So glad this thread is still here. Did a whole house renovation 8 years ago and just bought a new (to me) house, and about to do it again. Stuff that has held up well and I will definitely be looking at closely again this time around are: - Rohl fireclay sink (nice and quiet, plenty big to hide lots of dirty dishes in the sink; I might get 2 this time!) - Pacific Crest cabinets (despite some issues in their shipping (some banged up cabinets when they arrived), the company stood behind their product and made things right and they have held up quite well -- and everyone comments on how nice they look) - Prefinished hardwood floors (wouldn't get Brazilian cherry again because they are too sensitive to light, but with two 50-60lb dogs running around, they have held up remarkably well, especially compared to friends who had site-finished floors. now I just need to find another wood species I like as well) - Kohler Vinnata faucet (after all this time, I looked around at faucets again the other day and this is still the most gracefully sculptural faucet profile; also I had no problems with this at all.) - GE Monogram 36" range, 30" fridge, island hood (the range cooked great and was a breeze to clean, the fridge had no issues whatsoever with the icemaker/water dispenser, and the range, though a real b*tch to install has been a real workhorse around our house; surprisingly had very few issues with these appliances) - Miele dishwasher (this is the one with the top silverware rack; it was called Incognito back 8 years ago and don't know what it's called now. It cleans great and once we figured out how to use the salt/softener thingy left no streaks on our glasses) - Kinawa white granite (husband likes the veins in this and I like whiteness, and we this is as close as we can get to white carrara w/o the maintenance headaches) - Never M-T soap dispenser (what a great tip I got from this site 8 years ago. I give this to friends now, and they think it's genius) - Air Switch for disposal (another great tip I got from this site; likely ubiquitous now but it's still wonderful) - Kohler's Memoirs collection stately pedestal and drop-in sinks, and toilet (very classic looking) Looking forward to another fun remodel

In response to Loewen Vs, Marvin. I sell several brands (Loewen, Marvin, Semco, Windsor, Jeldwen, Unilux) All these brands have something different to offer. Loewen is considered to be much better and stronger since some of their new engineering for their doors and windows has come out versus Marvins Douglas fir, Loewen is by far better. Now that is comparing apples for apples. Most people try to compare Loewen (only made out of Douglas fir or Mahogany) to Pine made products such as Marvin, Semco, Jeldwen, Windsor and others made from pine. Their is no comparing. Douglas Fir is much stronger than pine. As far as the glass, all the manufacturers order sealed glass from Cardinal glass accept Loewen, Loewen ordered their glass from cardinal however they build their own sealed units in a revolutionary way and have a stricter criteria of whats acceptable glass and what is not. Loewen sends back approximately 30% of the glass they receive from cardinal because it has defects. Loewen is stricter in what they tolerate in regards to what is acceptable, they are the strictest. The other brands are not as precision oriented. Listed from best to least quality 1) Uni-lux 2) Loewen 3) Marvin (Tied) 3) Windsor (Tied) 3) Jeldwen (Tied) 3) Semco (Tied) If you need a distributor let me know, at cj_spolski@comcast.net

My daughter has purchased a new home with 50 year old double hung windows that need to be replaced. It is a colonial home in Massachusetts several miles from the coast. She is trying to decide between the Anderson 400 series and the Marvin Integrity. She wants to stay with the same traditional 6 over 6 white double hung windows. Any thoughts on which is better - the Marvin Integrity, or the Anderson 400 Series?

I just installed 27 Anderson 400 Series, double hung replacement types, in my 95 year old home, and 1 patio door too. Love them. All of the subs working on my job have complimented them. I went with a terra tone finish on the outside, and they have wood on the inside. They glide very nicely, were installed really well (having a good contractor is everything!), got the screens with them too. It came out to about $700 per window plus or minus (I had odd sized windows - being an old home). Love the tilt out function for easy cleaning. The patio door was about $2500, including the cost of the hardware (6' door) and installation. It would have been more but my regular contractor as opposed to my window contractor offered to install it when he heard that it was going to cost nearly $4000 for the window contractor to do it (it would have been a special order door in that instance and I went to Home Depot to get the one I purchased instead). They have been through several heavy rains already and so far, so good.