Thanks. Today at lunch I stopped at a BM dealer and he suggested a product called IronClad Latex Low Luster Metal and Wood enamel. It's self priming, flows/levels well and the best part is that it comes from the factory in a premixed dark bronze that matches my windows perfectly. He told me that factory mixed colors are much more fade resistant then store mixed colors due to the pigments used. I think I heard that once before. I'll report back my results but it seams like the perfect product for what I want to do.

brickeyee, I think the bidding should start at 30 years. That being said, can you name me another exterior building material that lasts 30 years that is made today in normal new construction (roofing, cladding, windows, etc). Yes, premium wood windows should last that long with maintenance, however that is not even close to what is used in new construction. The cheapest stuff in the construction spectrum is used in new construction. Most asphalt roofs that we replace are less than 15 years old. 30 years out of a window is not bad. The technology has come leaps and bounds in the last 30 years. The standard for 30 years ago would have been single pane with a storm window. We are miles away from that now sealed IGUs, Low-e, and inert gas fills. That is just the industry standard. What will be industry standards for 30 years from now will probably be thin film solar, evacuated IGUs, radiant windows, etc. The weatherstripping and air tightness has come miles since 30 years ago with different interlocking mechanisms and advancements in the seals. It is not the window companies that assign the U-Factor but the NFRC that established that term. While I agree it is a made up term in an attempt to distinguish the window industry, it is merely a term assigned to what is an operable vs. stationary building material. Most reputable window companies and installation companies will happily disclose that U-Factor is merely the inverse of R-Value. Average 2x4 wall is no where near R-13 when you look at whole wall R-Values. Whole wall 2x4 wall R-Value is less than R-10 on average and there are windows in existence today that are U-0.10 (R=10). They are expensive but there are more cost effect windows that are out there today that are U-0.15 or R=6.7 Quick Rule-of-Thumb for Glass Performance Options Single Pane - R1 or U1 Single Pane and storm window - R2 or U.5 Dual Pane, clear glass - R2 or U.5 Dual Pane, LowE coated - R3 or U.33 Dual Pane, LowE coated, Argon fill - R3.5 or U.29 Triple Pane or dual pane with storm, all clear glass - R3 or U.33 Triple Pane, one lite LowE coated - R4 or U.25 Triple Pane, two lites LowE coated - R5 or U.20 Triple Pane, two lites LowE coated, argon fill - R6 or U.17 Triple Pane, two lites LowE coated, krypton fill - R6.7 or U.15 When you look at what the realized affect on total wall R-Values are based on the windows being the weak point, it is much more impactful than you might suspect. 80/20 split of wall to window area assuming an R-Value of the wall of R-10. Single pane wood (R-1) total wall R-Value = 3.6 Single pane wood with storm (R=2) total wall R-Value = 5.6 Double pane insulated Low-e (R=4) total wall R-Value = 7.7 Triple pane insulated Low-e (R=6.7) total wall R-Value = 9.1 These are not small differences if you figure you can change your total wall R-Value by almost 3X. The more insulated the wall gets, the more negative impact that a poorly insulated window has on the total wall R-Value

I am not sure that Fiberglass is "greener" or more efficient and that also depends on what you are comparing it to. Fiberglass with have better thermal numbers than even a thermally broken aluminum. I would not eliminate a Aluminum clad wood (I think that is what you Weathershield option is) window from your selection options if you decide you want to another option. All things considered, you are going to have a hard time matching the aesthetics or build quality of that Marvin Integrity. Biggest issue with that window is the stock size program. That is a moot point in a new construction application because you can build it to whatever you need it to fit. That would be my choice if I were building right now.

I guess I agree with Ron; it's not that hard to get estimates. It takes a few seconds to write down the three sizes you need, and the window company of your choice can give you a quote on wood vs. clad windows. Generally speaking all-wood windows are maybe $20-$40 less than wood clad windows. When you add the price of paint and possibly add the price of labor (your own labor is free, sort of), you're not really ahead. Also, you'll have to repaint the windows every 5-10 years or so, unless you hire someone before then to wrap aluminum trim around them.