PlyGem has many different lines of windows and several of them are solid. What models were you looking at?

We recently (still going on) installed 20 PlyGem windows and two slider doors. I did a lot of studying at their site to select ours. I wanted the Premium line which is their top-of -the-line. The next line down in our are (West Coast) is the Pro 200. The only PlyGem installer in our area never had installed a Premium window. After a lot of insisting they finally bid on the Premium line in triple pane. The "craftsmen" they sent brutlized our house. Tore out bricks getting the old windows out; had to cut the drywall and tile inside the window opening because the new window frames were thicker than the original. In the latter operation they didn't have a tool that had a guide, so they freehanded the cuts and tried to follow a chalk like, but failed, zig zagging as much as a half inch. They used copious caulk and packing foam to fill the gaps. Then two weeks after they finished I got a call frem PlyGem. They said they were coming to replace the 4 large picture windows because someone at the factory had used the wrong glass and the windows would not qualify for an energy rebate. We are waiting for this nightmare to end. Be VERY sure of your instllation contractor. We had talked to three friends that had used ours and they were all happy. I think the permanent contractors that are listed in the yellow pages have a problem retaining help and must use new employees or subs to do the job so things can change.

Thank you for sharing your experience. We are in the final planning stage of a new (retirement) home on our farm on the Bama/Fl line.....our builder is local to that area, has done good work for family members and acquaintences in the past. He uses this PlyGem brand in a very occasional spec home when he is not occupied with a custom build....and on two custom houses he recently installed this brand. Obviously I am nervous not to purchase a major brand of such an important item in a new house. The contractor has such a good reputation and solid installation experience with PlyGem brand......am I placing too much importance on his demonstrated ability to properly install this brand or do all new windows install pretty much the same in a new construction regardless of the window brand? thanks again for the info....I hope your situation gets favorably resolved soon.

Installation is probably 60% of a good window system. So, by know means are you diminishing this part of the equation.

I agree. You can purchse the best, most expensive, most energy efficient window on the market but if you don't get a top notch install, you will be very disappointed and it will turn into the biggest nightmare you can imagine. You will also notice the friendly builder get's very difficult to get in touch with when things go sideways.

Thanks to everyone for your input.....we've had good luck in prior homes with andersen and (believe it or not) even pella. I am naturally concerned about deviating from one of the major brands, I'll wait until quotes come in and decide.....the nfrc label on what should be lower price PlyGem brand is in line with major offerings.

If you want decent quality vinyl windows, then avoid Andersen and Pella. They are trying to compete in the lower end market for vinyl windows and their offerings are very poor in that market.

Thank you.....I am not knowledgable enough to know if we should buy vinyl or aluminum clad???? please share opinions.

If you are talking aluminum clad then it's a wood window with exterior surfaces covered in painted aluminum. This is a different thing altogether. Although you don't have painting to do on frames, the inside rot problems are still a worry. I don't know if such windows have a longer life expectancy than wood windows. In vinyl, there are many posts on this forum and at http://www.replacement-windows.com/ to give you a good idea about the relative quality of various brands. There are big differences from what I have read.

I will only say 1 thing about ply gem windows. Look very closely at their warranty. Everything you need to know about their windows is contained in that document.

When I contacted our local public utility for information about energy rebates for the various windows that were proposed for our house by several installers, their agent told me that PlyGem was just as good a warranty as Milgard and sent me copies of both to read. I couldn't tell what was wrong with the PlyGem one. Looked like both had the same kind of weasel words. I heard from a couple of people that had each brand that the companies stood by the warranty and replaced the glazing when the insulating strip failed.

We have ruled out Andersen and Sears for our replacement vinyl windows and are now looking at PlyGem from Lowe's or Pella from the local dealer- we live in the NE and it gets pretty cold here. Any recommendations? I never heard of Ply Gem until yesterday. I like the fact that like Pella they are made in the US.

Personally I would not put Pella in my outhouse, do a search on here for yourself.

There are a alot of windows that are made in the USA, my personal option of Ply-Gem is not too high, (I've seen them change color in less than 6 months here). I wouldn't recommend Pella vinyl to anyone, but I would put them in my outhouse as if I had to HAVE an "outhouse", I probably would buy the cheapest windows I could find.

We had 11 windows installed in 2011 - the quality appears to be OK - we had an issue with one window that cracked and was covered under warranty. EXTREMELY poor customer service. We had to constantly follow up with these people. My opinion, steer clear of this manufacturer. If you have problems down the road, you will regret purchasing Ply Gem.

Please don't take this the wrong way KS, but your installation company/dealer should be handling this for you. I'm not commenting necessarily on the quality or service of Plygem, but you should never have to deal with them directly and if you do, you chose the wrong company to handle things for you. Along with most other window manufacturers, they depend on their dealer and distribution network to service the homeowners so it is really no surprise that you have not received "retail-level" service, as they are not a retail operation.

This post was edited by HomeSealed on Wed, Jul 3, 13 at 18:00

Usually companies that deal in lower end offerings such as plygem, also have low end customer service.

HomeSealed - in most cases I would tend to agree with you, but in this case it was a warranty issue and the Ply Gem rep had to get involved. The distributor and the rep inspected the window and determined it was covered. The distributor was at the mercy of the rep placing the order - the rep ordered the wrong size (the first time).
It took three months of us following up to finally get the correct replacement sash.

I understand what you are saying KS, but that still should not necessitate you dealing directly with the manufacturer. The exception would be if you ordered the windows directly from a building supply house or other distributor as opposed to a window installation company/dealer. If that is the case, you are essentially acting as the "GC", and dealing with guys that don't have much patience with DIY'ers etc... Again, not saying that it is acceptable, simply offering some explanation.
On a positive note, at least it sounds as though the issue has been resolved despite the delays. :)

Where were the windows bought?
Usually reps don't come out for cracked glass,was there something more than this?
I have dealt with Ply-Gem and never had a problem on warranty claims. Most window contractors would not bother to check with a rep on this, they would just reorder right away and deal with the warranty issues afterwords.
I couldn't even tell anyone who the reps are anymore,and would consider you lucky to see one.

These guys are all correct, I have never heard of a factory or manufacturer rep being involved for one sash unless there was more to the claim, especially from a national company.

So I recently had Ply-Gem windows installed in Anchorage, AK. We had 15 done, mostly medium and large. The company here in Anchorage did a great job quoting and installing the windows (although they didn't send any touch up paint with the installation crew, which I'm still waiting for as the new windows look a bit dilapidated from the outside due to the chipping that occurs during install), with a great warranty. After the windows were installed, cracks appeared on four of the windows, which I was very disappointed with. This is just under a 30% failure rate. So, the company I used for the quote and install here in Anchorage came round to take a look and take photos. I showed them the cracks, and also the poor finishing in the exterior brick-mold (they didn't send up any touch-up paint for the exterior after install...which is on the installation company). The PlyGem rep came to the house as they said this was very unusual, based on the number of windows sold. I told him, for me, in my experience with PlyGem, they have a near 30% failure rate, which is more important to me than the 'who cares' how many they sold last year. I told him I was thinking about having my patio doors replaced and had a quote from the company here in Alaska to do just that. However, I told him that I was reluctant to go with PlyGem based on my experience with the windows. He told me that PlyGem would give me triple for double at no extra charge for the patio doors, but I had that deal already with my existing quote, so I pinned him down to agreeing that they would get me free triple glazing for the doors and I'd pay for the installation company's time and materials, less the cost of the glass. We shook hands and agreed that deal, with me reiterating the agreement as we shook hands and he left. Now, 2 weeks later, I'm still waiting to see if they honor that deal, or if the PlyGem Rep. lied to my face, which I would be furious about as the agreement we made for the free glass couldn't have been clearer. I will update as soon as I hear back from my installation company here in Alaska. So, I'd wait until you hear back from me as to the professionalism of PlyGem to stand behind their product...and promise (in person) prior to making any order with them. If they don't, I'll tell you exactly who I would go with in future and for the reasons also.

...............to be continued!!!!

I am sorry you are dealing with this but you sound like you are in charge and are not going to get steam rolled.

Best of luck with the resolution and thanks for the update.

Contractor installed triple pane Ply Gem windows in 2012 Parade of Homes house that we now live in. This is a South facing house with view of the Columbia River and is exposed to lots of wind, weather , and sun. The windows are great. I'd have them again in a heartbeat. Haven't had one problem with them. I

Just woundering if anyone has had problems with not being able to clean new windows

In what way Drew? The "tilt to clean" function? The glass not getting clean enough? ... At one time I had a very discerning client that ordered an "easy clean" glass option, and she found that while the glass stayed cleaner on its own, it was more difficult to achieve perfection in the glass clarity when clean.

After installing ....taking off protective film and stickers left lines and ghost marking were the labels were

Goo gone, or carefully use a clean, new razorblade with glass cleaner.

tried that and every other thing under the sun... almost like the film etched the glass, ,the film was not left on that long it came off right after the gyproc was finished

Tried the razor blade? ... If it has etched the glass, there is glass buffing compound that can be purchased or ordered online