Great Lakes Home Renovations

I was very impressed with the knowledge of the person who came out to talk to me about Great Lakes windows. It was largely because of his presentation that I chose Great Lakes after having interviewed 5 other companies. They completed the work very quickly and professionally. They were somewhat more expensive than other companies but I chose them because I was more convinced that they would do the work well and that I would have fewer problems. The windows look great - they have a little more white around the frame which creates more of the appearance of trim which I really like. All in all, a very positive experience.

Great Lakes used the Owens Corning wall finish, gave our old creepy basement a much needed renewal! We gained a bedroom, playroom, family room. We never thought it was possible, but the finished basement is beautiful, usable space.

Came out and measured for the window, then ordered it. They called when it came in and made an appointment to install it. Arrived at the appointed time and installed the window. It fit and worked perfectly.

Do NOT EVER use this contractor for anything. We hired Great Lakes in the fall of 2012 for a small bathroom remodel project. We found Great Lakes via the State Fair and after their sales agent convinced us to sign the contract for a discount (which was substantially lower than other estimates) we agreed to the remodel project with an original time frame of 6 weeks to complete starting in September. Needless to say, six months later they left the project unfinished with NO permits pulled from the city of Minneapolis and no inspections performed for work completed. Ultimately, we were forced to finish the project with a new contractor. While I could write for hours, the issues we faced included: 1. Inconsistent availability of contractors where the demo work took over one week and then there was only one person onsite to complete the rebuild of the bathroom. 2. Lack of permits and inspections - clearly violated Minneapolis regulations for which we referred to the city to investigate. 3. Lack of licensed plumbers and the installer of the tile was so bad that the entire tile had to be torn down and replaced. 4. "Custom" cabinetry was poorly made and not in the materials required in the contract. 5. Inability to complete the project on time resulting in us not having a functional bathroom for over six months. Overall, if you see these guys at the State Fair or anywhere else - RUN!!!! Do not use EVER!!!!

This provider did a basement finishing project, adding about 300 additional finished space to my townhome. The actual contractor was wonderful to work with. However, the sales person was less than helpful at resolving a few issues. Electrical was a week late which delayed the completion. I love the end result - Owens Corning makes a great product.

Very professional, wanted us to sign and we would get a discount if they could use our address for flyers around the neighborhood.Got other bids and decided to go with a more known name window.

The salesman knew their products very well and came out to our home to demonstrate the differences in windows. I was very impressed by his knowledge. The cost was a little more expensive, and was offered lower prices by others. However, I do not regret my choice for one second because the windows themselves look really nice and I have the confidence of knowing they were done correctly.

From start to finish, the experience was fantastic. We found these guys at the State Fair and just decided to schedule an appointment for a free estimate since we were looking for windows for our entire house. The salesman came out and was incredibly knowledgeable about the product he was selling. I never felt pressured at all and he did his best to accommodate our financial restrictions. We received financing on the spot and scheduled everything that night! The whole experience was really easy. The workers that came out to our house were right on time. And when I say right on time, I mean to the minute. I was really surprised actually. They were incredibly friendly and you could tell they really took pride in what they were doing. They were clean and worked really hard. Just 2 people put in 7 windows in one day. They still had our patio door to install and to place all the trim on the windows so they came back the very next morning to finish. We were at work at the time and as they finished earlier in the day, we didn't see them leave. The worker left his phone number for us to call when we got home so that he could come back and show us how everything worked and how to clean them etc... Couldn't ask for a better experience. Great job guys; I'll be referring you to everyone that needs work done!

I particularly do not care for pushy sales people and will not be using their services.

The salesman used the high-pressure, if-you-buy-now-we'll-give-you-a-discount tactic. We were able to get more off the price by agreeing to pay with a check instead of with credit. I think if you do have them out for a quote, say that you've received quotes from other companies or actually get quotes from other companies. I believe it was supposed to take a day for installation, but it ended up taking 2 1/2 days, meaning I had to work from home during that time, which is good and bad, I suppose. I do really like the windows.

Great job installing. Great Lakes Window and Siding hires installers (instead of having there own crews). There installers are very good.

I would not recommend having these people into your home. They use high pressure sales techniques to get you yo commit to the job.

I wasn't here when they came to do the work, but we had the sales rep come by and he was friendly, knowledgeable and answered all of our questions about the product. The workers were friendly, very professional, got things done quickly and did a really good job with clean up.

The worst business experience of my life.

I thought they were very friendly. The windows that they put in are nice. They di a really thorough job installing them. They told us everything that they did and why. We had a very good experience with them. I thought the people seemed knowledgeable and experienced. They answered questions. Everything went as planned. They came as scheduled.

POOR experience! We're a young family, busy, lots going on, never enough time. I think the first mistake is that the company should better qualify us as potential customers and what our solution is before coming to our home and spending way too much time on way too many details....maybe an online survey that puts you in a price category or whatever is most important to you in terms of your particular solution, ours happens to be price. When it was obvious this meeting was not a good use of our time, I let the sales rep know we'd like details streamlined, not in position to buy today and even said I didn't mean to be disrespectful, this was just our reality, with a squirming toddler in my lap. This seemed to throw him....but he still kept staying with all this detail....showing photos on his iphone,...3 or 4 times various ways we just had to say pretty much "stop"...it was so annoying and such a waste of time! LISTEN to your potential customers! MOLD your presentation to them, their reality, their time, their needs, their budget...don't assume we all want the same show! GO with the FLOW! Don't assume we're writing a check when you have an appt! We're not BAD people if we simply want the CHEAPEST. It's just our reality and something you should have qualified first. Skip the binder that shows your in BBB, your license etc, show us that if we want to see that...and when potential customers like us keep telling you, this is too much info at this time....don't act offended and cop an attitude...even calling your boss in front of us, to "let him know" we're what? I guess bad leads? That was ridiculous!

It was an absolutely great experience from beginning to end. In addition to the quality and professionalism of the people we worked with the quality of the product and their craftmanship was amazing. We no longer have a warm kitchen due solely to the Owens Corning Windows that they sell. The other part that was amazing was their speed and attention to detail. They completed our whole house in less than two days. On the items we wanted them to focus on they did all that was asked and then some. From the owners to the installers it has been a great group to work with.

I needed all wood windows in my home replaced (approx. 20 windows). The company was recommended by a trusted relative who purchased replacement windows through the same company (they dealt with the owner). A company sales representative came to my home and described and demonstrated the Owens Corning window replacement product very thoroughly. The window quality appeared to be quite reasonable and competetive for a Midwestern climate. When the time came to present my estimate, the sales representative quoted me a price that was over $9000.00 above my highest bid from another reputable replacement window dealer (and over $15,000 above the lowest bid). Upon stating my disbelief at the quoted price, the sales rep was quick to reply that "if I'd sign a contract today and agree to 'showcase' my home after installation, he would give me a $10K discount - but the offer was good for that day only. He further stated that with any other company/product I'd be replacing my windows again within a few years. These comments were not only an insult to my intelligence, but this company lost any credibility it had with me due to these calculated sales tactics. Regardless of the quality their product may have offered, I selected a company that sold me on not only the quality of their product, but their demonstrated integrity and respect for me as a potential buyer. I would not recommend dealing with this company if you want an honest up-front quote for their goods and services.

I met a salesperson at the Fair and set up an appt for an estimate as he said they had used insurance companies to cover bad installation of MAC windows that leaked and caused rotting wood. I called them a week and 1/2 before they were to come out and asked to speak to the sales person - they took a message. Did not hear back for a week, so called again. This time they said that the Salesperson did not know what they were talking about and were hired for fair only. They told me that another person would call me back. Again, I explained the situation and was very specific, that I was in MAC area, rotting window sills, etc, and continued with appt time. Today, appt day, I arrive home (after taking a 1/2 day off to see them) to a message stating that they do not publish their window specs and therefore cannot install the windows per MAC code. He apologized, but it is way too little too late. Very disappointing!!! I really should have signed up and checked out Angie's List first and I would never have called them in the first place. Lesson learned!

The 2-man crew arrived on time and were very professional. They covered stairs and hallways they needed to use and cleaned up everything before leaving. It took them about 3 hours from start to finish.

Everything was great. They need to re-caulk, and they were very agreeable about that. They came within a day to caulk the inside, and will come back in the spring to do the outside. Their price was the best that I got, and they did high quality work. They are very responsive, and I was very happy with them. Patrick was awesome, and I will definitely consider them again.

It was a very poor experience. I had to contact the owner of the company because the production manager didn't pay attention to his crew. When they built the deck the walked off the job with no reasoning and didn't even tell me they were leaving. The siding people didn't replace parts that they took off. They also didn't connect the water meter for the city, which I didn't find out about until the city told me about it about 6 months later. Overall, they did a decent job but their job performance was very poor.

I liked their service and they had good quality window. My home had some challenges, like being made of cement and they were willing to work with the problems they faced.

Over all went well, timely, good clean up. Very satisfied with finished product.

Great Lakes Window & Siding Co. in Apple Valley MN is a franchise for the Owens Corning Basement Finishing System. Owens Corning will be losing sales as a result of this pairing, and ought to be concerned about the practices of Great Lakes' sales department. I typically check Angie's List before scheduling any estimates, however this time I waited until afterward due to timing (there were open houses with the basement product in our area, and we subsequently viewed the product at the State Fair). Homeowners on Angie's List seem to have consistent issues with Great Lakes Window and Siding sales tactics. Had we checked the list first we would have canceled our scheduled visit. We were upfront every step of the way with Great Lakes: we're planning extensive remodeling (kitchen, bath, dormer) and the basement is #3 or 4 on the list; however we need to find out how and when a basement remodel fits into our overall plans. The sales rep. arrived on time and did the basement design. He seemed to know the Owens Corning product well. We discussed the design and estimate. Then came the promotional video, and afterward the hard sell began. We again explained our purpose in getting an estimate, but were pummeled with sales "incentives" if we signed up that very night for a basement remodel. "What would you expect to pay?" "I'll give you $5,000 off but only if you sign tonight." We patiently explained that we don't make ANY $25,000 or $30,000 financial decision on the spot, and we repeated our remodel plans and purpose in getting an estimate. We were then presented with free financing for a year...then for 18 months (18% after that which will accrue during the initial 18 months) but only if we signed that night. He'd "hate to see us lose out on $5000 savings." At this point we were about to ask him to leave our home, but the message finally got across. A scheduled two-hour design and estimate took 3.5 hours. Had Great Lakes Window & Siding Co given us their best price and acted professionally, we'd have been a customer. And, since we live in an area with similar homes, chances are some of our neighbors would have been customers also. As it is now, we will not recommend this highly unprofessional company for any reason whatsoever. Owens Corning lost business as well. We'll be telling our neighbors.