I have never heard of a vinyl clad steel door, it is usually wood claddded in vinyl. Fiberglass is my first choice these days.

The jump from wood to wood clad is not terrible and will eliminate the painting necessity in the future. Wood to fiberglass is also not a huge one and can look very classy and consistent with the architecture. Wood to vinyl is going to be the most stark and especially considering the brands that HD sells. I think you nee to figure on what you are comfortable with and go from there. There are insulated storm glass windows, however, they are probably as aesthetically morphing as a wood clad window would be if not more.

Most windows are better than Andersen. They're overpriced garbage living off of their name. I've been installing Softlite windows for over 20 years. I have also installed Marvin, Simonton, Thermal (now out of business), Crestline, Alside and a few other of brand windows. I personally use Alside windows for my business but mainly subcontract for a company that uses Softlite. Softlite would be my second choice out of all of them. Marvin's are probably the best windows of the bunch but definitely not worth the extra cost. Especially if you plan to move in 15 years. New construction type windows are great but can cause a world id issues if not installed 100%correctly. It also adds a major headache and a lot of expense in the future for the new owners or you if you end up staying. If it were me, I would save some cash and have the builders build buck frames and use replacement type windows. Since you're starting with a clean slate you can usually get a better fit and better insulated opening doing it that way.

Guess it pays to read the fine print. I thought for sure that Jeld-Wen was extruded aluminum, the mullens are - but the sashes are rolled. People keep saying there are better choices, but can someone explain why one would be a better choice? Millworkman, I read so many saying go with Andersen 400, WHY would it be your last choice and what are your favorite brands? Eastbay, what and why are other brands appealing to you vs. Jen-Weld? How is Pella? Is aluminum BETTER than vinyl clad (and particularly in Florida)?