If you are this concerned about the minute details of your doors (and you should be; they are costly and you do not want to be disappointed upon installation or years down the road), I highly suggest that you should dump the idea of buying them from HD or Lowes. It is rare that a big-box retailer will have someone that REALLY knows what they are dealing with. And you're right... their subcontract installers are not of the caliber that you'll want... HD/Lowes sets a very low unit price for installs, and their subs will just want to get it in the hole and get out to have any chance of making money. Go to a window & door specialty store, or local millwork supply that deals in the various higher-end products that you want. They will give you good information, and most have in-house installers or offer expert contractor referrals. Pella has their own stores; Marvin, Andersen, Jeld-Wen have excellent dealer networks; contact the manufacturers directly to find out about dealers in your area. I would like to reiterate that this is not ALWAYS the case... some HD/Lowes have really excellent and knowledgeable folks... although most are generalists, and know just enough more than you about the product to make you feel like you're dealing with an expert. You may be pleasantly surprised to find, also, that the big box prices are not always the lowest! Good Luck! Here is a link that might be useful: AskMason

When we built our house, the builder installed Norco windows. We have double hung, casements that open, casements that do not open, and a bow window. All of the windows have different problems. 1) The double hung allow heat to escape in the winter and ice forms between the double hung window and the storm window. This started happening during the first winter we were in the home and every winter since. Norco's solution....take off the storm window. 2) The casement windows had to be scraped, sanded, primed and painted annually on the exterior. The paint on double hung held up very nice. Again, they claimed no responsibility. I was told by someone other than Norco that the wood is treated to retard rot and that's why the paint won't adhere to the wood. I didn't use cheap paint. It was Benjamin Moore. 3) Eventually all of the casements rotted away on the exterior 4) If we had a driving rain, 75% of the casements leaked.5) The bench on the bow window rotted as a result from water seepage. 6) Two of the seals on the glass of the casements broke during the warranty period. Three seals broken shortly after the warranty ended. We recently replaced most of the casements with Pella Designer Series aluminum clad windows. They cost $22,000+ including the shades. They have issues too but not the same problems as the Norco windows. I wouldn't recommend Norco or Pella. Is there a decent window made anymore?

Grande - I'm not promoting Pella at all I'm just offering my opinion as someone who has used them and from contractors I've spoken to. To say they are garbage is contrary to what I have experienced and heard, of course there are better windows and there are also personal preferences involved. However I would bet that you are a window salesman and your comments should have that disclosure so people can understand what your motive is. Comparing JW to Pella is laughable...just look at the comments on this thread. I also steer clear of anyone stating something as fact...with no eveidence to support their "facts". "Anyone in windows knows this, it's a fact" is a very adolescent type comment. If you don't like Pella fine, you're entitled to your opinion, but try to state reasons other than obscure comments packed with innuendos. I am not saying Pella are the best windows, I'm saying they are decent and in my opinion I would use them over JW just from a support perspective. I don't know the other windows you suggested but I did say there are many local manufacturers that offer good alternatives...perhaps those are but I personally don't know.

As mmasrel has said, don't underestimate the cost of renovating your existing windows along with storms and possibly capping. I usually recommend that route only for historic homes that are attempting to preserve the distinct character of the home. The contention that windows do not pay for themselves in energy savings--and therefore the are a bad investment-- is typically an overzealous response to the sleazy salesguys that try to sell on that premise. New windows offer increased comfort, ease of use, improved appearance, increased property value, etc, all while improving energy efficiency. Nobody says that remodeling a kitchen is a bad investment because it does not pay for itself in energy savings, and using that logic on windows is just as ridiculous... Your contractors suggestion of wider interior trim is a good one if you do go the full tear-out route.