My husband and I are putting an addition onto our 1950 Minnesota
rambler and are trying to figure out whether the windows in the
contract are really our best choice. Currently the contract states
aluminum Far North (brand) windows (by Scherer Brothers). These
windows were the alternative to Marvin (i'm not sure what grade)
windows, as we are trying to get the most bang for our buck and the
contractor said that the Far North were a comparable alternative to
the Marvin, but without the name thus lower priced.
i've read many of the posts on vinyl vs aluminum vs wood... does the
"best" type of window vary by climate? i also read on pella, which
i'll assume is biased, "Aluminum—Prominent in the southwestern
part of the United States and often the lowest-priced. It’s
standard for windows in many commercial markets, even though it allows
heat to drain out in cold weather—and lets moisture condense on
interior surfaces. Aluminum conducts heat and cold, so it may allow
window areas to be uncomfortably warm or cool. Plus, it has a cold,
stark appearance and doesn’t allow painting or staining on the
interior."

the painting or staining doesn't mean a lot to me. the southwestern
US concerns me though...minnesota winters can be brutal. all our
other windows were replaced in 1996 with non-name brand vinyl windows,
which we've been moderately happy with. this being our first house,
i'm not sure we'd know the great from the not-so-great though.

so i guess my questions a
are aluminum windows a bad option for Minnesota?
are non-name brand windows inferior to the pella, marvin, andersens of
the world? the scherer brothers windows look like they've been around
for a while.
what are the questions we should ask regarding these windows? there
aren't that many windows in the contract (8 or 9), so i guess i would
like to spend the extra $$ if it will truly make a difference.

any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks for getting this far.
michele