We will be building a new house in upstate SC. It will be a mid-upper end house. Primarily casement windows. We visited Marvin the other day and they were really pushing the wood-Integrity window, much more so than the main line Marvin Al-Clad window. This made me wonder why - I had explained price point, although always important, was not a driving issue at this time. I asked for a quote for both Integrity and Al-clad lines, but only received an Integrity quote . I will ask again.

Most of the Integrity talking points are comparing to Vinyl. But we are not even considering Vinyl. We will go with Al-Clad windows. Other windows of consideration are Kolbe Ultra, Lincoln, and Pella (that seems pretty much the choice around here - 90% of the new construction houses we see use one of these).

Also, finding detailed data on the Marvins (Integ or Clad) is quite difficult - especially Air Infiltration. The dealer had no info but just said they were of course very good.

The Integrity exterior finish is warranted for 10yrs, the Marv Al-clad for 20yrs, IG is 20 in both cases. Lincoln is 10/20, Kolbe 10/??. Pella is lifetime exterior and IG warranty.

I have seen a few threads on GW indicating Integrity exterior finish failures. People attributed this to paint failure - but the Integrity is pushed as having a "Mechanically Bonded Finish - 3 times thicker than the competition". The LAST thing I want is paint. What gives?

Likewise, many on this forum seem to despise Pella and Lincoln. All these windows look good in the showroom.

My question is, should we even be comparing the Integrity-Wood with Al Clad designs? Or is the Integrity best compared to Vinyl? How best to proceed?

Thanks in Advance.