Non-leaking glass sliding doors? Please advise.

13 years ago

We are remodeling a very poorly built home with a beautiful view.

We need to replace multiple glass sliding doors and want to maximize our view.

Our contractor had specified Milgard Ultraclad, but after reading here about the leaking and quality issues, I would like to find a better choice. We had been planning on a fir interior and a brown/bronze exterior frame. The largest door is 6'10" tall and 16' wide ( 2 doors plus 2 side panels). We will need multiple windows as well, but they need not be by the same manufacturer if they match.

Please let me ( and DH) know your experience and advise. We see some like Marvin and Anderson. Which brand and line would you recommend?

Comments (5)

skydawggy
13 years ago
Without question, Marvin. They make an excellent sliding patio door and will stand behind it.
windowinsider
13 years ago
Check out Pella's Architect Series (with the hidden rollscreen) to maximize visible light.
Related Professionals
Indian Creek Window Contractors · Lake Forest Park Window Contractors · Marshfield Window Contractors · Tamalpais-Homestead Valley Window Contractors · Woodland Hills Window Contractors · Suamico Window Contractors · Two Rivers Window Contractors · Winnetka Window Contractors · Hagerstown Interior Designers & Decorators · McPherson General Contractors · Mountlake Terrace General Contractors · Riverside General Contractors · Williamstown General Contractors · Scarsdale Carpenters · Tucson Carpenters
afsa
13 years ago
lmao, he wants a door that DOESN'T leak.
friedajune
13 years ago
I recently finished an exhaustive search for a sliding glass door. IMHO, Marvin and Loewen are in a different class from the rest of the pack. I'm not a professional--it's just my observances from looking at so many different sliding glass door brands. Unfortunately, the Marvin and Loewen were also the most expensive that I saw. But I guess you get what you pay for.

Between Marvin and Loewen, I actually preferred the Loewen. Loewen comes with Doug Fir standard, while Marvin has fir as an optional upgrade. Loewen also just looked beautiful and felt beautiful. Marvin looks great too. I ended up with Marvin because it was less expensive than Loewen. I believe that the price depends on your region. I could only find a couple of places selling Loewen in a 25-mile radius, while Marvin was sold at a dozen places in a 10-mile radius, so the Marvin sellers were competing with each other and the prices were better. Also, customer service was a factor in my decision since Loewen was not well-represented in my area. Perhaps they are in your area, and I recommend you check out both Marvin and Loewen.

BTW, I am replacing a Pella sliding glass door, and having lived with it, would never get a Pella sliding glass door again.
friedajune
13 years ago
Tedi055 - can you provide your reasons for preferring Andersen over Marvin (you said "for some reason")? I would be curious to see specifics, since I felt, when I compared them, that Marvin sliding glass doors were superior to Andersen in materials, construction and hardware. Just MHO.

As to Pella, as I mentioned, I am replacing a Pella sliding glass door now. Pella's idea of putting the track on the outside is simply poor engineering under the guise of differentiating themselves from other brands' sliding glass doors. Furthermore, Pella's sliding glass doors allow water to get into the rails, rotting them within a few years. The fact that Pellas are, as you say, "pricey" to boot, is one more reason I recommend against a Pella sliding glass door. There are many other choices out there, even if you don't want to pay the high cost of Marvin, that would be better than a Pella sliding glass door.