If Youre building a contemporary home with lots of glass, the budget will go up. If you want specialty operating windows like bifolds, and multi paneled doors ...that will also raise the price. Figure ten percent or more on moderate contemporary jobs. But the sky is the limit. On an average traditional style home, plan to spend $25,000 to $35,000+ for a mid range home in $475,000 build range. unless youre only staying a couple years in the house you really don't want to use vinyl. Most will start having problems around year 10. No way around it. A $4,000 window budget is NOT realistic for someone building a semi custom home. For $4,000 you get Single hung windows with practically no warranty. It is probably the lowest priced windows that the above contractor could source. He is trying to make a profit and its getting harder and harder to do. A good clad window or Fiberglass window is expected to last 20 plus years. Read your warranties. Just because it has a lifetime warranty against rot, just means it doesn't have any wood in it. Look farther than that. What is the glass warranty and paint warranty. Steer clear of clad windows that have rolled form aluminum on the sash. Better brands have discontinued manufacturing rolled form clad wood products. Here is what anyone in the construction industry should tell you if you plan on staying in the home long term. Buy the Best Windows You Can Afford. Doing exterior renovations later on are a hassle and typically cost more than interior renovations. Spend a little less on your counter tops and spend a little more on your exterior materials. Hope this helps.

We were also wanting windows with black interiors and exteriors. For us the local availability brought it down to a choice between Pella or Milgard fiberglass windows. The Pella offerings were somewhat pricier, and we could never quite understand the why of it. We wound up selecting Milgard Ultra, and we're happy with the end results. And Milgard's warranty was fantastic, as our landscaper accidentally hit one window with a stone and chipped it, but Milgard replaced the insert without so much as a blink. One factor is whether a particular manufacturer's black is acceptable to you. Milgard's is called Black Bean, which is a bit lighter than true black, and I fussed over this for quite a while. Pella's may have been very slightly blacker, but also not true black. Now that we can see the final product in place, it looks fine. Good luck on your project. Brian

Hello Jbrig - Great question. The finish choice may be influenced by your location. Coastal applications usually require the 2605 finish but people throughout the U.S. may request the upgrade if they want to be assured of extended longevity of the finish. Seeing that you are in upstate South Carolina, but not knowing exactly where, the 2605 finish may be a wise choice. You may have already seen this, but for reference, I am providing a link to our clad colors brochure PDF, There is a table on the back page with additional information on coastal weathering and the differences between the two specifications: AAMA 2604 and 2605 Information In addition, here are a few more details about the paint system that I hope will help with your decision: Windsor factory applied heat-cured painted finishes are durable and very colorfast. The Super Durable Polyester TGIC and Fluoroset® resin-based paints block damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun and repel general air pollution. They will not whiten or pit when exposed to dew, fog, rain or acid rain and will retain their color and gloss level for many years, based respectively on meeting AAMA 2604 or 2605 specifications. However, to assure that they retain their original beauty, even these highly durable finishes should be cleaned occasionally. When selecting a cleaning solution, use mild soap solutions and avoid using strong acid or alkali cleaners as they may damage the finish. If I can be of further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out.

I am not sure what is available in tour area since many of the better brands are regional. Some would be Soft-Lite , Vytex, Okna and Polaris. These are all available with a black exterior only but does add cost. I thought the wood Ultrex was typically higher, I’m sure it would be higher if you want the interior prefinished.