EMPIRE BUILDING PRODUCTS

Description of Work: Empire Building Products is the distributor for Lowen Windows in the northeastern US. In 2007 we built a timber frame home and the timber frame builder, Vermont Timber Frames, Bennington, VT, recommended Lowen Windows for their energy efficiency in the North Country. Later we found out that Vermont Timber Frames was part owner of Empire Building Products. Obviously this is why we were steered toward the Lowen windows. For over 2 1/2 years we were involved in a law suit for breach of contract with VTF for the poor workmanship and serious issues with the SIP panels on the house. After spending thousands of dollars in legal fees and paying professional experts to evaluate the SIP panels, VTF finally agreed to correct the issues. In 2008, we began complaining to Empire Building Products about the amount of condensation, which turned to ice, on the inside of the windows, when the weather turned cold. They sent one of their people out to inspect and we were told there was too much moisture in the house. We also called Lowen directly several times and were told the same thing. We have been running two humidifiers 24/7 for the last three years, run ceiling fans for air circulation, and installed a air exchanger on our HVAC system to reduce moisture and introduce fresh air into the house on the recommendation of Empire. We still found the same thing happening so we had a blower door test run and the report showed that some of the windows were warped which contributed to the ice formation and that several of the french doors had weather stripping that was leaking air. We again contacted Empire Building Products after the test was run, and they sent out their technician. After inspecting every window and reading the report, the Empire person made a list of all the windows and doors that needed replacement or fixing. He said he would get in touch with Lowen to get a price for fixing the weather stripping on the doors and labor for replacing the windows and he would get back to us. It has been three months and we have not heard a word. In the meantime the temperature has dropped and we are experiencing windows that leak and have ice on the inside. After spending more than $45,000 on doors and windows which are just average, we believe Empire Building Products should be more responsive. Also one has to wonder if their unresponsive attitude has something to do with their affiliation with Vermont Timber Frame Co. and the legal battle we had to fight to fix get them to fix our house. After my experience with both Empire Building Products, Lowen Windows and Vermont Timber Frame Co., I would not recommend Lowen Products or these companies. If anyone is thinking about using these folks, please contact me at vanmetmp @ hughes.net and I would be happy to share my experiences and pictures of all the kind of work these two companies do.