I'm starting to get quotes on double hung windows. Looking for "wood" as I have an old house and I prefer the "original" look of wood to anything synthetic. Just my preference. That said, I'm considering Andersen A, Loewen, and Marvin. I live by the ocean, so one of my main concerns is wear and tear on the outside. I understand that the outside of the window may need to either clad or treated/painted. I've been told that the aluminum clad windows will eventually pit and lose their color. So I'm left to either choose the Andersen A Series which has Ultrex ("fiberglass") on the outside, or either of these windows in a non-clad format (=lots of yearly maintenance). I love the Loewen's - they use fir and they look like a great window. Preliminary pricing shows Andersen's being the most expensive, which was a bit shocking to me. I know that both Andersen and Marvin use Southern Yellow Pine, but don't know if that really makes a difference. For what it's worth, i live on Long Island (NY).

Any thoughts on these windows? Are aluminum clad windows a bad idea by the salt water? Anyone have any opinions on any of these windows, and/or reviews?