Once again seeking info from the all knowing SF. Looking to replace a set of french doors leading from the living room to the pool with vinyl sliders. I was at Lowes yesterday and have some pricing for a Pella 350 series slider, Jeld Wen, and Reliabilt (Lowes brand built by Atrium). The Pella had the nicest fit and finish and was of course the most expensive. The Jeld Wen was only about $200 cheaper than the Pella and really didn't look too nice. The Reliabilt was the cheapest but looked much nicer than the Jeld Wen. Lowes currently has 15% off from manufacturer on the Pella plus we should be able to get one of those 10% moving coupons from the post office.
As currently configured, the Pella 350 is about $1320 with all discounts and the Reliabilt would be $682 (no manufacturere discount but 10% coupon eligible). So is the Pella worth the extra ~$640 over the Reliabuilt?
I also have a quote from a separate door place for a PGT 5470 series for $1690. Not sure how PGT compares to Pella.
Pella makes a great product. 15 years down the road you still marvel at the beauty. I would suggest, however, that you look into Marvin products as they are all wood or can be wood/vinyl clad.
A door is just a door unless you want to introduce beauty into the equation and that costs money. How much beauty do you want?
Get the Pella and be done with it. We got some several years ago that were sliders but looked like French Doors and had louver type shades inside the glass.
If you need a wood or wood/hybrid type of door go Pella. If all vinyl then the Lowes brand will be fine. I replaced several windows and a slider door as well ~ all great. I am completely happy with them ~ look and perform great. YMMV
Honestly, I would spend the money and go with a PGT impact sliding door. They're very strong against break ins and very good quality, but if you're not willing to go there, don't skimp and go with a Paella, they've been in the glass business a long time.
I would like a screen door which I know you can also get with french doors. To me, I think the slider is a "cleaner" look since it just slides over and doesn't take up space by having a door in swing or out swing. This door is right by my grilling area so it's easier for me to open a slider than turn a knob when I'm carrying something.
I have some large sliders that I would consider replacing with french but in one case I would definitely stick with the sliders. The view is the primary attraction for the room and the more expansive glass the better.
I work for a company that supplies hardware to every manufacturer mentioned in this thread, so I'm not going weigh in. If you want larger doors, take a look at Vistapointe in Gilbert AZ - they start with the panels from Anderson/Eagle and Hurd/Sierra Pacific and go from there :-)
Posts: 1492 | Location: Montana - bear country | Registered: March 20, 2013
Our experience with exterior grade wood french doors has been that a good quality slider (like a Pella) is far more secure and well sealed. I've never seen a sliding glass door blow open in a windstorm.
Posts: 27162 | Location: SW of Hovey, Texas | Registered: January 30, 2007
I bought that same Pella sliding door from Lowes 5 years ago (with the between-the-glass micro shades option) and love it. I should mention that it gets used & abused by the kids multiple times per day every day and it still looks and functions as it did on day one. No leaks, no rattles or noises of any kind. Highly recommended.
Posts: 441 | Location: Wichita, KS USA | Registered: April 04, 2000
Originally posted by houndawg: Why are you going with sliders over french? We are thinking of going just the opposite.
My thoughts as well since the sliders are harder to seal and leak air over time.
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Mm, no. Nothing lasts forever, but whether it's a slider or french doors doesn't really matter. What does matter:
Quality of construction
Materials used
How much use the unit gets
How much sun/shade it gets
These days, I'd recommend fiberglass over wood or vinyl. Vinyl over wood, and if you must have wood, a clad exterior from a quality maker.
Who is installing the door? A homeowner or a pro? Anderson are pretty easy, and come knocked down. Not all makers do.
Arc. ______________________________ "Like a bitter weed, I'm a bad seed"- Johnny Cash "I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel." - Pee Wee Herman Rode hard, put away wet. RIP JHM "You're a junkyard dog." - Lupe Flores. RIP
Posts: 27123 | Location: On fire, off the shoulder of Orion | Registered: June 09, 2004
We have four sliders in our log home. Originally thought we wanted French doors. Forgot to change the order. Found that the sliders are low maintenance (we built in '88), secure and apparently transfer less air between inside and outside when used. Would do sliders again in a minute.
Posts: 2158 | Location: south central Pennsylvania | Registered: November 05, 2008
Pella. I was just at my parents house a couple of weeks ago. Their 1992 installed Pella sliding door had its first failure. I screw/stud in the handle broke. I did a search and yes parts are still available online for it. I did a quick fix with epoxy for now. Will order parts next time I know I'll be there. Excellent door, wearing well and everything still works as new. Worth every penny they spent on it 25 years ago. It wasn't cheap.
" like i said,....i didn't build it, i didn't buy it, and i didn't break it."
Posts: 1310 | Location: N. Georgia | Registered: March 23, 2008
A former loft and a house of mine have all Pella windows and patio doors (Contemporary style, Wooden), many of which open(ed) up in one way or another, and they are the nicest things of the sort I have ever owned. Mine look(ed) great, work(ed) great, zero complaints. In both cases, they came with the unit - I didn't have them installed myself, so I'm not sure how that compares to ones from Home Depot, or in replacements/upgrades like yours.
