Hi weedmeister. Yes I did try that. The one we were able to look at from inside the apartment had the unit resting on the channel on the sill. From what I could see from looking out an adjacent window, there were some sort of brackets attached to the bottom of the unt frame which beared on the exterior metal window frame. I could not tell if the brackets were screwed into the exterior metal frame. I also don't know if these brackets came with the LG unit they had. I have a call into the fellow that re-installed it this season (his girlfriend did not know the details). I thought the recommended way was to put a spacer on the sill to bring the mounting elevation above the obstruction. Problem is I don't want to mess with the marble sill to attach the spacer. There was no answer at the other apartment we tried.

I would need to see the house in actual pictures . Not all homes can or should have crown molding.I happen to like white trim so that would be my choice as for the stairs not matching the main floor wood that can be done for sure with some elbow grease and patience.

I beleive they are 5 inches. Yours look very nice! Makes me feel better about ours. We drove around and the stucco houses we saw did not have a trim. I am going by later today to double.check the width. Here is a view of. the house from the front so you can get an idea if the style.

I'd like to thank everyone for the awesome input. Based on replies here (and in a few other threads) I've done more research and have narrowed things down to the following 2 options: #1 - Zen Windows. Excellent ratings & reviews, lifetime transferable warranty on parts & installation, sub-contracts installers. Quote details: 8 Soft-Lite Imperial Elite triple pane DH w/Ultra S, Solar Low-E, & non-metallic spacer upgrades (0.02 CFM, DP55, LC55, 0.19 U-factor, 0.22 SHGC, 0.36 VT, 69 CR), + 1 Soft-Lite Kingsroyal slider. $12.7K total. #2 - AJ Window & Door Solutions. Excellent ratings & reviews, Couldn't find the Okna warranty anywhere, but I've seen multiple people I trust say it's excellent, and the company offers a lifetime warranty on installation. Uses their own employee installers. Quote details: 8 Okna 600 double pane DH w/Heatseal Deluxe (0.02 CFM, DP50, LC54, 0.26 U-factor, 0.29 SHGC, 0.53 VT, 63 CR), +1 Okna Elegante slider. $12.3K total. I'm heavily leaning towards Zen as I think the upgrades to triple pane and the increased specs are definitely worth it, and the fact they sub-contract installation is mitigated by the warranty. Is there anything else I'm missing here? Seems like I have a choice of 2 good products, both at good prices.