Are the Pella Entry and Storm doors advertised at the Pella website the same as those sold at Lowes/HD? The Pella website contains no pricing info, except to schedule an in-home consultation. I’d like to get an idea of what the ballpark price to install a new entry door and 2 storm doors would be before having someone come out. If I can get that by pricing them at Lowes, I will know what I am getting into before scheduling someone.
Also, are the “Pella Installers” local businesses that Pella contracts with? Or are they only Pella dealers/installers?
Thanks – Jason
Replies
After seeing similarities in construction between the Larson & Pella storm doors I asked the guy at the Lowes Windows & Doors desk whether Larson made the doors for both. He said that they did. Jimz
....We did something similar, Pella,and Pella at Lowes are two different things. If you buy a Pella product from Lowes, the Pella dealers will NOT give you warranty service, you have to go back to Lowes for that.
We ended up buying through the dealer for that reason, and it paid off with the french doors....nothing but problems,.... but always addressed by the dealer . for three years
Pella from Lowes is only warranted for the product, NOT the installation but as I said, you have to go through Lowes for that as well
Check the warranties offered. With almost all Pella products you will most likely be making warranty claims, at least until you tire for the hassle.
lotta truth right there.....
Big amen
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Thanks for the advice - I think I may steer away from Pella. I've been searching the forum and have read some good things about Therma-Tru entry doors and Larson storm doors. I will look into those.Jason
Better search the archives here on Therma-Tru.... I hear Precision are very energy efficient but no idea about reliability....
Pssst...I'd rather have a Pella than a TT!
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So I am NOT crazy?
Nobody is impressed with Pella?
VERY impressed, just not positively so. I spent about $60k on some Pella Architect Series products a few years ago. I can honestly say that I will never recommend Pella to anyone unless they have really pi$$ed-me off!
Sounds like you ar knocking Pella?
Why should he? They knock themselves up with every delivery
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Boy can someone on this thread give a *positive* recommendation on an entry door maker? Or are they all POS?
Andersen, Simpson.
Peachtree used to have some, but I can';t buy them up here anymore.
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Andersen, Simpson.
Peachtree used to have some, but I can';t buy them up here anymore.
What are they like for energy efficiency? I hear people here complain about cheap parts for Simpson, I suppose you remove them as soon as you get them?
As I said, I've heard Precision is very energy-efficient, no idea about reliability, since you mention Peachtree you don't have a bias against fiberglass doors (?). Peachtree touts their Newport FG door as 6 times more energy-efficient than wood. Do you have an opinion on wood-grained FG?
Piffin, etal
I have been on this board off and on for some time, and I keep coming across this "Pella sucks stuff". What I am not sure of is, is it you every time I read this? As you know these boards are posted on by a pretty small number of people. And that does not make for a very statisically significant poll.
Just so hard to beleive that Pella is that bad. I am sure you have had trouble, but it is just hard for the one time buyer to really know, and Pella is a good name by almost any measure other than Breaktime. LOL!
Is Pella really that bad? how many times did they mess you up? Do you never do business with them?
Good questions that call for good answers.The company tells me that they are the fastest growing window company in North America.Their business model is somewhat different than other window manufacturers, sell direct to HOs and thru archies rather than retailers other than their own stores. They aim for a product that is in the upper quantrile of the spectrum, but they fall somewhat short of the aim when it comes to execution. Calvin here lives in their part of the country, and he has had fine success with the products.Mine is less satisfying. It has created stress with my clients and returns call bnacks more often than any other window and door company than I have ever used. There are two problems. One is that the reps do not always know the product well, so mistakes in ordering are made in placing orders.
The other is that the factory quality is short of the standards I am used to seeing.Their strong point ios in the immediate followup service/. a problem that I notice in the first month or so alwayus gets prompt, courteous attention. What bothers me is that there are so many such problems to notice.I have been told by their people of a major reason why the prompt service comes about. The have modules in their team that provides the product to me. That 'team' includes the rep who places the order, the manufacturing folks putting their names on the product at the facto4ry, the delivery people, and the followup service guys.
After the sale, you get a report card from the company. This is where you indicate your level of satisfaction. A 'team' getting too low of satisfaction reports eafch sale or each month or whatever will lose or have reduced bonus money that pay period. The person who told me this was encouraging me to give them high poraises, because he said that about half his income was from the bonus percentage checks...but once the time period lapses, and they all have their maoney, complaints seem to fall on deaf ears, unless you do a lot of continuing business with them.Some of my specific complaints...
Orders are commonly messed up, from more than one rep. I had a large order ten years ago ( speced by architect) and when it arrived, the large 40" x 64" lite was missing. Theyseem to have changed their computer ordering system right in the middle of my order and lost it. They got the custom plant to amek and ship another right away so I had it in three weels instead of six to ten, but I had to go off island to pick it up at a terminal. It was not a large enough order for them to bring it right to the job. My customers had moveed in and draperies hunmg with plywood in that location....On that same job, the double hung sashes never fit right. almost takes a prybar to close tight enough to lock. Also they had poor screens. I swore I would never use them again.Fast forward tenyears- I had seen some Pellas at a trade show and was mildly impressed that they had made improvements. I had a moral responsibility to my client to compare pricing and value on a couple different choices for a renovation from manufacturers withing their budget range. The Pellas and the Marvins - historical versions, were equivalent in porice for the double hung windows and the Pellas seemed to be closer in look to what the client needed, while the door portion of the order was nearly 20K less for Pellas cf. the Marvins. So the clients went with Pella. Out of eigtht door units, there were probelms with three - two minor and one major. Plus all of th escreens were so poor it was like they were build for another kind of window...The one major door problem escalated. The original was warped bad. Latch side was probably at least 3/8" of curl away from the stops at top and bottom. Second door they sent was 2" too short
Third door they sent was the same size. This was acustom door size, but not hard.
Fourth door fit the jamb, but it was mortised for their stock latch hardware. The original special order was for no latch mortise, as we had a special antique piece for that one. All of the first doors were right on that account, buit the slab that finally fit straight in had their stock mortising. I took one look, told the poor guy, listen, I have people moving in so I am not changing anything again now after all this, but you guys are going to provide me a latchset for free...Done deal and the owners accepted it...had to call the painters back - they were already done withg the rest of the house.
And to top it all off, at end of that summer, the HOs TOLD ME THEY COULD NIOT CLOSE THE DOUBLE HUNG WINDOWS TO LATCH! I still have yet to make the screens all work after losing count of how many times I have called about them...so on the next house, we used Marvins. Both the painters and the owners told me repeatedly how much nicer they are than the Pellas on that other house to work with.
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Piffin, thank you for the detailed post!
Hard to beleive that ordering could be such a problem. All it takes is a bit of care on someone's part. Shame.
And, I can see how you might think that windows and doors hould actually close.
You said that you CURRENTLY feel the price point for Marvin and Pella is about the same for windows, but Marvin is more expensive for doors? Correct?
Well, it's time for me to climb up on the soap box again....
I am a professional door maker with close to 30 years experience in all matters of wood doors - from interior closets to $25,000 entry units. So when I read mention of Therma True I have to jump in.
Wood doors are the best solution for egress, period. However, factory made, heavily cost accounted, over engineered, over cheap, price pointed and intensely marketed doors are not the answer they appear to be.
I talk to lots of builders and homeowners that are unhappy with Pella, and Marvin, and Anderson, etc. Marvin is currently running an ad that seriously states that the gap between rails and stiles in their doors and windows can't be more than 1/16"!!?!! This not only means less than a tight fitting joint, but also a conduit to let water come right into the center of the joint and start the rot/failure process. It is very hard to believe that they push this gap as a definition of craftsmanship when it is an indicator of their failure to do the very most basic thing - joining two pieces of wood properly.
My suggestion is to locate an experienced shop that knows about wood doors, has a track record, and contract with them to make, finish and install a new unit. Or contact my shop and we'll be happy to make and finish a door you can easily enjoy. As people that appreciate craft, we should support craft where and when we can, and avoid the poor excuses of craft that are cluttering up our lives.
Just one opinionated guy,
Dave S
http://www.acornwoodworks.com
The price QUOTED for doors was much higher for the Marvins.but again not good comparison because Marvin includes screens and ext casing which Pella doesn't. The Marvin threshold setup is also superior, IMO.
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none of our DH will latch , they were installed in 2001, and when service came out for the FINAL time ....he busted his butt latching them all closed.....and tells me "leave them latched until next Spring " that was in 2004 , three years old and I shouldn't open them for about eight more months?? WTF I need a ladder to get to the top of the frame to pushup while my wife is pushing down and flipping the latch to this day......the insides of the windows constantly have to be cleaned, which
was not someting that is quick to do... the saleswoman pitched the windows to us as "not needing cleaning except <i>maybe</i> once a year ....they film up every 3-4 mos. ...where we live is rural, nothing around that I can point to as the cause of the problem...so it must be us!!the french doors were installed by Pella, and have never been right, the door won't stay closed...they fix that...the door sticks...they fix that....won't stay closed, hinges work loose, I see daylight at the bottom between the doors... the windows film up
just like the DH ,I think there were NINE service calls total