Wondering why a "clad" product when you could have all vinyl... honestly the best choice for windows. Why choose vinyl? Vinyl windows have welded corners which are strong and leakproof. Be sure to look closely at the corners of products you're considering. If corners are screwed, stapled or glued, they will leak over time. You could not only have damaged windows, but a damaged structure, as well. Vinyl is so durable it resists fading, it's maintenance free, and it lasts a lifetime. In fact, our windows have a transferable, Limited Lifetime Manufacturer's Warranty plus the Good Housekeeping Seal 2-yr. money back guarantee. That's how sure we are about the quality of Earthwise vinyl windows. Although many don't realize this, vinyl is a sustainable product. Did you know the main substance used to produce vinyl is an abundant resource? It's salt! And vinyl is 100% recyclable. So why waste trees? Vinyl windows are some of the best in energy efficiency. At our company, we take energy efficiency one step further: We built our windows and patio doors to provide optimum performance for your specific climate. Forget the ads you're hearing now that suggest vinyl windows will warp - it's just adspeak. It's actually wood, composites, fiberglass and aluminum that warp over time. I hope you'll have a few minutes to look into the reality of today's vinyl windows because they're certainly very affordable. (Just our 2-cents worth...)

Hi, I did get them. I then sold my house. The windows did help with noise, but there were a few problems: The house was almost 100 year old and had a crawl space, so noise and vibrations still came up through the floor. I could feel car stereos, etc. It had the original glass front door and matching front window that added a great aesthetic value, so I did not want them replaced. They also faced the busy street and therefore noise was still quite loud in the living room. A front bedroom also facing the street but with all new windows was noticeably quieter, but you could certainly still hear outside noise. Third, I am extremely sensitive to noise. Much more so than the average person. So what others might not even notice, I often find intolerable. Other issues encountered: Most of the windows installed did not stay open upon installation. The Brothers installers believed that the windows did not have the correct balances, i.e. the "sound package" glass was heavier than the usual glass, but that was not accounted for in the manufacturing, so the windows were too heavy to stay open. After reading the horror stories of trying to deal with installers and manufacturers, I was not going to wait months just to get the runaround, so I refused to pay the rest of the bill until they fixed the problem. Brothers was helpful, but Simonton reps were a pain. I insisted that the Brothers supervisor come out to oversee the Simonton people when inspecting and adjusting the windows, which he did. They were then fixed, but that should never have happened. Shortly after installation I found water pooled in one of the window frames. There was a ton of rain this year, so maybe it would have eventually drained/dried. I don't know, but it was a bit concerning. The light filtering properties, which I had been told were not noticeable, were very noticeable to me. The light coming in had a greenish cast and made things darker. I think most people wouldn't notice, but again, I have sensory issues. To me it felt like I was wearing polarized sunglasses in the house. I asked about it and was told it was unavoidable in the energy efficient windows. So that's my experience. I did NOT get triple glazed, so those might really cut out noise more. I personally would not buy these again just because after installation I didn't feel the noise reduction was sufficient to warrant the hassle. I will say it was quieter in my bedroom, BUT I like to sleep with my windows ajar, which defeated the purpose of noise reduction.

the higher end windows are offering "sound" windows.....STC glass which is two different thicknesses . We are going with Marvin and the STC glass is adding about $1300. to the quote [3-4 windows]. Here are ways this has been done in the recent past: 1. laminated ...very expensive 2. triple pane...very heavy unit and with any glass seal failure you can have the failure in more places 3. variable thickness of two panes ...this has come in cheaper than laminated and seems to be what will be offered going forward from the window lines that are keeping up with demand. The reality is people are moving into urban areas...high density and noise is becoming more of a problem ...expect to see MORE of the Noise reduction window glazing.

Anderson rep was presenting the vinyl clad with engineering wood inside option. Not sure which specific line it is. She was from Renewal by Anderson. Any particular reasons why you suggest against Pella/Alside - is it the low-end /vinyl part or brands in general? Would the wood on inside of elevate not be susceptible to rot? also eventually i plan to replace windows and in my budget would very likely be vinyl, will they look really out of place with a wood (painted white) pine patio door? (i dont have windows in that same room, but would be in adjacent/other rooms. for reference i replaced interior doors last year with menards 6 panel wood painted white). lastly, any thoughts on Marvin essential series (vinyl), likely to be cheaper as well. sorry for all the follow-ups, there are so many options and not having enough expertise/experience/feedback on who to trust, getting very confusing. glad we have this site with experts like you guys contributing.