The Simonton 5050 is their low end replacement window. I would suggest looking at the 5500 series or the Prism Platinum (same window)depending on what's available in your area. Both have lower air infiltration numbers than the 5050. The Tapestry isn't as well built nor is it as aestetically pleasing as the Simonton 5500 IMO. Simonton is also the industry leader in terms of warranty sevice. Using trim coil to wrap the wood isn't going to affect the energy efficiency, nor will it cause problems with air infiltration if installed properly. The purpose of capping with trim coil is to reduce maintenence primarily by eliminating the need to paint. Don't get so invested in finding the right window that you ignore the skills of the installer. The best window on the market will not perform as intended unless it's installed correctly. Many of the problems we see are caused by a poor quality install or a poorly designed and/or engineered window.

Hi everyone, Thanks for the responses. It's been more than four months since my original query so I thought I'd post an update. After talking with several other contractors and vendors, we decided that going with replacement windows was clearly the wrong choice, so we switched contractors to someone with more large-scale remodeling experience and went with new construction windows. In the end we chose Anderson 400s and used Azek trim on the outside. The old windows came out and we found some damage to the underlying sheathing and framing, but not too much. The new windows were installed and insulated properly and the difference is huge. While we were at it we also replaced most of the edge and corner trim and drip caps on the house as this was rotting off as well. The project is taking a lot longer (we're hopefully wrapping up this week) and is costing a lot more than we thought, but I'm glad we caught this when we did as the damage would have been a lot worse if we had waited. Interestingly, the cost of the new construction windows was actually less than the replacement windows. The labor was more, of course, but we were already being forced to replace the rotting exterior trim so that was all equal. We did have to replace the interior trim, which was not inexpensive, but in the end the project wound up costing the same because the windows were less expensive. The difference in the new trim is amazing- it's nice to have real window sills and stools, with a less generic casing around them. The question of new windows vs. restoration was never an issue- the old windows (only 18 years old) were of poor quality, poorly installed, and leaked cold air to the point that we had to install plastic sheeting over the openings in the winter. Also, many of the window sills, mullions, and jams were rotting, so the amount of work to restore the existing windows would have been huge, We were going with new windows one way or the other. Thanks again for your help, Josh

Vinyl HATES sunlight. It warps. It bubbles. It does too much in sunlight. Whomsoever suggested vinyl in a condo with THAT MUCH UV damage needs to be told to sit down and shut up (but in the nicest way possible...'cause I'm Canadian). And vinyl does NOT like underpad. The stuff that meets the HOA's noise abatement requirements. To me, that floor is GORGEOUS! I LOVE the faded look. Remove that rug and let it out into the sunlight and it will even out inside of 1 summer. I kid you not. Just leave it alone and you will be VERY surprised at how beautiful that floor is going to look. Go ahead and google 'european oak' flooring. You will find your floors are a GREAT mimic. People pay $18/sf for a floor that looks like that! And then they still have to pay $5/sf to get it installed! I kid you not. Your floor is one rug shadow away from Scandinavian perfection!

Thanks for your reply, that is interesting to learn. I located a tool where I can change the SHGC for my location and window type (among a few other variables) at Sustainable by Design. However, I have no idea how the values relate to real life room temperature and comfort. Comparing SHGC's of .20 and .49 I get the following outputs: .20 HighestWinterBtu/ft2: 780 @ noon, monthly 5,300 (Feb & March), but lowest monthly total is January (4,600). Highest Summer Btu/ft2: 450 @ noon, monthly 3,100 (both June). .49 Highest Winter Btu/ft2: 1900 @ noon, monthly 13,000 (Feb & Mar), but lowest monthly total is January (11,000). Highest Summer Btu/ft2: 1100 @ noon, monthly 7,500 (both June). That second set of values looks alarming compared to the first set, but I have no idea if that actually means the ~2100 ft3 room will become uncomfortable and I should change the window order to a SHGC of .20 like the east-facing window will be. I can open the double glass doors if that would make a significant difference (spouse's current COVID home-office). Further comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks!