You really need to determine what look you want first. There are no real issues with the expansion concerns with the darker vinyl windows. They do a very good job rejecting a bunch of the heat with the paint technology. If you surveyed the top 10 performing windows, a majority will be vinyl and usually at a better price. You have a good list there.

pshank, I would add sunrise to your list of windows. They are made in Michigan and are very well received on this forum and have triple pane options. I plan on going with them on my new construction.

+1 Be sure to specify the reinforcement with the triple pane.

WoW- thanks for the input. All the windows will be casements, awning or fixed (no grilles on any) with the most common being 36"x 66" casements (singles) and 30"x66"(triple mulled units). Interior trim is white so I cannot see spending money on a wood faced window on this project. The building will be up on a steep hill surrounded by maples and seasonal views of the water on the east side where a vast majority of the windows will be ( smaller and fewer windows on W,N,S sides). Am I correct that Integrity does not do foam filled or triple panes? Also thanks for the recommendation of Sunrise everyone, however it appears their spacers are Stainless- I really like the "super" spacers the Canadian companies are using and while I would love to give a MI co my business, I can't see going with triple panes and then having STainless spacers. Am I off base on this?

Lastly, I am not clear on what specs/reinforcements I need to ask for on the triple pane windows.

I am not sure on that one. Don't worry about the stainless spacer. That is a Cardinal glass technology and Cardinal, in my mind, is probably the most advanced glass maker in the world (on a large scale). If you are going to compare window performance, the more applicable and apt measurement data point is U-Factor. Compare the U-Factors and get the CPD number from each of the windows you are comparing.

Hi gang - a few more questions.

1.) I had been leaning toward fiberglass initially due to the strength and the expansion characteristics. However, I am now feeling more comfortable with high end vinyl. My question is about the strength of the large casement windows. Most of the single casements will be 36"x66" and the mulled units will be 3 wide of 30"x66" casements (center fixed). With triple panes that seems like a lot of glass and weight. Are my concerns valid?

2.) I will be getting some price quotes this Friday from a few local distributors of some of the Canadian fiberglass brands (just received the Marvin Integrity quote on triple panes and was floored by cost especially since it is not foam insulated) and getting quotes on Sunrise and Okna. Can one of you window pros provide an anticipated cost comparison between Inline/Fibertech/Thermotech in fiberglass and Sunrise & Okna for vinyl? Also how much of a typical savings are there in the vinyl windows over fiberglass?

3.) After reading more on Sunrise and Okna, I saw a few other treads on different sites where WoW and Homesealed commented. On question I had was type of foam insulation used in the window. Sunrise injects and Okna has inserts. How big of an issue (and how common) are the voids with injected foam and which method providers better improvements to the window's strength for triple pane glass support.

4.) I am leaning towards the Okna as the top vinyl option based on the type of spacer, user comments, and it sounds like it offers a better (more foolproof) seal. Is that a fair estimate?

5.) What is the maximum size of a built-in J-channel on Sunrise and Okna. Both width outside window and depth for the siding projection.

6.) Lastly, on the Sunrise windows does anyone have experience with their interior jambs/trim? Seems like it would be much more efficient than having the trim guys do them; however, on-site trim may allow for more flexibility if the extension jambs are slightly off.

Thanks in advance for all your time/expertise!

I think you are referring to Sunrise " Madera " interior trim. Its pretty nice if its woodgrain. If its white, it doesnt really matter.

Hi everyone. So I have the bids coming in and unfortunately we no longer have a dealer in the area for Okna. I always like to have 3 products to get quotes on. I have bids from Soft-Lite and Sunrise distributors (getting 2nds quotes on each) but would like to know another great window to get some quotes on since Okna is now out of the equation. I want foam insulated frames and Super Spacers if possible - anything come to mind that should be available in Michigan? Simonton is available but I don't like what I see/read on them (not attractive, no foam, and no Super Seal spacers). Polaris and Polar Seal were mentioned by the local distributors but I cannot find good evaluations online and their websites leave much to be desired (as a whole it is surprising how bad many of these manufacturers websites are including highly regarded brands in both vinyl and fiberglass).

From what I have discussed with the local companies, if I go with a Super Seal I likely will not need a 3 pane window given that we will have good shade in summer and the west side of the house is blocked by a hill in the back so it would not be worth the extra costs. It makes sense but wondered what the experts on here think. the Thanks in advance!

To be honest, i think you are fine with soft lite and sunrise. The whole " get three estimates" advice isnt really etched in stone. In this case, 2 estimates are fine. remember, you are shopping for quality not so much price since they are mutually exclusive.

Not only that but you are getting two quotes each on Softlite and Sunrise. As master alluded to I hink you will be fine. The window speaks for itself and by getting pricing from two different installers you should be good.

Thanks everyone. I did just hear back from Inline on their fiberglass windows as they are putting together a quote for me but they sent me the brochure with specs and I was surprised that they were as bad as the Integrity lines (or close to). You had to go to triple panes to get U-Values and R-values of the 2 pane Soft Lites with Super Spacers. The air tightness looked good on them however. Am I missing something here? I thought Inline was one of the best Fiberglass options on the market. (Sovereign Series).

They are for fiberglass but again, the soft lite and sunrise will always render better performance numbers. As i said, you are good with those two brands,

Not missing anything. The real advantage to some of the Canadian fg units is in the air tightness when compared to something like an Integrity. That's the big difference. That said, unless you fit a pretty narrow category of folks for whom fiberglass makes the most sense, a premium vinyl will still beat it in most areas.