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.

Please - no BS comments from people who really can't answer the
question. Please respond through the group. Thanks!

The simple answer is not that simple. There are many good designs of
windows. What is best is generally the best designed and made, not any one
specific type of materials. The installation is also a very important part
of the whole.

I suggest you start asking questions closer to home. Get a list of past
customers, both recent and some who have had their windows for five or more
years. Then go out and talk to the customers, don't on testimonials. Best
yet is to check with your friends and neighbors who may have had windows
installed.

Information here may be good, but someone here who had a good experience
with XYZ windows is good, but your XYZ distributor could be the pits and you
will get windows improperly installed and never be happy with them.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit