We moved into our new house three years ago. After much research on windows, we went with Marvin Integrity for the whole house [LOTS of 6ft. double windows with transoms, six sets of Atrium (double) doors, full glass.] When the estimate came in, about $4k over budget, we decided to change the atrium doors to Therma Tru and we couldn't be happier with them. There are no drafts, they are holding up great! I would definitely go with Therma Tru to trim your cost. We love our Marvin windows too, make sure they are installed correctly ~ I think proper installation is the most important thing on them.

windowshopper- I don't know if the dealers will compete. I have about the same number of windows as you, 3 of them are arched casements, plus 7 sets of French doors (5 of them are stationary). I was told that Integrity didn't make the arched windows I needed & I would need to go with Marvin Ultimate for those. I consulted with 4 different dealers-everyone had a different price and no one was willing to compete. One of them deals pretty much just with Marvin & he was the highest of the bunch! When I tried to negotiate and let him know he was significantly higher than other dealers and frankly he was even higher than the quote I got from Pella (which was through the roof), his response was he may not be the least expensive, but I was paying for quality. Quality? No matter where I get the Integrity, it's the same window quality, right? My framer is installing, so installation quality doesn't enter into it. Then he tried to talk me into all Marvin Ultimate because using Ultimate for the 3 arched windows & Integrity for everything else just wouldn't look right. When I let him know there was no way I could afford all Ultimate, he again went on and on about quality & making room for them in the budget. Obviously, he had an agenda & it didn't match mine. With that being said, one dealer is working with the area Integrity rep to see what they can do about getting a better deal especially on the French doors. They came in about double the cost of Jeld-Wen Siteline, M&W Mira & M&W Freedom 800, and just above the Pella Architect price. The windows were all less expensive than the Siteline, Mira, and Pella. We shall see what they come up with! But absolutely nothing wrong with shopping around--if you don't ask for a better deal, you can't expect them to voluntarily offer you one. Let me know how things go & if you find a dealer with rock bottom Integrity & Ultimate pricing!

Nice pics Sheila. Just for the reference of others, most premium vinyl lines do offer exterior colors including custom matching available with white interiors. @llyom, regarding the looks of the Integrity, part of it is that it is SOOO slim lined that it can turn some people off. Additionally, the hardware (locks, tilt latches , etc) do not have the look or feel of a high end unit--kind of cheap to be quite frank. That said, it is a solid unit (nothing that Marvin makes is bad IMO), it just does not offer anything that a premium vinyl unit will not offer, and in fact it falls short in performance. I like the Integrity line in general, I primarily recommend it however when homeowners desire a real wood interior and are willing to sacrifice some performance. --and btw, Sheila, I do agree with your decision. I'd have recommended the same thing (re: all ultrex in areas that you are not concerned about the wood interior).

I strongly believe if Integrity had a sliding door that did not operate well and was a design flaw that Marvin would have addressed and changed the unit. It is possible that they recommending party has a defective unit or more likely it is an installation issue. I would have no qualms about using the All Ultrex Sliding door myself.