Farmhouse - black handles and latches. Bug screen? Oh my - I don't know.

My current house has painted wood windows. When we moved in, the interiors were oak, and the screens and latches are kind of a champagne colour. I think it's fine with the white. One window needed to have these replaced, and we got white.

If I was doing white trim windows in the new house, I'd probably do white screens, and metal latches to match my other hardware. Door handles, light fixtures, cabinet knobs, etc.

There are important differences between the Andersen windows you mentioned. If you are considering double-hung, the 400 series has 2 models: the Tilt-Wash and the Woodwright. They both tilt to wash and have the same excellent vinyl-clad frame but the sash is different. The Tilt-Wash doesn't have the Woodwright's excellent Fibrex composite cladding but has a very tough PPG epoxy paint coating instead. Andersen doesn't reveal much about this finish in their advertising and the reps usually pretend it is a "cladding" and the applied mullions are a little sketchy looking too.

The 200 series is entirely unacceptable IMO but it is a favorite of spec builders and developers. Even if it were well made I would not accept a sill with no slope. I guess there might be a way to install the 200 so it doesn't leak below the sill it would add cost and the rest of the window would still be second rate.

They only offer a dark aluminum screen or a more transparent dark stainless steel screen. For the screen frames many companies only offer white but Andersen offers colors to match the exterior of double-hungs & gliders and the interiors of awnings & casements.

zorroslw1, I love my windows. So far, anyway. We got euro style tilt & turn windows, with black vinyl. A builder we were considering using showed them to us. And then I took the time to investigate the cost, and they were actually cheaper than some of the quotes we got for casement windows. If I hadn't seen those, I probably would have done white vinyl casements and been done with it.

@amberm145 what brand are your windows? Do you have photos?

If you live in a climate where you have to heat and air condition you probably want to invest a greater fraction of your research into the performance of your windows than in appearance. Most good window lines offer different glazing optimized for different climates and offering varying levels of insulation. Of course if they leak air like a sieve after they are a couple of years old then you can have the fanciest triple glazed LowE whatever in the world and it won't help. I agree with Ren8, avoid the Andersen 200 series, they just aren't good enough windows to put into any structure in this day and age. Andersen 400s can be OK. In that price range look also at the Marvin Infinity fiberglass windows. I think they offer very good performance for their price--much stronger, and better looking than vinyl with very good air infiltration numbers and a wide range of glazing options. I put some Jeld-Wen windows into my barn and I regret it already. The hardware hasn't worked well and two of them have broken in various ways in just two years--these are windows that basically never get used.

Thanks rwiegand! I have wondered about Marvin line of windows. I've seen them on Houzz and need to research a local distributor close to me.

Also hoping amberm145 can tell us the brand of her windows. I'm considering tilt & turn for some locations in my remodel and understand from the guys on the window forum that they are super expensive. Maybe the Marivins are, so I'm looking for other options.

I'm wondering about this same thing -- I care a great deal about my windows because 1) they need to be "right" for efficient heating and cooling and 2) I'm convinced that GOOD windows are a key element in a house's looks.

I already know I want the best double-paned, triple-glazed whatever for quality ... and I know I want white wooden frames and tilt-in-for cleaning.

What I'm learning from this thread is

- Jeld-Wen bad

- Anderson 400 Woodwright okay

- Sil must be sloped

What are the topics I should be investigating? And what name brands are people generally most satisfied with?

They are Innotech, a Canadian company. We are still under construction, so this is about the best photo I have.

We were looking for triple pane windows with good seals anyway, so that's probably why our cost comparison was in the same ballpark. I think it's the general impression in the industry that T&T are a lot more expensive, but nobody seems to want to verify that.

There was one kinda shady salesman from another company. All my other quotes were specific, listing the exact windows and the total price. This guy just said "$25-30k" for casements. And he wouldn't get specific until we agreed to buy from him. And then he was calling me daily to push me to sign up with him. I finally told him we'd decided to go with T&T, and since he wasn't supplying those, we wouldn't be buying from him. So then he said he could get T&T, but it would be "about 50% more". Given that his price was already about the same as the T&T guys, I was pretty certain we still wouldn't be buying from him, but I told him to go ahead and send me a quote. He never did, he just kept telling me that they cost more, and most people don't buy them because of that. Maybe because he doesn't specialize in them, he doesn't get good pricing on them? I finally had to block the guy's number.

Durabuilt is another Canadian company that was in the same ballpark as Innotech.

Wannasave and Mrs. Pete, I think the most important thing for the windows looks is to get simulated divided lights instead of grilles between the glass, especially for a colonial/ farmhouse look. It makes a HUGE difference in the look of your house, but it is not cheap. I first noticed this when I found out it was a requirement in my towns historic district; it is really noticeable once you start looking.

Thanks so much amberm145 - will check them out!

For those of you still deciding, there is a window forum here with a number of very knowledgable pros who can help to guide you based on your specific needs and preferences. Those guys all seemed to agree that T&T was a lot more costly, but also a very TIGHT closing window. But none of them seemed to have a lot of real experience with them. We have casements now for our contemporary house, but I am interested in the T&T because they should be a lot easier to clean. Also I don't like the casements because we have satined wood interiors and they open out - we have minimal overhangs so the interior wood gets wet if it rains.

Amberm: Are you Innotech windows fiberglass?

We are also from Canada (like Amberm) so energy tight windows are a must. We also went for triple pane. We got quotes from 4 fiberglass window makers and one vinyl window place. Our research lead us to conclude fiberglass was better than vinyl long term. Fiberglass we learned, also can be painted and allows narrower centres for casements (more glass) compared to vinyl. Three of the fiberglass suppliers were from Canada (Thermotech Fiberglass, Fibertec and Inline). The one US fiberglass window company we found was Marvin (Intergity line). I found the Fibertec and Thermotech Fiberglass more attractive than the other lines we explored. I gather from my time reading the window forum that most fiberglass windows are from Canada (3 of them in Southern Ontario Canada). My sister went with Inline Fiberglass windows and some of hers are tilt and turn. Inlines are also distributed in the US (made in Canada). I have heard the window forum posters speak highly of Inline and Marvin Integrity. They have not heard of the other brands given they are not widely known in the US.

Carol

No, they're vinyl. DH did the research on that one and decided that the cost of fiberglass wasn't worth it.