Hi, From the outside, the low-E windows in general look darker. This darker look is true of all low-E windows in our area, even Milgard vinyl that they put on newly built homes. They do not look like tint though, at least not to me. Low-E reflects both ways. It reflects the solar radiation away from the interior but also reflects interior radiation from the exterior. This is actually how it keeps warmth inside during Winter months and heat outside during Summer. This reflective property generally makes the window less reflective so it looks darker from the outside. As to whether that will block your views from inside, we have not noticed any blockage. From the inside, there is definitely no hint of tinting. If anything, it cuts out the glare and makes everything outside clear and crisp. In the Winter, in shaded area of our house, it does let in less natural light but we can live with that if it means a cooler Summer and warmer Winter nights. To satisfy yourself, may be you can look at homes with low-E and those with tinted windows or have the shop do a comparison with a tinted window? In the end, you have to be satisfied else it will not work anyway. We do like our windows and doors, no problems so far. Low-E works as advertised, warm in the winter and cool in the summer, good views too. The stained wood interior adds a sense of warmth to our farm house. It has worked out really well. The cladding is strong, while it will scratch if scrapped by a sharp object, it has also withstood frisbee, football, soft ball and accidental encounters with kids' bike tires; no dents, no scratches so far. Good installation is critical. It is best to find the best contractor and just pay them. It is the difference between joy upon completion versus pain for years to come. We had a really good professional crew, they did a top notch job. Hope it all works out well for you!

In most situations where you are dealing with replacement windows, you would count each operator in that unit separately. Example: A twin casement, in many cases is two mulled together casements. Based on that math, you have close to 29 units which makes that pricing you have there very aggressive and fair especially given the Everwood option.

I have seen only a few of these installations here in Vancouver and can tell you that the few days or weeks you can open your home to the outside would be well worth the investment. A NanaWall door system makes your home and your yard one space. Currently we are doing the waterproofing and tile work on a large exterior up in West Vancouver and the end result will be fantastic! John Whipple North Vancouver

sandyponder, thanks for the details. That is a good deal, to be *sure*! I went to the local Sierra Pacific rep on Wednesday; he took all the specs and told me he'd e-mail me with a quote for pretty much what you got except brown on the outside. He has never written me back. Maybe time to call him. Where do you find auctions that have those kinds of things??? Do you go to them often? People find the most amazing things at auctions. I can tell you that reclaimed probably old-growth DF flooring goes for *quite reasonable* prices out here...no more than any other wood, and less than some...we're in the PNW, though. Now that you've told me the price, I'm going to bug the SP guy...maybe he thought I wasn't serious or was just blowing me since we're just buying one door? I don't know...but that's at least $1K less than other similar doors. Hard to resist. If I can just get him to offer it to me LOL