Thanks, mooring_girl, for the feedback on JeldWen. I should have realized that aging paint on fiberglass would be an issue. The big question is whether any of the factory finishes will look decent with our house paint, since the deck is at the front of the house, not the more private back side. We will have to wait to see the dealer's finish samples. ajm51, we live on the Monterey Peninsula, never too hot or too cold, and no air conditioning, so a sweating metal-clad door shouldn't be an issue.

Hi Flyleft, We are currently going through the same thought processes you did regarding the fiberglass windows. I'm not 100% sold on the Milgard Ultra, but it does seem like a reasonably priced window. I do think the Pella Impervia is lighter and easier to slide open and closed, and then I have the Marvin Integrity rep coming out tomorrow. Everyone seems to rave about those. Just out of curiosity, what did you decide upon, and why? I sure would apprecicate your thoughts.

I personally liked the Woodwright...I got it from a local lumberyard at a relatively decent price and the install was a snap. I wouldn't worry about the longevity of the Fibrex, I know that they invented it in 1970 and tested it for 25 years before making windows out of it...Andersen has been around longer than any manufacturer (since 1903) and for obvious reasons; they wouldnt release something that would fail. Side note: make sure you do order it with SmartSun because that will qualify for the new energy tax credit. I'd personally stay away from Fiberglass unless you like to maintain your windows...Just like any quality Fiberglass entry door, you will need to paint and maintain ANY fiberglass product, regardless of "coating systems." Read the warranties....Unfortunately, this is a FACT. From opinions I've heard and research on the web be wary of the Pella line as i'm not sure if the class action lawsuit against their aluminum clad product has fizzled or not....I do know that if you do ANY search on Pella problems waaaaayyy too many pages come up with customer complaints. I'd stay away from that. I'd personally wonder why any company uses Aluminum to clad wood...why don't we clad our homes with aluminum anymore??? hmmmmm

I'd recommend looking at JELDWEN's Siteline EX product. I used to sell Marvin's for years and still do once in awhile. In my area, I sell almost 7 figures a year in JELDWEN windows. I can say that their quality is near Marvin's and is 30% less. They also have a color called "Artic Silver" which looks like clear anodized but is an applied finish. Anodized coating SUCK as they scratch easily and cannot be touched up. If you don't believe me, ask your dealer what they warranty is on anodized product. If they don't say 5 years or less, ask for it writing prior to ordering. Artic Silver is a 10 year warranty through JELDWEN(20 years if you look at their Custom series product, which is equal to Marvin). As for Hurd, if they're close to the same price as Marvin I would pick the Marvin if you're not interested in JELDWEN. Hurd is a crappy brand name and what's the point of buying "knock offs" if there's not enough savings to justify it? I don't go to the flea market and expect to pay 10% less. My advice, look at JELDWEN's Siteline EX product. If you don't like the quality, buy Marvin. Find a GOOD dealer in your area that knows what he's doing and you feel you can work with. Call the manufacturer and see who they prefer in your area(they'll give you their best dealer who buys the best). Lastly, remember pricing isn't everything. One mistake can easily suck out what you saved by "shopping around"...