hhmmm..here is how the outside of the house looks...we live in oklahoma.. so hot hot summers and usually chilly winters...not much moisture.. When we went to the window store there were basically 3 option wood vinyl and something else (lower end)...and our builder basically just put us down for wood windows from one of his suppliers..maybe Andersen brand? so what do i need to make sure and do to make sure they are good quality?

Andersen contracts out their service work so this is unfortunate that they don't have any record of your job. What you need to do is talk with Andersens SAR(Service Accountant Rep)in your area. This person is the one who has hired these subcontractors out to contact you. They would know about your job that was originally sent in. Unless you didn't first contact Andersen directly through their website or service number. Its very important when you have a problem to contact Andersen directly. Not through a dealer, contractor or whom ever. These people seem to sit on the paper work until they have time to actually do the job then they send it in to Andersen. When a job is then issued it is put on an aging report where it needs to be done in a timely manner. This is why this person wanted to wait until spring. He never turned in your job. So now what do you do? Call Andersen at 1-888-888-7020 and tell them that you want to be contacted by the SAR in your area and tell him or her whats going on. They are the one to authorize your job to be done. Also if you do get them to do so they may replace the sashes but not pay the labor. In regarding the vinyl, the frames are vinyl clad with rigid vinyl side liners. The sashes however are not, they have a polyuerathane finish. Well good luck and I hope you work this out.

consider your floor plan, and where you want the opening(s) to be located. if you are veering around a central grouping of furniture, having an option to go right or left is good. if the furniture is more to either side, the center door works. i like 3 sets of french doors, they are far easier to open and close than giant sliding panels. but that swing has to be arranged around.

We have gone back and forth on this as well- we are doing a major dining, living, kitchen remodel. We have decided to go with a beautiful wide plank engineered hardwood (French oak) from Bella cera called “Monza” bivio. It’s just light and natural and I think will look beautiful with our white cabinets. It’s a wire brushed engineered hardwood which I like more than the rustic hand scraped ones. It was very affordable at less than $4/SF. We have had a few people try to discourage real wood in the kitchen but my parents have had knotty pine floors for 30 year and they’ve held up fairly well and have been refinished twice. The only thing with engineered wood is the top layer is fairly thin with plywood underneath, so you can’t really refinish them but most wont need to be since they have a 25-50 yr residential warranty. I chose one that had some knots and grains and looked like it’d be forgiving. Some of the new lvt is more expensive but really pretty, I can just tell it’s not real wood and it feels a little plasticky and I just like natural materials. My friend has it in her yoga studio and for that application I think it’s great. The only thing I am nervous about is not being able to steam mop my kitchen and having to use wood cleaner with a microfiber mop. But I like rustic and genuine surfaces- we went with granite and are refinishing Saltillo. It’s not perfect but I’m just a natural materials person. You really can’t go wrong! But I think wood floors are always better for resale personally. The new vinyl is great though, and I would def do it in a bathroom, playroom, mud room, but don’t love it throughout the main house. Laminate is ok, but I don’t like the clickety clack sound when you walk on it, and I can almost always immediately tell something is laminate vs wood.