"Michele" wrote in message
m...
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'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

Went through this a couple of years ago when we replaced all of ours
(location is SE Michigan, so does get cold, though probably not as cold as
Minn.)

- First, forget solid aluminum unless you want frost on all of your interior
metal and water pooling on window sills. Won't speak to all aluminum with
so-called thermal break, but would have to have it proven.
- Second, remember that significant cost of each window is installation,
which does not change with different window makes. (at least not much). So
adding incremental costs as window quality improves does not impact bottom
line as much as one would think. We wound up going all the way - double
pane low-e with internal file and argon fill. Not that much more than basic
window.
- If you are type that likes to paint window parts to match painted/stained
frames - look to wood interior/vinyl exterior. We like all white so went
with solid vinyl.
- If at all possible look at cutaway of window you will get - best way to
evaluate construction and strength. Also, the little details make a lot of
difference. Our windows have these neat little latched that pop out and
keep the window from being raised more than a couple of inches. We can
leave the windows open 24/7 without worrying about unwanted access to house.
- If you like divided lights DO NOT get windows with tape on inside to fake
look of mullions - windows we replaced had that and it all flaked off and
fell down into bottom of window cartridge.
- Both wood and vinyl do a better job of dampening noise than any form of
aluminum, so if that is a factor in your neighborhood think about that too.
We live in flight path two miles from end of runway at Detroit Metro, so
makes a big difference here. Also cuts down a lot of street noise.
- If you are looking for windows that use cranks, look for new design
fold-away cranks - makes it a lot nicer for shades and curtains.

Hope this helps
Tim