" (I live in Eastern MA, which should be good for Harvey windows.) "

I would not use Harvey for anything. What else if available to you? Were is me, I would look at a Marvin Essential (all fiberglass) or Elevate wood interior, which would be fiberglass on the exterior and either fiberglass or wood interior depending on your choice.

Another vote for Marvin. Fiberglass functions as a frame material better than vinyl.

In your area there are companies offering European products including installation. European Architectural Supply3.2(5)Window supplierOpen24 Porter Rd Suite 2Based in Littleton, MA, EAS specializes in high-efficiency, custom-built European windows and doors (including patio doors) for projects like Passive House and Net Zero Energy buildings. They offer a wide range of materials, including wood, wood-aluminum clad, uPVC, and thermally-broken aluminum, and provide delivery and installation support services across the US. DECA Euro Windows & Doors5.0(1)ManufacturerOpen109 Apremont Way suite #2This company manufactures high-performance, European-style tilt-and-turn windows and doors in Westfield, MA. Their products are known for superior energy efficiency, soundproofing, and multi-point locking systems and can be custom-made to specific sizes and shapes. INICIO Windows + DoorsWindow supplierOpen104 Industrial CtThis supplier offers luxury, high-performance windows and doors crafted in Europe, with local service and technical support available.

Dan, you sound like you are really down on Harvey. Any particular reason? I am finding "decent" ratings for them.

A custom made European patio door sounds way over-the-top for my needs. But I feel ignorant about what I ought to be considering.

I went out looking, and saw a Provia patio door alongside the Harvey, and an Anderson. I wasn't at all impressed by the Anderson. The Harvey operated well, but I found the finish and the hardware unappealing. The Provia seemed better to me.

What do others think of Provia patio doors?

Nothing wrong with vinyl from a performance standpoint. I don't think the Harvey would fit the bill of higher performance vinyl in this case and I suspect that is @millworkman larger objection.

That combined with the fact that you want to paint the interiors makes the Elevate (Fiberglass - Wood hybrid) a good fit.

If performance is the driver of the consideration, there is absolutely nothing wrong with high performance vinyl doors and they will, on the average, be more numerous when examining the same top 10% of products in fiberglass.

" I am finding "decent" ratings for them. "

Customer service, fit and finish, and quality control in addition to mediocre performance. Remember the car maker Yugo was considered a good car at one point.................

when you that you " have a guy", Im assuming its not a window and door company? Sounds like a local guy that does everything?

when you say that you "have a guy", Im assuming its not a window and door company? Sounds like some local guy that basically claims to do everything?

What are the windows in the rest of the house?

If you have wood or aluminum clad windows in your home, adding a vinyl patio door is going to stand out like a sore thumb on the house. Vinyl doors and windows have a visually thicker profile,

William, when I say I "have a guy", he is a guy who owned a small local glass company for many years. While in that capacity he replaced a custom skylight in my condo. I was very impressed with his work and followup, and the company has a very good reputation locally. He has since sold the business and "retired". He is now working independently as a handyman in his retirement.

I could be wrong, but I trust his advice.

" I could be wrong, but I trust his advice. "

Then buy the door. It may be fine if you are ok with "decent"...................

Beverly, the windows in my condo are wood, as is my old slider, and date to 1985. I will probably replace them at some point.

Its a condo, but owners are responsible for windows and doors. The condo association has a committee that approves changes, and they have rules about the aesthetics, colors, etc. I used to be on that committee, and so are quite familiar with what windows and doors people have been installing. I was mostly focused on colors, not materials and brands.

The original patio doors (at least some of them, like mine) were wood and painted to match the trim. That varies from building to building, but on my building it is a cream color, similar to almond. But the original windows were all white, but surrounded with trim painted the trim color.

Most replacement patio doors have been white, again surrounded by trim painted the trim color. This has become an acceptable alternative to painting the door. It is a practical choice, since vinyl doors aren't intended to be painted, and when not painted they don't need to be repainted.

So at this point I'm willing to consider a door that is white on the outside. And I'm not concerned that a vinyl door will stand out as *different* than others.

I'm more concerned with what the door is like on the inside. My current patio door, all the windows, and all the trim, is white. But I don't love it that way, and have considered painting it. So I would like a patio door that starts out white on the inside but that is paintable. My understanding is that vinyl *can* be painted, but doing so requires special primers, and may be problematic.

Im sure he is good at what he does.

Those condo associations are absolutely ridiculous, they are a bunch of people that could never make it in politics and know nothing about windows/doors.

as long as the door is the same color and style as original, the association cannot do anything even if the frame on the door is slightly wider or more narrow than the original. You could even have it installed without their approval as long as you install with what I explained. They claim they can fine you but thats nonsense. That is a fact.

stay away from MARVIN windows and doors see bbbreviews