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.

We are building a contemporary beach home on Puget Sound in WA state. We have 2 parameters that we are working with: 1. We want some "combination" windows and the end result is a pretty bulky look where the 2 types of windows meet, particularly when specifying fiberglass or vinyl. (This does not seem to be an issue with aluminum clad windows.) By "combination" window I mean, as an example, a fixed pane window coupled with an awning window below or a transom window above. 2. We want either a full or partial wallboard wrap to the window. We would probably add a wood stool after installation. We have looked at Marvin Contemporary Studio, but the interior casing of the window is all wood. The Marvin rep we spoke to thought that the wood casing could be ordered trimmed down to allow for a partial wallboard return. We also have concerns about the aluminum cladding on the exterior corroding as we are close to the beach. (Does anyone have experience with today's aluminum products from Marvin or other companies???). We have also looked at fiberglass windows, but most of them also come with a wood casing inside. Also, the combination windows have that bulky look where the 2 styles of windows meet. The window sizes for the combination windows are: 54"x90" (#3 on the drawing-- 3 fixed windows each paired with either transom or awning), 28"x90" (#7 on the drawing--3 fixed windows paired with either transom or awning), 18"x90" (not shown, but same as #7 in appearance-- a fixed window paired with either transom or awning) and 96"x90" (#29 on the drawing--a fixed window flanked by a casement window on each side.) We'd love some advice and direction from all of you who have traveled this road or have helped others travel it!

Thank you for the suggestions...we have considered changing the 3 window openings into one opening, but the plans would have to go back to engineering. That said, we certainly will do that if we can't come up with something that works for us. We don't need a lot of ventilation...in fact, the dining area can be seen on the picture I uploaded--it is located where the sliding doors is and there is a matching one across from it ( 15' away) and with both opened we would have a nice breeze--except on calm days, of course. The view is Puget Sound and our beach. I designed the floor plan with this goal: Upon opening the front door one would look directly out the windows to see the view. Do you have an aluminum window company that you recommend?

Time to start from scratch. Not one of those window coverings is worth working around. I think you need a MUCH simpler solution that unifies all the spaces, but since light control is your top concern, a two-pronged approach might work best, e.g.: light-to-medium-weight fabric panels, perhaps layered over woven shades, on the inside awnings (or maybe even Bermuda shutters) on the outside Another unobtrusive, “invisible“ way to handle the heat and glare would be to have a U.V.-blocking film like VistaTint applied to the windows.