Working on a new house with a lot of casement windows and sliders. We have a real desire to go with Loewen but the price difference between the two and the lead time differece of 6 weeks has us looking at Pella.
Can anyone comment on their experiences comparing the two? Any installers comment on both?
Looking at cladded no brick moulding for both. Both with extension jambs for a 2×6 walls.
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Do both have full screens included?
Is the screen insallation for each easy or is extra hardware necessary?
Does the close and lock hardware operate flawlessly - have you tried it in the showroom for yourself?
Do both have quality muntins?
Are sills detailed as well in both?
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If you have time, go to advance search and plug in different manufactures names. Lots of stuff
Thanks Curley.I have indeed searched both this and other forums about these windows and still no clarity as to why the difference in prices. Except for the wood type (fir for Loewen and pine for Pella) all other specs are exactly the same. No SDL, both with extenstion jams etc...
Put Loewen in over Pella and many others they were alot lower, where u be, I would get another price, you getting apples to apples.
I am in MD where there is a single distributor for the whole area. I would even be willing to go an pick them up from another location if feasible...
Job we did was Western MD. Deep Creek Lake, who did u call. I'll try to look up salesman/company name for u. Where are u in MD.
Sizing may be contributing to the diff. Does your window schedule sizing permit vendors to substitute nearest standard size?
Specifics of our order...7 x 6080 sliders.
appx 8 x 5050 double casements.
appx 10 x 2020 fixed
appx 4 x 3040 fixed
appx 8 x 2080 side lights.
4 corner windows 2'9 by 5' << Loewen was lower here !!!and we definitely asked for nearest size. There is also a front double 6080 door.
I recently was faced with the same decision, and I made the wrong one. We chose Pella Architect series over the Loewen windows. The difference ins cost was about $15K on our order. The price diffence shouls have been more than the 15% we "saved". Pella windows may be "viewed to be the best" but once you actually install them and use them, you will not agree. DO NOT BUY PELLA.
Why does anyone by-pass Andersen -- Have used in 4 houses since early 70's and have an opportunity 2 times in the past to call for help and they have bent over backwards to help -- think their windows are truly the best and that is from a guy that has installed brick to brick and over a sheathed envelope
Tim:Please give me your details as much as you can... I am in the same boat as you can see and would love to hear about it...All:The reason we are only considering the two are very simple... Loewen is our preference and Pella is the predominant premier window in our area. I do not like Andersens specifically because the actual window unit is made from a Vinyl/Fiberglass which is probably better for specific reasons but not the looks we want.
1. The quoted price was not what we were billed. We had to go 'round and round with the factory store for that. Were talking about a $48,000 window order. For instance, the color option costs and additional 10%, typically, on our order they said, "for an order of this size it'll be 6%, not 10%" but then charged for 10% . Then they said, oh that's a mistake on the paperwork. Overall, the factory store we went through to buy these windows was for the most part either dishonest or incompetent or both.
2. Windows were damaged during installation (by Pella). Repairs by Pella we sloooow coming and had to be repeated many times. The order was screwed up an several occasions, wrong sizes, wrong options, wrong door swings (our order in cluded 5 French Doors and two patio doors) damaged screens, missing grilles, missing hardware. Of 95 different units, possibly 20 showed up complete, correct and undamaged.
3. After 2 years of service, I am generally disappointed in the overall quality, fit & finish, operation and durability. Some of these issues are due to installation, however some are purely due to the quality of windows and doors. These are not not low budget or even median cost windows. These are the best they make, and plenty expensive. IF, after all the BS getting the windows, they would have come any where close to meeting our expectations as to quality and operation, I would have been able to overlook the snafu's in the order process. Such is not the case.
I have become less outspoken as time has passed, but my advice to all is unchanged: DO NOT BUY PELLA.
You should seriously consider other manufacturer's out there. Kolbe & Kohlbe, Anderson, Peach Tree, Crestline, etc... The list of people that make windows is long. Find some good locally represented options and check them out. Get references and check them out. My bet is that you won't find too many Pella customers out there that will give them glowing endorsements, YMMV.
Thanks Tim...I guess the rep/sales folks in your neck of the woods are pretty bad...I am assuming based on previous experience with Pella and talking to Loewen, we would have and expect superior service. Pella has a huge install base in the Mid Atlantic area and I am assuming that Loewen is also trying to make in roads here.
The sales/installation of it was poor, but the product itself, is at best mediocre. My point was that IF the windows and doors had turned out to be worth the troubles, my experience would not have been so bad. BUT, I had all the problems previously described AND ended up with an inferior product at a premium price. IF you still choose to buy Pella windows, you will be disappointed.
Tim....Ok please please give me some more details... why...what was the reason?