I met with the Soft-lite dealer today in my house, and was overall left with a positive impression. Like the pros on this board, he thought that the DH-P-DH option was preferable to the slider from a structural perspective, but that a slider was a viable choice too. His firm handles the labor too, which assuming his references check out is a plus for me. A few questions/concerns…he quoted me on the Soft-lite Element series, but he said that Soft-lite private labels these windows for him with another brand name (Timeless). He said the only difference between his privately labeled Timeless windows & Soft-lite Elements was the tilt mechanism, as he does not like to have the tilt latches built inside the frame like on the Elements. On his Soft-lite Timeless windows the tilt latches are flanking the locking mechanism. He quoted me a U-factor of 0.27 and and S-factor of 0.27 for the Timeless product. He did not feel triple insulating glass was worth the upcharge. Any additional opinions on the Element series in general, his private labelling, and the numbers on the product he quoted? Thanks so much for all your time, as I move close to a decision. Price-wise, the Soft-lite quotes came in a little less than the Sunrise dealer when I include labor costs.

Builders frequently tell owners that something on the architectural drawings should be done differently. When the builder wants to be subtle about it, he simple asks the owner, "would you just confirm that this is what you want to do?" The reason that builders ask these questions may be: 1) something may be wrong; 2) the builder simply doesn't like or want to do it that way. The best way to get the best answer is to have the architect review the situation and give you a response. After all, you paid her/him to prepare the drawings and specifications for construction, so why not follow them with a discussion about the issue. Chances are, it can be resolved in a matter of minutes with the architect involved (if it's really an architect who did the drawings).

Oh, I prefer the more original, more open design. I don't see any advantage to having a hallway that shrinks the great room. It's nice to see family members from the public areas (kitchen, great room, etc.) when they come and go! I wouldn't remove the foyer-side door to the bathroom -- or try to keep its door locked -- which would force everyone in the public areas to go into the more private, bedroom area to use it. I don't have any opinion on transoms, but when I replaced my condo windows, I incorporated some awning windows (instead of all casements) which are great because you can leave them open for ventilation even in sloppy weather. One of my windows looks like the three-lite window in your first picture except that it's flipped over: a full-width awning window is on the bottom and the two casements are above. -- amateur

I prefer 6’8” or better yet, 7 ft header height ( if 7 ft doors are in the budget) with 9 ft ceilings. If you have no intention of doing crown molding..ignore me. But I really dislike the look of beefy door trim almost touching beefy crown molding. And it makes it very difficult to use crown molding which consists of several pieces. I would not use 8 ft doors or windows at 8 ft header height with 9 ft ceilings. No expert..I just know what I like.