Before the GardenWeb gets around to pulling my plug I thought I would point out that one of the greatest, if not the only, benefit of using an Eagle Window is the fact that they will put a different color sash in their aluminum clad window frames as I referenced in my earlier post that was thought to be rude. A black sash can sometimes be an excellent choice in a gray or off-white frame because it gives the windows a more dramatic, deeper, and larger appearance. It was commonly used in older houses and has worked well for me in several historic restorations. But without seeing the rest of the trim colors and materials and the general setting of the house, it would be inappropriate to recommend anything that specific. Making the entire window sash and frame black can be too strong IMHO since subtlety is an important issue in any huse although it can work when the windows are inset in brick openings with no trim. Whatever is decided it should be accurately drawn to scale in color or mocked up. Making the windows all white seems a waste of a design opportunity unless the style of the house demands it (Georgian, etc). But if you like the Craftsman Style you really shouldn't be thinking about white windows or even clapboard siding for that matter. Pick a theme and try to reinforce it with the appropriate materials. There is a reason the Craftsman houses used shingles and earth colors; it was part of a cultural movement protesting the industrial revolution, not just a fashion or a "style". mdev, you apparently thought I was speaking to you about your window color comments but you should not have. I try to only speak to the OP in a thread and often don't read the other posts very thoroughly since I'm working in my office and often don't even see a recent post because it can take me an hour or two to post if a client calls or if I go to lunch. I can't do this full time. If I had something to say to you, I would normally have used your name. Others appear to have understood that and I only just figured out what you had assumed. I believe that responding to other posters comments rarely helps the OP and it often hijacks the thread which is truly a rude thing to do. The original post should always take precedence or AH would just become another chat room like the garden and kitchen forums. People come to BAH for real answers. The late Ben Thompson often told us to never design in a vacuum. It actually took me some time to understand what he meant: never focus on one design element to the exclusion of the others. The first thing you consider when selecting anything is how it will reinforce the central idea or design motif (called a "parti" in design school and you had to have one you could defend or your presentation was over). Only then should you consider the other aspects of the design. (You can learn a bit of this from the "What Not To Wear" TV show.) Focusing on the big ideas first instead of your old favorite ideas actually makes designing easier as well as more powerful. Toward the end things just seem to fall into place. The choice of a window color should fit into the larger "parti" and if you haven't defined that yet or can't describe it to others you can't move forward and get effective help from others. In other words, your're stuck. Know that feeling? It took me 4 years as an engineering and art student in college, 3 1/2 years in graduate school (interrupted by the war) and 10 years in an office to figure how a design process worked. I offer it to you in a 10 minute tutorial for free. Whether you understand it or not, you can't say I didn't try. The photo below is of a Cambridge, MA house restoration finished last year. On a lark I applied to do a another Cambridge house advertised on Craigslist with just my resume and this photo and beat out 250 other architectural proposals from all over New England. What many years of experience teaches you is proportion and balance. I don't know how to teach that in 10 minutes but learning to design a Palladian window would an excellent place to start.

I somewhat think you need to narrow your search a bit as to what you want. SDLs are a pricey option and unless you really, really, want them...not worth the money in most cases. Contoured vs. flat grids are standard and in most cases do not cost a cent more than flat and at worst, are only a few bucks more. If you don't like the white interior, +1 to Eco's recommendation of looking at a laminate interior or other interior. If you really want the look of wood (the interior laminates on vinyl are going to look good but not quite wood) look at something like a Marvin Integrity with a wood interior or Inline Fiberglass with a real wood interior. What is the exterior cladding of the home going to be? There are some nice options with some of the manufacturers to have an integrated J-Channel or brickmold return for a seamless look. At the end of the day, they should be a one-time investment so spend the money wisely (i.e. get the performance and solid product for durability) and get the look that you will be happy with for the life of the windows.

Integrity here is more $$ than Anderson 100 but every one should get multiple bids on their own. Regional pricing and differences from one dealer to another can be substantial. If I would have taken the first bid on a recent project I could have easily paid 10k more for the same Marvin windows from a different dealer. AFAIK what Fibrex offers is more rigidity and less warping than straight vinyl or at least that's the sales line. Integrity is Fiberglass and was designed to directly compete with Renewal by Anderson. Marvin's glass warranty is a bit vague. There's no way any of us can know what the warranty is from their glass supplier although you can contact them to get the "further" details. Anderson's warranty is pretty darn clear at a flat 20 years. Any warranty that's explicit and concise is better from my perspective. They also detail their time frame for warranty work. Something Marvin does not do and I can tell you from personal experience it's slower than what Anderson warrants. Marvin; "GLASS COMPONENTS Glass warranties apply to factory-installed glass or Marvin-supplied glass installed by Marvin-authorized service personnel. Clear insulating glass with stainless steel spacers is warranted against seal failure caused by manufacturing defects and resulting in visible obstruction through the glass for twenty (20) years. Non-tempered glass is warranted against stress cracks caused by manufacturing defects for ten (10) years. All other glass and glass features are provided with the same warranties, limitations, and exclusions Marvin receives from its supplier; contact Marvin for further details" Anderson; "The glass in Andersen® 100 Series factory glazed window and door units (including dual-pane glass, Low-E glass, SmartSun™ glass, Heatlock™ glass, PassiveSun® glass, patterned glass (including obscure, fern, reed and cascade designs), Finelight™ grilles, and tempered versions of these glass options) is warranted to be free from defects in manufacturing, materials and workmanship for twenty (20) years from the date of purchase from the retailer/dealer. It is also warranted not to develop, under normal conditions, any material obstruction of vision resulting from manufacturing defects or as a result of premature failure of the glass or organic seal for twenty (20) years from the date of purchase from the retailer/dealer. Patterned glass (including obscure, fern, reed and cascade designs) is warranted not to develop, under normal conditions, any material change in appearance resulting from manufacturing defects or as a result of premature failure of the glass or organic seal for twenty (20) years from the date of purchase from the retailer/dealer. This limited warranty on glass does not apply to special order glazings, impact-resistant glass or glass that is not factory installed by Andersen."

Are you saying that you want to install replacement windows - pull the original windows and install new ones - or are you saying that you want to keep the original window and install a second window over the original? Also, tempered glass does nothing to improve sound blocking of a window, but thicker glass might depending on how it's done.