House window life expectancy

20 yrs ago, purchased 30 new gas-filled dual pane wooden outer vinyl clad double hung windows & installed them in our new home. Now some are beginning to rot(8~27%) in their bases of lower sashes. Not entirely rotted lower sash, just small pockets of bad rotted timber. House doesn’t have excess moisture. All windows received quality inner stain & sealed. Calling mfg resolved nothing, unless I wanted to part with +$300 per window for a lower sash replacement. I declined.
Thinking minimum of 50 years should be their lifespan? Guess not. I plan to dig out rotted pockets & use an epoxy to fill voids. Then, drill new drain holes from exterior sash to base of dual pane castings to assist ridding any inner condensation.

We build our house in Sept of 2000 in put in Pella windows and doors, the windrows are still in great shape the doors not quite the same, the patio door need replacing but we're going to let it go for a while yet because it's not leaking into the house it's just the skin coming loose so put same glue in it and re corked it see what happens.

Have 2 bow casement windows , 5 lite in each , one Anderson , other Weather shield , both are single pane with a storm glass - not thermopane - 
 Had one outfit give me a bid to replace $30,000 , next was MAD CITY window , attractive lady giving a sales pitch for about a hour , wanted to save me money and replace with 2 sliders instead of bow windows - ONLY $22,000 
 12 Years back I replaced 10 sliders windows (thermopaine)  for $210 each and 2 patio doors for $400 each using Kolby and Kolby units from local discounter for windows 

25 years is about the life span for non Pella windows. I saved a ton of money on generic windows about 25 years ago. Now some of them need to be replaced as the gas has gone out of them now

When built here used a local All Vinyl over aluminum support frame windows in a wood box that revealed inside the house. Full vinyl attaching webbing outside. So far at ten years actually installed have had three broken or seal broken by lawnmower discharge projectiles as reconstructed the lawn and two that the seals failed leaked off the gas in Three panel sealed panes. If even end up replacing will probably be Anderson at this point but are truly cost prohibitive. Pella has changed and have seen some going in I would not have bought.

House was started in ‘14, finished in ‘15 so are getting past the 10 years installed mark and not really happy with what originally bought. Whatever end up doing I know will not live to see them replaced again.

Doors on my workshop are same manufacture, steel body but have a pretty poor vinyl and plastic either 9panel or internal decorative structure that is also starting to fall apart. Front door will be the worst for individual price on house as has a overhead window as well two side light windows where will be well over $2000 just to purchase replacement not get installed.

Edited by DMiller - 11 Dec 2025 at 6:22am

Mine are the originals in this house, it's 70 years old. I've 3 that need replaced next summer, but I may do all. I plan to do siding at same time. The storm windows aren't glass but have plastic panes, never heard of that.