES, this was a huge SCAM!

I'm glad I talked to the other company to find out what their process is for replacing the windows. The Pella guy insisted that other companies would not remove the exterior trim. They have to... It is part of removing and replacing the windows...

So I will probably go with Anderson for my wood windows because the company I am going with sells Anderson, Pella and one other brand that I am not familiar with. I am going to their showroom to check it out and will research it before I decide.

So, just like I thought, I am going to get 8 wood windows and 11 vinyl windows for pretty much the same price that the Pella guy was quoting me for 7 wood and 2 vinyl windows!

No wonder everyone hates Pella... They are on a mission to go out of business it appears.
lauriannp
3 years ago
Hi Lori, just read your post.

I am also researching which windows to choose to replace the original 70 year old Anderson "Window Walls" slider windows *yes they are 70 years old and still work) in my home which was built in 1950. They all work but during a wind driven hard rain, i get leaks that come in at the corner where the track of the window is and i panic/worry every time it rains and i am not home to mop up the rain with micro fiber cloths.

I bought some rope caulk that you can easily remove to block the water from seeping in and it works but I just don't want that to be a permanent fix.

Did you end up choosing Andersen windows and if so which line/product, and are you happy with them so far?

Outragious pricing for Pella windows?

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millworkman

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Outragious pricing for Pella windows?

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millworkman

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lorikristin77
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