Sure, I have two rotten sashes that are Pella Architectural Series in my garage.
I don't like Pella.
I believe there was a settlement on the Pro Line lawsuit, but the Architectural Series is just starting.

Ask the architect to specify Marvin.

Really wow! I personally feel that any cladding on the exterior of the window/door is just trapping any inside the building moisture from escaping. Marvin is on my radar to look into.
Thanks!

Actually the cladding trapped the rain water. The way they clad the sashes the bottom cladding joint was exposed and caught the run off instead of letting the run off spill over the bottom piece of cladding.

The class action was for windows installed from 99-06.

Marvin has also settled a lawsuit for windows and doors back on 04.

Pella is a great company and I have been installing the proline series for nearly 6 years. I have never had a single complaint. The vast majority of window issues are a result of poor installation methods and installation materials.

I believe Marvins was a result of material.
Pella was a result of bad design.

Completely agree...the install makes the difference on these things...my parent's house was built in 2000, and they have no problems at all (Proline's)...they're good windows installed properly.

Lawsuit for a window 15 years old? Really? c'mon people, nothin' lasts forever, especially if you've not done proper maintenance. I educate customers on window installs...point out the weep holes (which get plugged up all the dang time)...if I were a window mfg and was getting sued, that'd be the first thing I'd ask for...proof you kept weep holes clean, and photos of the install procedure, it makes all the difference!

TNTSERVICES said:

The class action was for windows installed from 99-06.

Marvin has also settled a lawsuit for windows and doors back on 04.

Pella is a great company and I have been installing the proline series for nearly 6 years. I have never had a single complaint. The vast majority of window issues are a result of poor installation methods and installation materials.

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Yes, I think they are good windows I actually have them on my personal house. I was merely just asking the difference between proline an architectural series. Both of which are aluminum clad. My pella rep is coming to my office Thursday but I was just looking for any real world experience not info from a Salesman. It's over $100k worth of Windows so its a big decision.

Either way poor chooses made. They are both great companies.

TimNJ said:

I believe Marvins was a result of material.
Pella was a result of bad design.

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Pella's slogan of "viewed to be the best" is very accurate IMO, as homeowners do have that opinion... That is until they need service. I dont have hard data, but from what I see their complaints about terrible customer service out number positives about 99-1, definitely much worse than Marvin-- and that is consistent with my experience when I sold the line as well. The primary design flaw imo is the roll-formed clad sashes that lead to rot from the inside-out. The thermally broken extruded clad that Marvin and others use is a much better design IMO. Pella does use that same system regardless of line.

The cladding overlapped at the bottom, as in they put the bottom piece of cladding on last instead of first. That directed water right into the bottom of the sash where it rotted out the wood.

Now the Pella sliding patio door I like.
I think it is one of the smoothest and easiest rolling doors.

Have you seen the agreement from that Pella lawsuit? The will give a percentage off new windows at mfg suggest pricing, gee thats just swell. Lawyers got millions customers got screwed. At least Marvin replaced the sashes at pro rated amounts.

The Pella problem is definitely a design issue, I had a customer who had a dozen or more rotted sashes. Once you cranked open the windows they would drop and would never close again, everything rotted under the cladding

TimNJ said:

The cladding overlapped at the bottom, as in they put the bottom piece of cladding on last instead of first. That directed water right into the bottom of the sash where it rotted out the wood.

Now the Pella sliding patio door I like.
I think it is one of the smoothest and easiest rolling doors.

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Please tell me where the weep holes are on a casement sash? I must have missed them. :whistling

mstrat said:

Completely agree...the install makes the difference on these things...my parent's house was built in 2000, and they have no problems at all (Proline's)...they're good windows installed properly.

Lawsuit for a window 15 years old? Really? c'mon people, nothin' lasts forever, especially if you've not done proper maintenance. I educate customers on window installs...point out the weep holes (which get plugged up all the dang time)...if I were a window mfg and was getting sued, that'd be the first thing I'd ask for...proof you kept weep holes clean, and photos of the install procedure, it makes all the difference!

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You say that as if Marvin had a choice.

rrk said:

Have you seen the agreement from that Pella lawsuit? The will give a percentage off new windows at mfg suggest pricing, gee thats just swell. Lawyers got millions customers got screwed. At least Marvin replaced the sashes at pro rated amounts.

The Pella problem is definitely a design issue, I had a customer who had a dozen or more rotted sashes. Once you cranked open the windows they would drop and would never close again, everything rotted under the cladding

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I think Marvin stepped up a little bit more to rectify the problem, I think Pella tried to hide the settlement notice.

At least Marvin replaced some windows for free, I had a customer get 3 casement sashes for free even though 2 were bad.

The lady with the Pella's had to pay the Pella tech to look at hers and initially said there was no problem, she was cranking it wrong.
I think Pella followed the same path as GAF did with the Timberline shingle problem.

What makes you think this?

rrk said:

I think Marvin stepped up a little bit more to rectify the problem, I think Pella tried to hide the settlement notice.

At least Marvin replaced some windows for free, I had a customer get 3 casement sashes for free even though 2 were bad.

The lady with the Pella's had to pay the Pella tech to look at hers and initially said there was no problem, she was cranking it wrong.
I think Pella followed the same path as GAF did with the Timberline shingle problem.

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Both Pella and GAF made it very difficult for consumers to find out about settlement, made it very difficult to file claim, and had many restrictions on claim.

GAF made consumers not only produce receipt for shingles, they had to have a wrapper they came in. A customer of mine who keeps everything had both after 8 years and they still tried to only pay $1000 on a huge roof, they finally got $7 or $8000 after 6 months of threats.

I also know one of the executives at the GAF headquarters here in NJ, who said "unethical maybe, illegal no, we have to protect our shareholders". Which is what most major companies might say I guess.

Can't speak on lawsuits, but the real world difference between ProLine and Architectural Pella windows is in the construction and available options. The Architectural windows are full wood all the way through, and thicker sash, the ProLine are wood interior, but the exterior cladding is what holds the glass in the frame. The Architectural also come in a wider range of colors, and offer different sizes of simulated divided light with a foam light block to give a true divided light appearance. The ProLine offers SDL, but not with the foam spacer, so you get light bleed between the glass layers. There's some other differences, but can't think of them right off the top of my head.

As far as service after the sale, again, can only quote my personal experience, but I have always been very impressed with Pella's customer service both before and after the sale. We installed a whole house of Pella 350 vinyl windows, and there was one sash that was missing a piece of weatherstrip. Instead of sending the piece of weatherstrip and leaving it to us to install it, Pella sent a Pella Tech to the customers home free of charge to take care of it.

We were part if the certainteed lawsuit and never had produce anything other than an inspection report with pictures.

And I'm not calling you a liar but it's easy to say I know a guy.

rrk said:

Both Pella and GAF made it very difficult for consumers to find out about settlement, made it very difficult to file claim, and had many restrictions on claim.

GAF made consumers not only produce receipt for shingles, they had to have a wrapper they came in. A customer of mine who keeps everything had both after 8 years and they still tried to only pay $1000 on a huge roof, they finally got $7 or $8000 after 6 months of threats.

I also know one of the executives at the GAF headquarters here in NJ, who said "unethical maybe, illegal no, we have to protect our shareholders". Which is what most major companies might say I guess.

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Thats great but it wasn't certainteed, it was GAF. And I really don't care what you believe.

TNTSERVICES said:

We were part if the certainteed lawsuit and never had produce anything other than an inspection report with pictures.

And I'm not calling you a liar but it's easy to say I know a guy.

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