Well, most houses in the bay area are still well over a million, and we are in that category. I know it sounds like a little amount, but I just keep thinking that I could spend the $4000+ in other ways (put in a central vac system, get the sub zero instead of the other fridge, etc), and get much more for my money. I really need to find an interior white painted wood window, and a white painted fiberglass window, and see if there's a real difference. I was hoping someone would have experienced this before as well. You're probably right, and I just have to jump and make that decision.

You either have too many windows or you aren't getting good bids on the Marvin Integrity windows. I don't use the Integrity because they don't yet offer a spacer bar between the permanent mullions. Window selection should start with the features you want rather than brands and prices. Will the interior finish be painted white or stained? Do you want permanent mullions... spacers? Any special shapes or sizes? Special glass? Is it on the ocean or a mountain top? What kind of exterior cladding will the house have? Do you want a sloped sill with a drip? (yes you do) So you want a special color on the exterior? So you want a different sash color from the frame? Do you want the interior pre-finished? The answers to these questions will narrow your window options and save you a lot of time. Just give the list to the suppliers and they will tell you if they can meet your needs. The builder should be held responsible for intentionally low-balling the window allowance in his bid. I would tell him to find me some good bids to make up for this unprofessional self-serving practice. I would even explore taking the windows out of his contract if only to give him a hard time.

the autocad rendition above is taken from my preliminary drawings that I had made to give to the designer. I am not an expert. A long story, but the original designer was a guy my first builder recommended but turned out to be a costly mistake. He was in the middle of a divorce, strung out on anti-depressants, and did not complete the project. He also was not a CAD user. What a mistake. Needless to say, I deep-sixed this contractor and unfortunately learned an expensive lesson. I then started the project with another designer who finalized my plans similar to the last autocad design, but he used a different program, chief architect. I don't have that program, so I only posted changing the windows from my old autocad program. That is why the proportions and things don't look right. I do have a PDF file of the entire plans but I dont know how to convert them to either post, or email. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the insights. thanks again.

I am not sure that Fiberglass is "greener" or more efficient and that also depends on what you are comparing it to. Fiberglass with have better thermal numbers than even a thermally broken aluminum. I would not eliminate a Aluminum clad wood (I think that is what you Weathershield option is) window from your selection options if you decide you want to another option. All things considered, you are going to have a hard time matching the aesthetics or build quality of that Marvin Integrity. Biggest issue with that window is the stock size program. That is a moot point in a new construction application because you can build it to whatever you need it to fit. That would be my choice if I were building right now.