You really are looking at some not so great windows . I would search for an okna, soft lite, or sunrise dealer. You are looking at least $500 per window with install based on a very simplistic install. $300 per window will not get you very much. crystal is total garbage and alside isnt far behind.

are you in nyc or Jersey?

Thanks Window1. I'm in lower Westchester. I was thinking $300 just for the window, not including installation.

How do you think Simonton windows compare to Crystal and Alside?

On the contractor side of the equation, most prefer the Simonton. Its, assuming you get a 5500 or 9800, a stout piece. Not the "prettiest gal at the ball", but a strong window.

Crystal and Alside are pretty much the lower rung on the ladder in terms of window quality. As WoW stated while not the prettiest the Simonton is definitely a solid product.

Do you have a recommendation for a prettier window with a relatively thin frame that is not too expensive?

What type of window are you looking for? Do these have to be historic for brownstones or anything like that? Casements, double hungs, awnings?

I'm looking for white double hung windows, probably with 6 grids over 1. It's an old house from 1905 but there is no historic landmark review or anything like that. The siding is a mix of wood shingles and stucco. I'm thinking that I could paint the trim white to match the windows and they would blend in well.

I'd just like to find a window that's not too expensive and not too ugly. Some of the vinyl windows haveframes that are very bulky. It doesn't have to be the very best at energy efficiency.

Here's a picture of the house if that helps.

Right now there are ugly white storm windows, some replacement vinyl windows from Home Depot, and some old (but not original) wood windows that are in bad shape and are also ugly.

Pretty home.

Thanks, Windows on Washington.

What do you think about paying extra to get Anderson 400 wood windows?

The frame is about 1/2 inch thinner than vinyl windows. They still have vinyl jambs, though.

I noticed at the window store that every window looks 100% better with a nice casing around it.

Nice house Michael. What type of windows did you really want on the house? Dark colored? Wood? I think you can get Vinyl windows that are colored. I am more familiar with European style windows since that is what I grew up with. European windows have uPVC as the base and many have color options that look like wood. Many times, people think the windows are wood until they touch them. I know of one vendor who builds these in the NYC area - Starr Windows. Depending on the options, they should be close to your price point.

Good luck!

If the 1/2" is the deciding factor than no. There are thinner vinyl windows out there than the 400. If you want wood, sure. I would be sure to look over in some of the other premium wood windows's direction a well.

Thanks Windows on Washington. What vinyl windows should I be looking at that have thinner frames?

Soft-Lite Bainbrige, Sunrise Restorations/Vanguard, and Okna 500 all have good performance ratings while maintaining thin profiles.

The softlite pro series is pretty thin as well.

Michael Sweet Home looks like Brooklyn? Shame you cannot put in Some Marvin Kolbe or Loewen this home deserves some quality eyes to look out of. Crystal although as WOW has said is on the lower end of the Totum pole they are improving. I would not install vinyl in such an attractive home.

Update:

I ended up getting quotes for MI, Okna, Soft-Lite, and Sunrise windows.

MI 1650: $11k

Okna 500: $12K

Soft-Lite $11K

Sunrise Essentials: $10k.

I was able to see and examine MI, Okna, Alside, Crystal, Ideal, Silverline, and Simonton windows. Aesthetically, they all pretty much looked the same to me. Other than flat vs contour grids and some having a sloped sill vs sill with weep holes, I couldn't really tell much difference.

The main thing I noticed was the dramatic impact of having a window casing. Some dealers showed the windows with wood window casings, and these displays looked MUCH better than displays of the naked windows. This made me feel better that the windows could blend in and in fact look very nice with white wood trim.

I was all set to get MI windows since that's what my contractor usually uses. But the dealer stopped answering my calls on the deadline to order and I missed the production deadline. Since I had an extra week, I decided to try to get quotes for Okna, Soft-Lite, and Sunrise.

I was surprised to find an Okna dealer only 15 minutes from my home. He was very responsive and helpful and highly rated on Angie's List. Unfortunately the dealers for Sunrise and Soft-Lite were 1.5 hours away. I didn't have time to go that far to see them and didn't feel comfortable buying windows without actually having seen the windows up close.

Long story short: I ordered Okna 500's yesterday. They were more expensive but I liked the piece of mind of having the dealer nearby in case there are any problems in the future. As I said, I really couldn't tell much difference in the windows just by looking, so I'm going entirely on your all's advice that these are high-quality windows.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Not that you need reassurance, but you did order the right window. The only window in that comparison that would have been a good comparison would have been the Soft-Lite and it would have to have been the Imperial LS or Elements. Based on the earlier discussions about frame widths, both of those Soft-Lite units come in at the thicker size. I think you got the best window of the group and the best aesthetic.

Michael, I'm a bit mystified as to why you would think all those windows look the same. The MI, alside, silverline all look distictively different than the higher quality windows such as okna, sunrise, and soft lite.

in fact, many of my customers focus on the aesthetic advantages the higher end windows offer opposed to the lower quality products such as MI and Silverline which are flimsy and cheap looking. I actually carry a lower end window with me just so my customers can see the difference side by side. To me, as well as my customers, the difference is rather large.