ComplaintsforThe Window Factory

• Initial Complaint

  04/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid $1170 on 4/12/2022 for a 4th story window installation due to a leak that caused water damage on the 3rd story bedroom and the second story kitchen area. After the installation the leaks continued, I assumed this was due to my other windows on the 3rd and 2nd floor being compromised as well. After receiving a few other professional opinions, including that of a code inspector. It was brought to my attention the window installation from the window factory was shoddy unfinished work, there was exposed insulation foam all around the outside of the window where water was getting in from the rain and damaging the inside of my house still. I then brought this to the attention of the folks at the window factory, Frank continuously denied that there was any possibility his work could be the cause of the leak, after I was firm with him about my dissatisfaction they agreed to install flashing around the outside, which they did, it looks very uneven and unprofessional, and there are large gaps between the wall and the flashing which could easily cause more leaks in the future. We are looking into hiring other window professionals to fix the unprofessional work, and that's why I would like a refund, and to document the untrustworthy nature of The Window Factory.

  Business response

  04/20/2023

  *** ******* contacted us in March of 2022 and told us that he had water coming in through an attic window. We told him that we would come down to evaluate his problem. We charged $95.00 for that service, which he paid when we arrived on 3/1/22.
  We inspected the attic window during that visit, but did not notice any water marks or points of water entry. We then unlocked the window and the top panel just dropped. It was then that I realized that someone had installed a horizontal sliding window into an opening made for a double hung. I pointed this out to *** *******, and also said that if water is coming into this frame, it could leak through the frame into the wall. I suggested that he get a double hung window for this opening.
  I removed the two sash from the frame of the window to get a better look at the exterior area around that window. I noticed some large holes in the wall along the bottom of the  window, a gap between the top of the window and the frame of the house, and large gaps along the sides of the window. These are obvious water entry points, so I recommended that we seal those gaps with spray foam.
  *** ******* also told me that he had water coming in above his 2nd story window. I looked out the attic window again to look at the top of the 2nd story window and noticed that there was a drip cap above it that someone had tried to fill with caulking. I said that whoever filled that area with caulking may have missed some areas, so we could apply more caulking to that area.
  *** ******* agreed to our price to replace the attic window, seal around the exterior with spray foam, and add additional caulking above the 2nd floor window. We installed the window and completed the other work indicated in the written agreement dated 3/1/22, and signed by *** *******. 
  *** ******* called us a few months ago to tell us that he had water coming into his house. He did not call us anytime in 2022 even though we had numerous hard rains, but he did call during the winter season when we had very little rain. We made an appointment to go see him on 3/20/23 at 5:30 pm. He began to get irate about the water issue while we were there, so I asked him where he saw the water coming in. He did not answer. I asked him three times to show me where the water was coming in, but he never answered me; we cannot fix a problem if we do not know where to start looking.
  *** ******* then said that he thought the window should have been flashed with aluminum, that the foam spray did not look good. I agree the foam is not attractive, but our job was to solve a water problem, not dress up a window. He kept mentioning that the outside should be flashed with aluminum, so my son looked outside and said he could do it. *** ******* seemed happy about that. We returned on 4/10/23 to install the aluminum around the window to conceal the foam spray, and caulked the window where it contacted the aluminum.
  I should point out that aluminum flashing is meant to be installed over wood or between a brick wall and a window to close off the outside against the elements. *** *******’s exterior wall is a thin brick veneer installed in sections using an adhesive to adhere it to a metal mesh behind it and then secured to the wood frame wall of the house.. This type of product should be trimmed out using parts that are provided by the brick veneer supplier. Whoever installed the attic window originally destroyed the edge trim pieces of the brick veneer and never tried to close off the edges next to the window, hence all the large gaps mentioned above that we had to seal with foam.
  Based on what we saw during our visit on 4/10/23, there is no water entering through the window in the attic. If water is entering the house above the 2nd story window, I suggest *** ******* have that window removed or replaced, and before installing it again, have a new drip cap installed that has a vertical leg (a reverse L bend) so the vertical part of the drip cap can go behind and up the rear of the veneer brick.
  We were contracted to replace a window with a properly functioning one and seal the gaps around the exterior of that window so no water can seep around the veneer brick and down the wall. We did that, and, at no charge, even came back to install the aluminum around the window.
  
  

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