Does cost matter? Maybe get a quote on your options.

I would suggest that the quality of the company that manufactures the window is much more important than the material that they use. Good companies make good windows and bad companies make bad windows no matter the material that they use to manufacture their product.

In general there are some very good vinyl windows, and some middle-of-the-road vinyl windows, and some terrible vinyl windows on-the-market; whereas fiberglass, (I suspect primarily because of the expense of the material and complexity and cost of the manufacturing process), hasn't really caught on with the bottom feeder companies.

While in general fiberglass windows tend to be more of a kinda good to very good in quality, once again this is as much about the quality of the company and manufacturing process than it is the material.

Do you have specific likes or concerns or reservations about either material?

Fiberglass windows are expensive, often even more than wood of comparable "quality level", and will be a good bit more expensive than average and evento very good quality vinyl, but don't be surprised if a top quality vinyl window isn't cheap; top end vinyl can be expensive, sometimes even as expensive as comparable wood or fiberglass products.

Low quality vinyl should never be compared with fiberglass because that simply isn't an apples to apples comparison. However even lower quality vinyl windows are going to be as good or better than any of the other materials in energy performance (glass options being the same). The nature of the materials used to manufacture the window and how they are produced as window components favors vinyl over wood, fiberglass, and anything metal in energy performance.

If energy performance is your primary concern then vinyl is going to be the winner pretty much every time assuming you are comparing those two apples again.

Appearance is in the eye of the beholder, and while there are some very good looking vinyl windows, pultruded fiberglass is more versatile than vinyl and depending on manufacturer is likely more aesthetically diverse than vinyl. More possible options.

I think the jury is still out on comparison of longevity and long-term performance, but forget the "vinyl windows all fail in 5 to 10 years" argument, that's a load of excrement. Once again it's all about the company who made the window, thats the real argument. With today's technology and manufacturing techniques some industry people don't even blink when talking 50 years and more useful life cycles no matter what material is used; with emphasis again (I just can't let go of it) on the initial quality of the manufacture. Junk is junk no matter who made it or what it's made of.

This is great information and advice. Much more informative than I’ve found elsewhere. I believe that I am working with a reputable company. He walked through the manufacturing process of both options. The problem, however, I think I was to caught up in the aesthetics of each option and trying to decide if I am going to make my front windows longer. He also explained what’s involved if I just make them longer verses wider. Whew, this is a lot to absorb. Fortunately or unfortunately I care about all of it. Looks, quality, longevity and resale value. We will sell this house in about seven years. Are there two or three questions that could help me assess the manufacturing quality? Thank you for responding to my question. So much better than anything else I found.

Whose windows are they suggesting?

And I think that it's a really good thing that you care about all if it.

When you say "longer" are you talking about changing the rough opening height (floor to ceiling)?

Marvin has Essential and Elevate fiberglass lines plus Modern which uses a denser fiberglass for even thinner frames. Less frame than any vinyl means more view. Maybe all vinyl windows don't have their seals fail in 10 years. The history is that many do. Who knows for sure. So why spend the same when fiberglass has the better perceived rep for easier resale?

If I am looking for a modern, clean look that resembles metal windows but with less maintenance and much better energy performance than a metal window, I am going to look first at fiberglass; Marvin's Modern line certainly being a top choice. This follows my comment earlier about fiberglass windows being more versatile and often the aesthetic choice when compared with vinyl.

If I want a window with a more traditional look and feel, that glows with warmth then I am going to look first at wood because wood still offers the best aesthetic in that role.

If I want maximum energy performance often at a more reasonable price-point versus the other options, I am going to first consider vinyl, but I am not interested in a bottom-feeder product in vinyl, nor am I interested in a cheap junk wood window either.

Although I don't generally discuss my personal experience, preferring to stay within parameters of my former job (I am retired, but still active as a consultant for them), I am making an exception to illustrate a point.

I built my last two homes, the first about 75% as contractor and 25% i did the work, and the current about 25% as contractor and about 75% my daughter and I did the work (it was originally her house).

The first home has 18 windows installed, a mixture of 2 fixed, 5 casements, and 11 horizontal sliders - all dual pane Kolbe wood windows - and a dual panel french door (Andersen 400) . The 4 largest sliders also have triple track storm windows installed as well.

The current house is smaller, about 1300 square feet, and has 14 windows and a two panel french door. The 14 windows are 8 tilt/turn operators and 6 fixed. All are triple pane with 5/8" airspace in both chambers of the IGU. The windows in the new house are vinyl from Innotech Windows + Doors in Vancouver BC.

Performance values for these windows when installed were DP100; U-factor .16 on fixed, .18 on operators; air infiltration .003 operators and .001 on the fixed units. I installed them myself (WITH help) and my god were they heavy!!

These windows were NOT cheap, in fact they were more expensive than all of the wood windows that we were considering except Marvin Ultimates. Fiberglass was not an option at the time.

Where I live we can see low temperatures of -20F and colder 10-20 times in winter and +90F 5-10 times in summer (actual air temperatures, not "feels like" temps). After 14 years of this climate I am confident that something very close to if not the same window performance values still apply, and I suspect that I will be dead long before these windows have any problems.

As much as I really like the Kolbe windows - they are gorgeous - and while I would have no hesitation in recommending them as a top-flight wood window to someone looking for the wood aesthetic, but performance-wise the Innotechs blow them out-of-the-water (given I am comparing dual pane to triple, and tilt turn windows are about as tight as you can get in an operable window, but even using an identical IGU in each for comparison, the Innotechs would still be significantly more efficient).

BUT all that said, the sash and frame are not narrow, they are a European design and it shows. I love these windows, but someone looking for a narrow frame, modern look, would absolutely hate them. And for that person I would strongly suggest that they look at fiberglass.

Dan,

What seals are you talking about failing at 10 years on vinyl window? Are you suggesting IGU seals or something else?

The company we are working with is WeatherBarr. They have two manufacturing plants on in Fort Smith Arkansas where they make their vinyl windows and Arizona where they manufacturer their fiberglass windows. I live in Fort Smith and they have an excellent reputation. They have a 4.3 rating on google and an A+ BBB rating although they only have 2 reviews, both bad. They have been in business for 80 years. I went to their website to get specs in this post. Lots of tables and ratings. Overwhelming! Any chance you guys could checkout their site? weatherbarr.com

I previously mentioned longer windows. The sales consultant and I talked through what I’m trying to achieve aesthetically. The windows are 22 years old and look terrible, so we didn’t even bother to discuss the why. He explained what’s required to widened windows and/or lengthen them. In a nutshell, he said I could achieve my goal by length and window design without all the construction required to widen them too. We’ve overhauled the inside with the exception of a recreation room that we are going to turn into a first floor master suite and laundry in a year or two. Throughout this process, I’ve done my best to go for value verses cheapest and stay within my budget. Thus, longer makes the most since to me.

I appreciate everyone’s help. Thank you!

Glenda,

I have never heard of WeatherBarr, they appear to be very regional, but i did look through their website and I didn't see anything there that caused me concern. I did like their website and I thought it was professional and reasonably thorough when compared with many others that I have looked through in the past.

There are are a couple of options that I comment on but I am hoping that a few of the several window pros that frequent the site may know WeatherBarr or has had a chance to visit the website can also offer up their opinion.

Liked the website, windows looked to have solid build, Don‘t think I have seen a a snap in j channel before, nice touch with the continuous sill and header on multi units , not sure I like the T design though. Not much info on DP/PG , air, or U-values. Hard to tell if this a bulky frame or not. I think I would to see more chambers in the frame and sashes.

Trying to finalize my decision. Would you mind reading the info on the picture and letting me know what you think?

Is that a casement or DH cutaway. Either way, pretty standard stuff and the exterior lacks a bit of softness that can plague vinyl when it isn't designed with that acknowledgment in mind.

Would you recommend fiberglass over this vinyl window?

The conversation of vinyl vs. fiberglass is usually more about options and aesthetics than it is about functionality. What do you want as far as a look? I don't know that window, but it appears (cursory review) to be decently engineered. Despite all the poppycock about fiberglass being stronger, that is mostly BS and almost entirely as it would apply to window strength. If that were really the case, the highest DP/PG rated windows would all be fiberglass....they aren't.

That’s a relief because I actually like this particular vinyl window. It has the look I want and has color options I need. Thank you for the advice!

I would recommend fiberglass over vinyl. 10+ years experience with Marvin Infinity fiberglass windows. They continue to perform and look as they did when installed. The home next door is on their second set of vinyl windows within a bit longer time frame. Several casement windows installed in fiberglass were not available in vinyl. Vinyl did not have the strength to support the glass size when open. When comparing the dimensions of the glass vs the frame the fiberglass option for any size offered significantly more glass and less frame than the vinyl. And Marvin has released a new line with even slimmer frames. The Modern Line has denser fiberglass framing material for more strength to get slimmer frames.

The OP hasn't received any first hand reviews of WeatherBarr vinyl windows. I would ask the company for customers to contact from 10 years ago. Ask them for their experiences. Window salesmen for the company are similar to car salesmen for this info. They got nothing.

Here's a builder's experience with vinyl windows. Starts at 9:00 in-

Let's ask Matt who supplies his windows, free of charge, for his builds. Then lets talk about his impartiality.

”bargain basement priced windows are going to be problems regardless of material.