Pella Specialty & Custom Windows
Not every home should be limited to standard double-hung, casement, or picture windows.
Specialty and custom windows can preserve an unusual architectural opening, recreate the character of an original window, introduce more natural light, or become a defining design feature of the home.
Pella® offers an extensive selection of specialty shapes, custom configurations, and architectural window styles for traditional and contemporary homes.
At Valdicass, we specialize in professional Pella window installation throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. As a Pella Platinum Elite Certified Contractor serving Chicagoland homeowners since 1997, we can help homeowners determine which specialty window, product series, and installation method are appropriate for their home.
What Is a Specialty Window?
A specialty window is a window with an uncommon shape, operating method, size, or configuration that goes beyond conventional window styles.
Depending on the project, specialty windows can include:
- Arched windows
- Angle-top windows
- Round and circular windows
- Triangular and trapezoidal windows
- Push-out casement windows
- French casement configurations
- Corner windows
- Strut awning windows
- Tilt-turn windows
- Bifold windows
- Multi-slide windows
- Oversized fixed windows
- Custom window combinations
Some specialty windows are fixed, while others can be designed to provide ventilation or create large openings between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Pella Reserve™ Specialty Windows
Pella Reserve offers Pella’s broadest range of architectural customization and is especially well suited to projects where window design is an important part of the architecture.
Reserve is available in Traditional and Contemporary designs.
Pella Reserve Traditional
Reserve Traditional is designed for homes where authentic architectural detailing is important.
Features such as carefully considered proportions, traditional profiles, grille options, wood construction, and architectural hardware make Reserve particularly useful for:
- Historic homes
- Traditional renovations
- Architect-designed residences
- Custom homes
- Projects involving unusual original windows
- Homes where maintaining architectural character is a priority
Pella Reserve Contemporary
Reserve Contemporary takes a different approach, emphasizing:
- Narrow sightlines
- Expansive glass
- Clean profiles
- Square architectural details
- Modern hardware
- Large custom configurations
It can be an excellent choice for contemporary renovations and homes where large areas of glass are part of the architectural design.
Push-Out Casement Windows
Push-out casement windows provide an alternative to traditional crank-operated casements.
Instead of opening the window with a crank, you open the sash with a handle and push it outward.
Pella Reserve offers push-out casement designs for both traditional and contemporary architecture.
Traditional Push-Out Casement
A traditional push-out casement can provide the character of historic window designs while incorporating modern insulating glass and construction.
It can be particularly attractive for older homes where conventional crank hardware would change the window’s appearance.
Contemporary Push-Out Casement
For modern architecture, Pella Reserve Contemporary offers a cleaner take on the push-out casement, with minimal profiles and expansive glass.
The result combines simple operation with a sophisticated architectural appearance.
French Casement Windows
French casement configurations use two operating sashes that meet toward the center.
When both sashes are opened, the configuration can provide a broad opening without the visual interruption of a conventional center mullion.
This style can be especially attractive in:
- Traditional homes
- Primary bedrooms
- Living rooms
- Dining rooms
- Architecturally prominent elevations
French casement configurations can also be useful when the homeowner wants more ventilation while maintaining the character of a casement-style window.
Product availability and configuration should be confirmed for the specific Pella window being considered.
Tilt-Turn Windows
Tilt-turn windows are associated with European window design and offer two operating positions.
Depending on the configuration, the sash can swing inward for a larger opening or tilt inward at the top to provide controlled ventilation.
This combination makes tilt-turn windows particularly interesting for homeowners seeking:
- European-inspired architecture
- Flexible ventilation
- Distinctive operation
- Contemporary or custom window design
Pella Reserve includes specialty tilt-turn configurations for appropriate architectural applications.
Arched and Angle-Top Windows
Arched and angle-top windows can add architectural interest while following rooflines, vaulted ceilings, masonry openings, or existing window shapes.
They are commonly used:
- Above other windows
- Above entry doors
- In stairwells
- Beneath rooflines
- In great rooms
- As individual architectural features
You can also combine specialty shapes with operating windows to create larger window assemblies.
For replacement projects, accurately reproducing an existing shape is especially important because the new window must work with the surrounding interior and exterior construction.
Round, Circular and Special-Shape Windows
Pella offers numerous special window shapes depending on the product series and material.
These may include:
- Full circles
- Half circles
- Quarter circles
- Ovals
- Triangles
- Trapezoids
- Polygons
- Custom geometric shapes
Special-shape windows can reproduce an existing architectural opening or introduce a new design feature.
Pella offers special shapes across multiple product lines, with the widest customization available in its premium wood collections.
Corner Windows
Corner windows can create a dramatic architectural effect by extending glass across a room’s corner.
They can increase natural light, expand exterior views, and add a clean, contemporary look.
Pella Reserve offers corner-window solutions particularly suited to modern and architect-designed homes.
Because these installations interact closely with the home’s structure and exterior envelope, proper planning and installation are especially important.
Strut Awning Windows
Strut awning windows create a large opening by lifting the sash outward and upward.
Depending on the project, they can connect indoor and outdoor living or entertaining areas.
Applications may include:
- Outdoor kitchens
- Bars
- Patios
- Pool areas
- Three-season spaces
- Entertaining areas
These windows can become both a functional feature and a significant architectural element.
Bifold and Multi-Slide Windows
Some contemporary projects call for much larger openings than a conventional window can provide.
Bifold and multi-slide window systems can create broad pass-through openings and stronger connections between interior and exterior spaces.
They can work particularly well in:
- Kitchens
- Entertaining spaces
- Covered patios
- Outdoor dining areas
- Modern additions
- Custom homes
These products require careful planning because you must consider opening dimensions, structure, interior finishes, exterior conditions, and installation requirements.
Specialty Windows for Historic Homes
Specialty windows become particularly important when replacing windows in historic or architecturally distinctive homes.
Older homes may contain:
- Arched windows
- Unusual divided-light patterns
- Custom-sized openings
- Specialty casements
- Decorative fixed windows
- Original wood windows
- Unique window combinations
Replacing these features with generic rectangular windows can significantly change the home’s character.
Pella Reserve provides the architectural flexibility to reproduce or complement many of these original details while incorporating modern glass and window technology.
This is particularly relevant in communities such as Oak Park, River Forest, Riverside, La Grange, Hinsdale, Western Springs, and other areas with significant historic and custom residential architecture.
Local historic requirements may apply to certain properties, so evaluate the right product and configuration before ordering.
Specialty Windows for Contemporary Homes
Specialty windows aren’t limited to historic architecture.
Contemporary homes often use unusual window configurations to create:
- Larger views
- More natural light
- Indoor-outdoor connections
- Minimal sightlines
- Dramatic corners
- Large expanses of glass
- Architectural focal points
Pella Reserve Contemporary provides several options designed specifically around these architectural goals.
Window combinations can also incorporate fixed and operating units to balance ventilation with larger uninterrupted areas of glass.
Custom Window Combinations
Sometimes the best solution isn’t one unusual window—it’s a combination of several windows.
Custom combinations may incorporate:
- Picture windows
- Casement windows
- Awning windows
- Specialty shapes
- Transoms
- Arched units
- Corner configurations
These combinations can create a much larger architectural composition while still providing ventilation where needed.
Valdicass can help evaluate the existing opening and determine which combination of Pella products can achieve the desired appearance and functionality.
Replacing Existing Specialty Windows
Replacing an unusual window requires more planning than replacing a conventional rectangular unit.
Before ordering, we may need to evaluate:
- Existing opening dimensions
- Window shape
- Wall construction
- Interior trim
- Exterior trim
- Brick or masonry
- Siding
- Structural conditions
- Existing grille patterns
- Glass requirements
- Historic considerations
- Installation method
Accurate measurement is particularly important with custom and specialty products because these windows are typically manufactured specifically for the project.
Full-Frame Installation for Specialty Windows
Many specialty-window projects benefit from a full-frame replacement approach, particularly when the existing frame is deteriorated, the opening needs modification, or the new window configuration differs from the existing one.
Full-frame replacement removes the existing window assembly and provides greater access to the rough opening.
This lets our installers evaluate and prepare the opening before installing the new specialty window.
Other projects may be suitable for pocket replacement depending on the existing conditions.
Valdicass evaluates the opening and project requirements before recommending an installation method.
Glass, Grilles, Colors and Finishes
Specialty windows can often be customized with many of the same design and performance options available on conventional Pella windows.
Depending on the product and configuration, homeowners may be able to select:
- Energy-efficient glass
- Dual- or triple-pane configurations
- Low-E glass
- Specialty glass
- Window grilles
- Custom grille patterns
- Interior wood finishes
- Exterior colors
- Hardware finishes
These decisions are especially important on architectural windows because the window itself is often a prominent design feature.
Why Choose Valdicass for Specialty Windows?
Specialty windows require more than simply selecting a product from a catalog.
The window must work with the architecture, opening, surrounding construction, interior finishes, exterior materials, and installation conditions.
Valdicass has served Chicagoland homeowners since 1997 and specializes in professional Pella window installation.
As a Pella Platinum Elite Certified Contractor, we can help homeowners evaluate:
- Pella Reserve Traditional
- Pella Reserve Contemporary
- Specialty window shapes
- Push-out casement windows
- French casement configurations
- Tilt-turn windows
- Corner windows
- Large custom windows
- Bifold and multi-slide windows
- Custom window combinations
- Glass and grille options
- Interior and exterior finishes
- Full-frame and pocket installation
Our objective is to find a window solution that works technically while respecting the home’s architecture.
Explore Pella Specialty and Custom Windows
If your home has an unusual window opening—or you’re planning a renovation that calls for something beyond a standard window—Valdicass can help you explore the available Pella options.
We’ll evaluate your existing conditions, discuss your design goals, and help determine the appropriate product, configuration, glass, finishes, and installation method.
Contact Valdicass today to schedule your free in-home consultation for Pella specialty and custom windows.
Call Valdicass at 708-255-5231 to discuss your window project.
