I posted last week that I am "replacing rotting wood windows with aluminum clad." I'm still waiting on estimates, but primarily considering extruded aluminum clad by Marvin, possibly Semco, and I guess I should toss Andersen in the mix too.

I have an EFIS (synthetic stucco) exterior home in East Tennessee. Architectural aesthetics and window features are important to me, but I'm primarily concerned about installation and water leakage. EFIS stucco must be properly sealed to prevent water damage, and thus far, has for obvious reasons happened around our windows and doors.

A post from an architect, Mightyanvil, on this forum in Oct. 06, inspired my questions. He said:

"For installation, I always instruct the contractor to use the Jeld-Wen instructions that call for using sill flashing in the rough openings and then putting the windows in and flashing their frames to the sheathing (not the underlayment) with Vycor or butyl tape being sure to cover the fin-to-frame joint and allow drainage at the bottom. A surprising number of contractors tell me that's the way they install windows now."

Window installers and experts, please respond. Is this advice appropriate or relevant to my situation? What's your best advice on install as it pertains to EFIS stucco? I really want to insure that my windows, whichever ones I choose, are installed properly. I only want to do this once, and after some of the horror stories I've read about problems with all of the top window brands, I'm nervous!! Please reply. Thanks!!