If this is for the "perpetual money pit" that you and the Mr. are redoing, I'd suggest name-brand, vinyl-framed, triple-insulated, low-E double hungs. You'll pay dearly for them, but since you'll probably be in the place for another 50 years, it will be money well-spent. They'll look good with the farm house style of the place, will help keep the heating/cooling bills in line, and maintenance is a non-issue. If you prefer larger sizes to let more light into the main living areas, possibly a large fixed center pane between 2 narrow double hungs would work. I like the style that can be cleaned from the inside (by tipping in the glass), to avoid having to climb ladders for the annual Spring cleaning. Going 20' up in the air to wash second-story windows gets old.
In the early days, vinyl windows were somewhat junky, and had a tendency to split at the corners, or even recede from the glass in some cases. Things have improved considerably since then. Some window experts should be along shortly to shoot me down, but I can handle it (as I don't profess to be anything close to a window expert).