marti8a- We have 2 sets of aluminum clad, low e, argon filled sliders and a set of the same outward opening french doors, all by Eagle (now owned by Andersen, but independent when we purchased them 8 years ago). They all operate easily, close securely and have no air infiltration, we are in NNY and have wind, cold and snow and have never had a problem. While I like the look of french doors better, we chose sliders in two our of three locations because we wanted screens on the doors, we don't have or want A/C, so screens are on the doors are a must for us. The one french door we have will someday open onto a small sunroom/conservatory (hopefully), that's why we chose a set of french doors in that area. Eagle, as well as the other well known manufacturers, have lots of options on the interior; primed, painted, stained, different wood species, hardware options, etc. We rented a house with vinyl sliders when we were building and I would not recommend them at all, they didn't work well, ice built up in the channels and the cold air poured in seemingly from the entire opening. I strongly prefer the wood interior and aluminum clad exterior, but overall I would get the best ones you can afford, good doors and windows pay for themselves in the form of lower energy costs. Good luck- sandyponder

When choosing a hinge styled pair of doors. The biggest issue is clear spanned swing area for the doors to operate. If they swing in are they going to take up to much room in this area? If they swing out will they knock someone down the steps? These are the questions you must ask yourself before you make the purchase. A glider doesn't require any clearance so it offers a great alternative for close quarters. French doors on the other hand need to swing one way or the other. As for the screen issue that's easy. Pella doors and windows were born from the Rollscreen company back many years ago. That's what started their entire enterprise. The phantom screen installs inside the unit either way. Even their gliding unit has an interior sliding screen. Andersen just released their new invisible screen which is amazing in itself. I totally agree with DKB on pointing out the multi point locking of doors. We install doors and windows daily and I always push products which offer a higher security to the consumer. It's much easier to sleep at night knowing your safe. Marvin also offers a great door system. I'm a big Pella fan so I'm biased. So spend some time to go and check out the products displayed somewhere before you buy. They're all great products!!

Thanks for your comments. I have tried to convince the installer to use some sort of pan system, but he states that he has installed hundreds of doors (he is a Marvin master installer) and notes that he always places Marvin doors on bare wood and never has had a problem because he uses so much adhesive. The other choice for a Marvin installer (as listed on the Marvin web page) is really too far away. I appreciate the note about the adjustable hinges. That is an important consideration. Our house is 25 years old, but our current door sometimes does stick.

Look at the energy and "PG" ratings of any of the brands listed in the posts above. Use the manufacturers own literature. Mathews Brothers Sanford Hills series windows have some of the best ratings of each class of window, especially when ordered with "Low E and argon filled" that meet the Energy Star 6 "Northern" climate zone In standard ready-to-order configuration. The other brands can achieve higher energy ratings, but almost all need special options and/or add on packages to meet the "Northern" climate zone. In 2003 I built a SIP post & beam/log home in south-central Vermont and used Andersen 400 tilt-wash series double hung, 21 of them and 3 sets of Andersen 400 series frenchwood sliding doors. I loved the windows & doors! Loved the wood but not the constant winter condensation and temperature transmittance. The windows sashes, especially the uppers will need replacement eventually, very soon if the new owners don't keep wiping the condensation up every day (more than once a day when really cold) as my wife and I did. Since 2019, I work in the building industry here, in Northeast New England, and we began using Mathews Brothers Sanford Hills series windows in mid 2020. We build very tight, code compliant houses and get energy standard approval certification on every one (unless the owner does not want it). We have had to add extra exterior insulation and other modifications on some homes to compensate for some brands of windows because the energy efficiency was not good enough. In most cases, when we ran the energy calculations on the same home without the modifications, with the the Sanford Hills windows, the house would pass the energy efficiency calculations. Additionally, the standard PG (Performance Grade) rating of the Sanford Hills units tends to be excellent higher then most other brands standard units. We use the Sanford Hills Line because the energy ratings tend to be better than the Spencer Walcott, and more types/sizes seem to be available.