Dear Ron: I agree with the recommendations for Marvin fiberglass windows.
Thanks! This is really good info. Your house looks marvelous (Marvin-elous)!
My Son's Father-In-Law is a Marvin rep on the west coast. His statement to me was, "If you go with Anderson...You're Dead to me!" He was kidding....I think.
Anyway, I had the local Marvin salesman come out to measure my project and give me a quote for Marvin "Essential" windows which are fiberglass inside and out. The frames will be black. They are quoting us for both single and double hung, although, awning windows are something we are thinking about too.
I also am getting a quote from Pella so I have something to compare.
We have 8 windows that are the original 1970's style in our house. All the others have either been replaced or were installed later during additions being added to the house. The 1970's windows are really bad! Single pane, aluminum frame that sweat when the humidity is high, which is frequent here.
I know wood windows look nice . . . but to me, it is more important to have fiberglass that is waterproof, rot proof, and doesn't expand or contract. In our old house, I installed a fiberglass front door which looked like wood and looked as good on the day I sold the house as the day I installed the door (10 years prior).
Both the Pella guy and the Marvin guy said I should have no problem installing these windows. I almost hate mentioning that I plan on installing these windows myself because it seems like a lot of advise I get is "You better call a professional" rather than "Do It Yourself". My experience with professionals is that every time I hire someone to do something for me, I regret it. I almost always feel I would have done a better job myself. There are things that a DIYer can't do like we just had new kitchen cabinets and quartz countertops installed. I really wish I had installed the cabinets myself. I feel I would have done things differently. But the countertops are something I can not cut or carry around myself so that was necessary. As far as windows, I do realize that the flashing of the windows is the most crucial aspect and water incursion is the enemy.
I hope this info is helpful and best of luck with your project!
Thanks, Mark!