xyzzy wrote:

USENET READER wrote:

Greetings - I am looking specifically for recommendations on some new
windows for my home.

It's a 35 YO split level in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. We
do get cold weather but mostly hot weather, direct sun on the windows
on three sides of the house.

The house is going to be remodeled from the roof down - new shingles,
fascia and soffits, as well as siding. Gonna be putting up Hardiplank
siding, and AZEK trim boards and possibly brick mold around the windows.

I went to a home show a few weeks ago, and heard some wild and
contradictory claims from window company reps who said that their
window technology was better than the other guys.

Basially I have old single-pane wooden windows on the house now. I
want to replace them with more maintenence-free and energy efficient
windows - wooden on the inside, and they can be whatever works on the
outside.

The current technology seems to be either aluminum, vinyl or other
molded plastic coverings over a wooden window. The aluminum cladding
is either extruded or pressed and joined over the wood. One aluminum
guy says that the extruded aluminum is superior to the pressed and
joined aluminum covering and that aluminum is better than vinyl
because it doesn't expand and contract as much as vinyl The Vinyl
guys say that the coloring on the exteriors won't wear out like the
paint on the aluminum.

We simply want white or off-white windows for the house that need a
minimum of maintenence given the weather conditions down here in NC.
So we are looking for someone - a building contractor, an architect,
etc - with some real experience with more than one type of window who
can tell me the real life pros and cons of the different types of
windows for sale in the RTP NC area and make some recommendations.


Don't get the baked-on enamel covering. It does look good, but if a
contractor drops a hammer on the window sill while installing it and
cracks the covering, the window is done for. A neighbor of mine learned
this the hard way.

is that enamel baked onto aluminum, vinyl or plastic?

I had my windows replaced a year ago. Went with Aluminum-clad Pellas,
mainly because we wanted the integral blinds and rollup screens and they
were the only decent manufacturer offering what we wanted. There may be
more competition now. I highly recommend Windows, Doors, and More, in
Chapel Hill. They really did an excellent job. They are so good that
there is a several month wait for their services, but it's worth it IMO.

I am looking to buy the windows and install them myself, so I don't need
to wait on the installation.

I don't need the fancy screens and blinds - I simply want to know which
finish will weather the best around here - you know what sort of exremes
we have.