We have the Legend series in our house. We are just in the drying in phase of building right now so I cant tell you much except they look good. Our builder thought they were a good value also. We paid 15k for 8- WMBG Low E single, 3-TWIN, 1-TRIP,..11 casements...4 picture, and 1 large round top picture. So a total of 33 windows. Hope this helps. I couldnt find much on the we either about them also.

We have had two homes with Windsor Legend series. We have had NO problems. My father spent 40K on Kolbe & Kolbe on his previous custom home and he feels that the Windsor Legends that are in his latest home are just as good. We are planning on using them in a resort home we are building this year.

Windsor make many different kinds of windows, primed wood, aluminum clad wood, cellular PVC, and hybrids of those types.

The Legend is unique in the window business because it is the first window to have a wood frame with sash and trim made of cellular (solid) PVC (similar to Azek trim boards). It is possible to get an aluminum clad sash installed in this window frame as well. The frames appear to have no nailing fins (hooray and good riddance) and to rely on the casing trim for installation like the old fashioned windows before the marketing and packaging departments started to drive the designs.

The details of the double-hung casing trim and sill nosing are very impressive and suggest the window would be a good candidate for historic restorations and other traditional designs. Of course, any design that emulates the old way of installing a window is inherently more waterproof IMHO. Current nail-fin designs are simply ridiculous.

Unfortunately, I have never seen this window and have never dealt with any of the suppliers in my area who sell it. If the 5/8" putty glazed muntin bar and the sash glazing stops are well designed this could be a winner if the cost is competitive.

Reporting with an update - our Windsor Pinnacle aluminum clad windows just got installed, and they look great!

buildinginva, when you are able, would you post some pics? Thank you all for your responses, very much appreciated!

Be careful making comparisons. The Windsor Clad Pinnacle is an aluminum clad wood window with a nailing fin. It has almost nothing in common with the Windsor Legend.

I'm looking at Windsor Pinnacle windows for my house. Are those who have used them still happy? Any problems? Thanks.

From my years in the business Windsor has never been considered anything more than a very mediocre product performance and or quality wise.

Our Windsor windows look great and seem to have been well installed. We'll move in 3 weeks from now, just ahead of winter and that will be the real test. I know Millworkman dislikes them, but they look abd feel better and sturdier than the Anderson 400 normally used by my Builder. There wasn't that big of a difference in cost between the two, and I have tried to use local manufacturers and workees whenever possible during our build. Will provide updates as time passes. At the end of the day I think installation is key to window satisfaction.

CSKI and Jeff - How exciting to both be moving into new homes! Let us know how our windows work out for you. We always love it when fans share photos - you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (and Houzz of course!)

It is just as pointless to speak in generalities about Windsor windows as it is to do the same about Andersen windows. Both companies make different window designs for different budgets. The exception IMO is Pella that somehow manages to uniformly make poorly designed windows and offer poor service.

I have sold Windsor however JDS, and would put them in the same box as Pella.

I have about 58 windows of Windsor Clad Pinnacle installed in my new custom built at my request (my builder was using another brand).

I Moved in 8 months ago, so far so good.

@WW, house is in final stages of construction and I'll post pictures as soon as they've been cleaned! Absolutely love the slider in the WO lower level -- have never had one that felt so solid and sturdy before, nice job! BTW, i'be had double-hung windows before, but the ease of operation on these has been really nice, thank you for a good, workable design. We did have a piece of trim that the paint peeled on during construction, but you guys were great about taking care of it. We expect that to be the end of it, but the rep did tell us to watch the window and if there were any further issues we'd resolve it differently next time, even if it meant replacing it (it's a large picture window). No house, much less construction project will ever be "perfect" and I think it is responsiveness by the vendors of the products you put in your house that is the key to customer happiness/satisfaction; that's the category you can put us into! At the end of the day, it's about more than just looks, it's about performance: of the windows themselves, the installers, the representatives of the company. Thus far were extremely impressed and very happy with the latter two and only time will tell about the first. For now, thank you for a beautiful product that fit nicely into our budget so we could afford a couple of other nice things in our new build! (We installed windows from the Pinnacle line)

Following up on this thread - how do those who installed Windsor Legend windows still feel about them? We are considering them for a new build, and I've seen mixed reviews.

Not sure about the Legend series, but we put in the Pinnacle Clad windows and slider doors and absolutely LOVE them!

Ditto on our Pinnacle series (double hung, transomes and sliders). We have a lot of large windows and did have an issue with one in the front of the house that they were great about taking care of 6 mos after we took possession.

I still stand by my earlier comments.....................

I hear you. What would you suggest as an alternative to Oknas that would give us the look of a traditional, recessed wood window without compromising quality?

I have been very happy with our Windsor Legend double hung windows. They have been in place in our new house now for about 11 months. Held up very well this summer and have had no concerns whatsoever. Basically any good window you kinda forget they are there and that has been the case here! Would not hesitate to use them on the next project.

Marvin Integrity Wood/Ultrex Series, LePage Wood or Wood/ Aluminum Clad, maybe Andersen series Tilt Wash.

@Millworkman - We would like to extend a friendly reminder that our invitation to you to have a one-on-one conversation with Scott Renke, Windsor’s Director of Sales, about your past experiences with our products, still stands. (Original post: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4572262/black-interior-windows).

At Windsor, we strive for continual improvement with the goal of providing the best windows and doors for homeowners’ budgets and would value the opportunity to chat with you further.

Please feel free to call Scott at 1-800-218-6186. 8am-5pm Central Time, Mon-Fri.

Can we get an update on how the Windsor Pinnacle are performing? We're building a home and are between the Integrity Wood-Ultrex and the Pinnacle and would appreciate any inputs.

"Can we get an update on how the Windsor Pinnacle are performing?"

From what I know they are still performing todat the same as they have been peforming for the past 25 years, mediocre at best.................

kimpekz, our windows and doors are now 2 years old and still performing as new. We absolutely love them.

2 years with our Windsor Pinnacles and they're great! (Midwest)

5 years on my Windsor Pinnacles and have to say, they are performing better than my Marvins!

I'm glad to hear the Pinnacles are performing well! I like the idea of using AL clad because we're wanting to using a dark color on the windows exteriors. Thanks for the updates.

I have been impressed reviewing youtube videos of Windsor windows. Planning on going with Pinnacle or perhaps Next Dimension. The construction details appear to be well made. Also some of the extras seem well thought. Compared to otthe her mfrs Windsor seems to have a leg up. Any recent feedback?

I had the line that uses composite instead of wood.

We sold that house less than a year ago so can’t provide much more feedback. Was super happy with them. I have Pella in my new house i just built but only went with them so i could get them in black. The Windsor composite doesn’t come in black due to expansion issues when using colors that absorb more sunlight.

How do you think the Windsor Windows compared to Jeld Wyn Windows? Also, what other brand are they comparable to? We bought a house with Windsor windows, and I need to change them. Was considering using Windsor again.

Susie -

As Millworkman has stated, there are many types of windows and each have their own advantages and considerations. I encourage you to balance his opinion with other reviews. I also encourage you to reach out to your local Windsor dealer to discuss your options and get information specific to your particular situation. (The link above goes to our Dealer Locator tool on our website.)

Windsor prides itself on having a "Windsor for nearly every application" -- whether it's builder-focused Next Dimension Pro vinyl, or our two original vinyl lines (Next Dimension Classic and Next Dimension Signature), Legend cellular PVC (ideal for coastal homes and historic renovations), or our top-of-the-line Pinnacle wood clad windows and doors, which are found in some of the finest homes across the U.S. For more information, please check out this link: Why Windsor?

Best of luck on your project!

@CSKI 13i AND @lmgregory how are your Pinnacle's performing 4 years later? We are doing a new build in a western, high altitude desert (but also cold and snowy) climate and looking at Windsor Pinnacle's and Marvin Ultimates. We love the look of the Pinnacles more, but I'm hearing Marvin is a higher-quality window. My Windsor dealer, builder, and architect all praise the Pinnacles (and they're VERY widely used here). I want to ensure that what we install will last.

Thoughts?

Are we also insane for doing no trim around the windows? Is that going to be a pain when we need to in theory replace windows in 40 years? Thinking no trim around windows, and drywall return with wood sills (house is modern/contemporary with farmhouse elements in an urban environment).

@earthlyepicure My Windsor Pinnacle double-hungs are doing great! I live in Iowa and they've performed very well, even through the sub-zero temps we had last week!

My double-hung Pinnacles have performed well (and I also live in IA).

My problems have all been with my (very large) picture windows and I must commend Windsor who have been very responsive to the issues — including one which involved repairing and refinishing all of the floors of my house (even though only a 5x20 area had suffered damage, all of contiguous flooring had to be sanded and repaired!)

My neighbors (a Modern house) did it wrap/trim their windows (NOT Windsor) and had lots of problems with leaking. They ended up having to wrap/trim about 3-years after their build. A VERY expensive undertaking!

Good luck with your build — you’ll have to share pictures when you’re done!

Oh…and as hard as it is to believe, we’ve been in the house for over 6 years! Watched the 120 mph Derecho winds through the windows (probably not the smartest thing we’ve ever done) but the windows — and more importantly the seals — held firm!

If getting 120 mph winds, I hope your windows are impact/hurricane rated. The problem in high winds isn't the window seals holding up, but the glass being able to stop the umbrella, you forgot to tie down, from flying right through the window!

Is everyone who used Windsor pinnacle still happy? We’re building in alabama. House is in full sun and we want black on black windows. We’re looking at the Windsor pinnacle bc we are trying to avoid vinyl.

Marvin is out of our budget. I priced them and they were nearly double windsor. Thought on vinyl if it’s black on black?

We have a quote for Quaker also. They are cheaper than Windsor

We just moved after 7 years w/custom Pinnacles. We had over 40 windows in our house, and a couple of busted seals (IA - high wind area). Windsor customer service was responsive and replaced the windows without issue. Sadly, one of the busted seals wasn’t detected until water had damaged our wood floors. A 5-figure fix and Windsor took care of it all!

With respect to other posters, Windsor exceeded expectations and was a pleasure to work with.

Where are you located Cindy Bolen? Vinyl could be a good choice but in a black on black I would only use a quality manufacturer and definitely not a builder grade product.

Cindy Bolen put this info on your other thread in the Windows subforum. There are window pro's in there who also will be able to offer solid advice as this thread is only in the Building A Home subforum. They are from other areas of the country and will be able to add brands that may be more location specific.

We are in central alabama. It’s super hot here. I’m not opposed to vinyl but was concerned about fading and warping bc of the heat. It’s also very very humid here. Our house will have zero shade

@Cindy Bolen we are using Windsors here in Salt Lake. they are VERY popular and used widely in the hot dry valleu and the harsher canyons (park city). why? im guessing the climate here is better suited, not as humid. they came highly recommended and we also considered marvins and vinyl kolbes. if i lived in a more humid environment i may have considered the kolbes… but with the local distributor being one of windsors top/largest markets, and having a great relationship with them and our builder, we felt wise in our decision.

"they came highly recommended"

Did any of those recommendations come from someone that would financially or otherwise benefit from the sale of said windows?

no, multiple homeowners recommended them, theyre used widely in our area

Windsor windows are only used in our area when someone can't afford something better. That makes them an entry level clad window or builder grade product. Every product that demands a higher price point needs to be sold and justifiied but sometimes price is king. Windsor is just a race to the bottom.

Below is my experience with Windsor as an architect. I will let you decide:

Windsor Windows have been a nightmare for us. The order is delaying our building site ten weeks and counting.

Having dealt with window companies in over a dozen different countries over the last 30 years, I can confirm Windsor are the worst. I cannot comment on performance yet as we don’t have windows. I can however confirm that their leadership is rotten.

We have been misled by Windsor multiple times. Windsor have said our complete order was on a truck on its way to site (in a very arrogant tone from their regional salesman when questioned for an update of status). The following morning the same person said the windows were not finished so nothing shipped. Later that week their quality control manager explained they did in fact ship all the screens. What good are screens if you have no windows. (The local supply company later confirmed that this was a lie, no screens had been received.)

This complete lack of communication has continued each week. The window package is now starting to arrive a few a week. No one at Windsor knows what has been completed or what is on the truck. It’s a weekly grab bag of miscellaneous window parts.

This has meant incredible delays as the window installers can only do a days worth of windows each week. No one knows when we are getting the rest or what they are shipping out.
Their head of plant quality control says you will know when they arrive. You honestly could not make this up.

Their reason for the delays is that our order was made and half the order (30 windows) did not pass inspection and had to be remade. Let me tell you that inspection standard is not very rigorous as we have already rejected $20k in doors (all doors made wrong) and several windows that are going back.

Even with these extreme delays and this level of error their ‘quality’ team is unapologetic and very abrasive. Their regional sales director has disappeared. He ignores messages or defers to the quality control guy who takes no responsibility for any of the issues and is incredibly disorganised.

I can’t imagine what Windsor will be like to deal with if there is a warranty issue. Right now they are miserable to even get a window package to site. If you have an option go with anyone else. If price is not an option, go Marvin. In the US Marvin are the best. Windsor were a big mistake for us.