Narrow down brands

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Hoosier1991
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Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2024 11:14 am

Narrow down brands

#1 Post by Hoosier1991 »

I am looking to replace about 17 wood windows with vinyl. Just a basic white. Nothing super fancy but a good solid product. We have an old farmhouse so window can only do so much for energy efficiency.

Can you help narrow down brands in our area? I'm feeling overwhelmed where to start.

These are the products locally available
Soft lite
Norandex
Provia
Pella - this is the only installer who doesn't warranty installation only product.
Seaway
Simonton
**EDIT found OKNA 500 available near us too

Good and bad any advice I'll take it all! I'm looking for the most bang for my buck.

Also how common is it for window company's to get bought out or go out of business? I have a family member who is pushing pella because of how big of a name it is. They had windows that were bought out by another company and it voided their lifetime warranty.
So they say avoid small names to reduce that chance
Last edited by Hoosier1991 on Tue Oct 01, 2024 12:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Narrow down brands

#2 Post by Windows on Washington »

Of that list, Soft-Lite makes the best product in vinyl.

Your cousin's point is accurate, with caveats. Plenty of companies have been acquired by larger companies and still had their warranties invalidated because the acquiring company purchased the assets and none of the liabilities. So...to that extent...your best coverage is to buy the best window that you can, because that company will hopefully stand up to the test of time as will the product.

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HomeSealed
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Re: Narrow down brands

#3 Post by HomeSealed »

Based on the edit I'd stick with the Softlite (preferably Elite or Elements) and Okna options.

Regarding the warranty concerns, as WoW alluded to it can be a complex issue. Typically a company will only end up having its warranties invalidated after purchase when the original company was in some financial trouble to start, hence the reason why only the assets were purchased.

While there is still industry consolidation occurring and private equity money in the mix, IMO most of the companies that were weak have met their fate by now. A manufacturer today that has been around for 20-30+ years and pushes out $50mm+ or so annually should be pretty solid having survived tumultuous times. Certainly a high quality, high performing product is an important part of that as well.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Narrow down brands

#4 Post by Windows on Washington »

+1.

Edit necessitates that I reply with a "+1" to HomeSealed amended commentary on product selections as well as company sustainability.

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