Window Wonders: Local Vinyl Window Shop Personalizes Service

WINDOW WONDERS

LOCAL VINYL WINDOW SHOP PERSONALIZES SERVICE

Writer / Lois Tomaszewski Photography Provided

Harley Yoder has watched his business, Classee Vinyl Windows, grow from its beginnings in 1994 to the present day. He wasn’t always the owner. He started out working in production. That gives him the unique perspective on what it takes to make a quality window.

Yoder bought the business in 2011, but he began working there in 1995.

“I hardly do anything in production,” Yoder says of his new role as owner and business manager. “Sometimes it is necessary that I do, and I still enjoy it.”

The company has the capability to allow customers to choose from standard replacement window offerings or design their own. His customers include people who are renovating or updating their homes as well as builders of new construction. “The big thing is that these windows are maintenance-free,” Yoder says. Wooden windows require regular painting to keep nature’s elements at bay. Windows take a beating from hot-and-cold fluctuations, strong winds, rain and ice. “Once rot starts, it is hard to fix,” Yoder says regarding wood-frame windows. “We have a saying, ‘Vinyl is final.’ All vinyl windows last much longer.”

Vinyl windows are also energy efficient. Unlike other windows that are built with a wood frame that is then covered in vinyl, the company uses a vinyl multi-channel core, manufactured for strength and durability. That core is then cased in vinyl. Colors can vary depending on customer

preference, and wood-look or even real wood can finish off the windows, if desired by the homeowner.

Yoder says some homeowners often want a natural wood look on the inside of their homes, which is easily accommodated either with wood-grained vinyl, or actual wood products that can be painted and stained to match other wood trim in the home.

Yoder, his production team, and his installers are committed to making sure their customers are satisfied with the product - whether it is windows, entry doors or sliding doors - as well as the attention to detail in the sales and installation process. The person who provides the quote for a window or door installation is the same person who will be on-site when the products go in.

“We don’t do high-pressure sales,” Yoder

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says. “I don’t want to sell something to a homeowner that they don’t want.”

Having someone who is familiar with the challenges that come with replacing windows in older homes is a bonus, according to Yoder.

“In some of the older homes, the foundation might have settled or the house shifts,” he adds. “The installer pays attention to that and can allow for any adjustments that need to be made. Every window is measured individually.”

The company’s customers come from throughout Michiana, usually in a 30-mile radius in all directions from Middlebury. They also sell vinyl window frames to customers in other states. This is called a knock-down program, and allows other businesses to finish off the company’s windows with glass and handle their own installation.

Production and installations happen year-round, but work picks up in the spring. Lead time is about six weeks on window orders.

Yoder’s team also sells and installs ProVia doors, made by a company in Sugarcreek, Ohio. These doors are “good replacement options, high quality and higher end,” Yoder says. These can be used in commercial as well as residential installations.

Yoder married his wife Sara in 1994. She grew up in Middlebury and he grew up in Shipshewana. The couple has eight children, two of whom are married, and Harley and Sara are enjoying three grandchildren.

“Our kids have all worked here in the shop,” Yoder says.

As they grew up and got married, the couple’s kids found their own path, with which Yoder is fine. Medical and Surgical Group

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year are produced at the shop. It is one of the few smaller shop operations in the area, but that is a win for their customers, Yoder says.

“We understand the mechanics of the window because we built it,” he says. “We are local and can take care of any issues.”

Contact Classee Vinyl Windows at 574-8257863 for more information or a personalized quote.

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