Sam Goh, Most dealers would be happy to sell to you even if they are hours away. But how much are you saving for that hassle? The local dealer is less likely to help you out with any problems if you left the area to make your purchase. That one small change you want to make after the fact might be $200 from your local dealer, but $800 if the other dealer has to make the drive to you. Same with Home Depot-do you think HD is going to help you at all if you need help later? If it's an appliance that will wear out in 5 yr anyway, that's one thing. When it's a part of your house that will be there for decades, I'd be glad to pay even a few thousand more from a reputable dealer that will be there for the minor problems. If you have ~60 windows, just keep in mind that it will be exponentially more expensive for you if you have to change them all out in 5-10 yr because they're junk... Just my $0.02, hope you can find a good solution that works well for you.

First mulberries of 2011! Here in CA just got our first berries today! I went to the neighbors who are novices and they taught ME something. After growing up every year collecting berries on old sheets, they showed me an easier way! They had some sheet plastic that comes in a roll. Like the kind painters use, that unfolds to be about 10 feet wide. Just roll out several sheets of plastic on the ground below your tree (cutting the roll to size as you lay it out.) Then use rakes or other long handled tools to shake the branches. If you have an 8 year old handy, you can get them to climb up and shake the branches too! So lucky to have white mulberries today as I have not had them since I was a kid. I agree, they are very sweet, and do not have the flavor of the purple ones, but then they don't stain your skin or ruin your clothes either! I was so excited to see all these recipes here! My neighbor and I collected about 10 gallons of berries tonight, we didn't even get all the way around either tree, and the harvest has just started! Guess what we will be doing all week! Just glad there is freezer space! Can't wait to try all these recipes! Thanks again!

Inserts are fine if your original windows were installed really well and there are no air leaks etc. around the old frames. In my case, I'm dealing with a 100 year old home. 30 odd years ago someone came along and did aluminum insert windows. So they hauled out the double hung sashes and slapped aluminum inserts in the cavity. What they of course missed was the fact that the original wood windows were installed with little to no insulation around the rough framing and the brick walls, and the wood window frame itself just sits nailed into the rough framing with little to no insulation (no spray foam in 1910). Plus, there are massive cavities on either side of each window where the counter weights still reside. Nice big open unsealed uninsulated cavities. On top of that, the lathe and plaster construction on the interior of the solid brick walls is such that there is a 1 inch cavity behind all the plaster (vertical strapping on the walls to which the horizontal lathe is nailed). So, all the nice cold air comes in around the old window frames and permeates the walls. Runs into the floor and ceiling joists and continues its journey putting a chill through the house. Factor in a 3 story house with very tall 5-6 foot windows and you get a ton of heat loss. In this case, a full tear-out is the only thing worth doing. Interior trim is all going, the counterweights will come out, loads of spray foam will go in around the rough framing to seal to the brick walls, and the new windows will be installed properly in the rough framing sealed up with more foam. Fresh trim inside and out. Expensive yes, but the only reason to do this is to make the house more comfortable. The few dollars we might save in heating and cooling costs are irrelevant. So again, if the current windows are installed well and you have no heat loss around them, inserts are fine.

I only repair windows and can say I've reinstalled my fair share of misinstalled windows, correcting every problem imaginable. Rarely are windows installed per basic manufacturers instructions because either builders/remodelers think the way they did it for the last 1000 times is the best... or they don't have the time or money to do it right. I am in the process of replacing the windows in my own house. Now here is the kicker... I now have 4 types of windows 15 year old andersen, 15 yo weathershield, 15 yo no name, 1 year old Andersen. I get ice on the weathershields, lots of water on the no names, little condensation on old Andersens and the new Andersens are bone dry... all in the same house. Problems are almost always due to poor installation but no one wants to pay the price it costs for a great install. Oh well.