First time window buyer -Northwest Suburbs of Chicago

Hello,

I am in the process of buying vinyl replacement windows for my home.
I have narrowed the choices between a highly recommended contractor who uses Pella 350 series windows and Gilkey Windows.

The contractor quoted me $1500 less than Gilkey.

I have heard mixed reviews on Pella and have not been able to find much information about Gilkey.

Any help or suggestions is very appreciated.

Thank you.

i am not a fan of Gilkey due to them utilizing a pocket sill design. pocket sills are not only terribly outdated, but also a very flawed design.
most pro's arent fond of pella vinyl.. they are just not well designed. if you are searching for a high quality window that not only looks very nice, is much more energy efficient than any wood wimdow, and is better structurally than a wood window, i would look at HiMark, okna, soft lite..
also, there is a pro who frequents this board who goes by the name " windows4u ". he is not only one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, but also a consumate professional who offers a variety of brands. i would strongly suggest doing a board search of his name and clicking his contact button.

+1 on all counts. Window4U is an good, honest guy that offers several top tier products. I've personally referred several people to him being right up the road in Milwaukee.

+2

Don't like the pocket aspect and you do need to talk with Dave (i.e. Window4U) before you make any decision.

You can find him here in this thread: http://www.vinyl-replacement-windows.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5500

and the reviews from customers on this board of his services are second to none.

Thank you so much for the feed back. I was not finding rave reviews for Pella which was quite a surprise given their reputation.

Don't confuse reputation with marketing presence.

Right. If Pella was half as good at manufacturing windows as they are at marketing their windows, they'd have the market cornered.