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The Case History series explores innovative solutions to window and door problems.

The Problem:
On one of the first days of spring, Suzie Diaz opened her Pella replacement window to let in the breeze. She was shocked by what she saw inside the window.

The Diazes' rotting Pella window.

“The ledge was filthy,” she said. “When I looked, I nearly passed out.”

The wood in the Pella windows was crumbling with rot. It was so bad the Diazes were afraid the windows were going to fall apart. And these windows were only seven years old.

What Went Wrong:
Unfortunately for the Diazes, the Pella window had a serious defect. The windows had wood frames covered with aluminum cladding, supposedly to protect the wood from the weather.

But the aluminum cladding could be faulty. When it rained, water ran down the glass and seeped under the aluminum. The moisture soaked into window and rotted the wood. But since it was beneath the aluminum cladding, the Diazes didn’t notice until it was too late to stop it.

Pella had already discovered this problem. What did they do? They stopped manufacturing that window. Because they no longer made the window, they no longer upheld the warranty that covered it. The Diazes were out of luck. They wrote and called Pella again and again with no satisfactory response.

The Solution:
I came out and we looked at the windows with the wood rot, a series of casements in the family room. The room had the same windows on three walls. Only the windows in the back of the room had failed, and the Diazes were hesitant to get new windows because they would clash with the other eight Pella windows.

There was no question that the Diazes needed to replace these windows. But the new windows would look different. So we suggested they make a dramatic difference and go with a bow replacement window. It would stand out from the house—but in a good way. Plus it had a beautiful window seat to showcase their backyard.

The Diazes love their beautiful new bow window.

The Diazes loved the solution. They loved that their new replacement windows are 100% resistant to rot, too. And they felt confident in the Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee I give to every customer. I believe a business has to stand behind its products, no matter what.

Sidenote:
Pella is currently entangled in a class action lawsuit over the windows the Diazes had. If you have Pella aluminum-clad windows that rotted, you may be able to receive compensation. Visit:

Information for Pella Windows Class Action Suit

This entry was posted on Friday, March 13th, 2009 at 10:50 am and is filed under Case Histories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.