Our home was built in 2001. We used Marvin Integrity windows throughout, except for three 12' wide patio sliders. Those are the high end Marvin. I would not buy Marvin windows again. We need to replace those sliders and I'm starting to look around.

Friends of ours had a factory built home, called a Wick Home, made by a housing manufacturer in the '70's out of Mazomanie, WI. They had to replace windows and were getting all these very expensive bids because none of their windows were standard sizes. The wife is from Monroe, WI area, where there is an Amish community. They redid their windows with the Amish for a very large savings. She had to go and pick them up and take them home for 3 days, while they did the work but it was about 15,000$ cheaper than the other quotes they were getting.

I'm also going to look into that. I haven't been happy with our windows. They get mold and peel paint along the inside casement frame, the big patio doors ice up in the winter along the bottom. The weatherstripping is brittle and breaks off in huge runs. The glass is cold in the winter and I don't think it reflects enough heat in the summer. We had 2 seals break. The Marvin rep came and they covered one, we are working on the other now. But we had to pay for the labor to uninstall the old one and put the new one in. It was at that point they learned that our patio fixed door was assembled backwards. Meaning the outside part of the glass was supposed to be inside. I just think all of this is enough to advise avoiding Marvin.

For no upkeep, avoid any wood in or on the window. Higher end vinyl or fiberglass would fit that bill... As far as full tear-out vs replacement style, that is not an easy answer. Lots of variables based on the existing units condition, configuration, size, do you want to replace your interior woodwork, etc.... I'll say this, most homes are pretty good candidates to get 95% of the benefit of new windows by simply doing replacements and saving a bunch of $$$ in the process. Then again, some circumstances tilt the scale toward full replacement. If you are looking at siding in the next few years, it would be ideal to do the windows at the same time if you elect to go the full framed route. The timing is less important with replacements.

Marvin makes nice windows, the Integrity is not their high end, however. Not to say that its not considered a higher end window in general, however, it is Marvin's most cost effective option.

What are the humidity levels in the home?