Hi Central 79, Glad to hear you are narrowing down your window options -- it will be good for you to get the decision made so you can move on to the next big decision. I don't know anything about either the Windsor or Plygem windows, but hopefully you will get feedback from the window experts on this forum about these two brands. I know Integrity is a popular choice on this board. As per mixing different window materials, I think that would not be a problem with the attic windows, or any basement windows. We have vinyl in our basement, and on the north front face of our home. Before starting our addition we had recently replaced all the north facing windows with a high quality vinyl windows. When we chose to go with fiberglass for the addition, I was worried they would not go. However, this has not proven to be a problem given all the windows on one side of the house are the same. All of our windows are white like you are suggesting. For sure the vinyl windows we have have thicker mullions than the fiberglass, but they don't look that different. Now we don't have wood on the interior as you are considering as our fiberglass windows are fiberglass on the inside and outside -- not sure if that makes a big difference. I was unclear from your post where you were planning to mix the windows. Will different windows be in the same room? Will different windows be on the same side of the house viewed from the exterior? I do think the attic fixed ovals will not look out of place with your main floor fiberglass windows. Are you planning to mix two or three different kinds of windows? What do others think about mixing different windows? Carol

I made a few templates over the years to duplicate different styles of shutters. (depending on the angle and size of the louvers) I made the templates from plexiglass on an old Atlas universal milling machine that my former boss owned. This allowed me to properly index the start/stop points and maintain the perfect angle. Then a router with a guide bushing was used to rout out the angled mortises. Since the spacing was too close to permit the one for one pattern, only every other slot was cut during a single placement of the template; it then was shifted one-half module and the other half of the mortises were done. Since these were large exterior shutters and the template was of finite length, it would have to be shifted numerous times to cut all the slots down one side of a stile. Movable-louver shutters have their own set of problems, but you need only drill a 1/4" hole for the louver pins. Forming the pins is done by another specialized cutter, either a special router template or a very small tenoning cutter in a drill press. There are also nylon pins available that skip the pin-cutting step; you just drill holes in the stiles and the louvers, and insert the pins into the latter. Making the staple connections to the louvers and actuating rod remains the insuperable limit of home shutter building. Casey

my clients have selected ...Andersen PVC clad Woodwright Against your better judgement?? The only manufacturer I've bought more than one set of windows from now makes only vinyl and vinyl clad. (Used to make aluminum clad.) The last custom I built, the owners went vinyl. Couldn't resist the savings. (And I learned my opinion when it differed from theirs was not worth expressing.) What will happen to the probably finger-jointed wood frames once the "maintenance free" vinyl goes brittle?

Mark, again, thank you for your input. Our neighbors have used Milgard fiberglass windows. I know that they will perform well in the salt air environment. The only objection I have is for combination windows due to the width of the area where the two different types of windows meet. One thing we could do in order to eliminate the sight lines being blocked, is to use a combination of a fixed window and then put a transom window above it. Because the windows are so tall it will be well above even the tallest person's sight lines. Our other option might be to use a different type of window in the great room area which encompasses a living, dining, kitchen area and open stairwell.