Replacement window pro cons?

[Bill Bob]

Front sunroom has 6 small windows below 6 tall glass panes.  The wood frame on the smaller 6 that measure 28X28 inches each are now showing their age after 26 years of painting scraping etc.  Options are Wood windows but  do not want to paint or stain. Vinyl seems to be what most companies are using while a few others are fiberglass.  Does anyone  have anything to offer as far as either vinyl or fiberglass? I see fiberglass is about $200 more for each window of that size.   Will vinyl twist or bow in the sunshine here in Pa.?
Regards
Bill

[R Clark]

In a previous house, we had all the original wood windows replaced with inexpensive vinyl clad windows; it was one of those "replace any window for $199 installed" deals.  We were happy with the result.  Quieted the house down when strong north winds blew in and got rid of the drafts.  We stayed in the house for four years after the work was done; our good opinion of the result remained during that time.

If I recall correctly, the brand name on the windows was "Great Lakes." It wasn't our "forever home" and never would be, so we didn't go high-end on replacements.  Even at that, they sure were an upgrade over the original windows.

I don't see any reason why you should shy away from vinyl windows in PA.

[mad_planter]

Front sunroom has 6 small windows below 6 tall glass panes.  The wood frame on the smaller 6 that measure 28X28 inches each are now showing their age after 26 years of painting scraping etc.  Options are Wood windows but  do not want to paint or stain. Vinyl seems to be what most companies are using while a few others are fiberglass.  Does anyone  have anything to offer as far as either vinyl or fiberglass? I see fiberglass is about $200 more for each window of that size.   Will vinyl twist or bow in the sunshine here in Pa.?
Regards
Bill

The biggest downside is that you will lose window size.  Since the replacements fit between the existing window jam you end up with less glass space.

[fredhargis]

The Renewal by Anderson replacements are advertised as being a different material, the name of which escapes me at the moment. But you might want to search their stuff to see what they offer. Ditto the comment above about loosing window size, we had the ones in our last house replaced and that was the biggest difference I noticed.

[Snipe Hunter]

The Renewal by Anderson replacements are advertised as being a different material, the name of which escapes me at the moment. But you might want to search their stuff to see what they offer. Ditto the comment above about loosing window size, we had the ones in our last house replaced and that was the biggest difference I noticed.

Renewal by Anderson are very good windows if you don't want wood. A big issue with vinyl windows is that they all have incredibly amazing warranties but tend to go out of business as soon as the claims start. I sold a very good vinyl window made in NJ called Survivor. Sold the heck out of them. One day they closed up so we started selling Dura-Shield. They were made in the same factory. Identical to the Survivor but owned by a new corporation. Same staff when I'd call to order windows.

Look into MI Windows. They have some sort of relationship with Cerainteed now, not exactly sure what it is. They've been around a long time. Several plants in the US. They were originally called Metal Industries and made aluminum framed windows and sliding doors and have several lines (quality levels) of products. I'm sure there's a supplier near you. 84 Lumber used to sell them, maybe they still do. MI was the higher end vinyl window sold by the place I worked for.

[fixtureman]

My daughter has MI windows and patio doors and they are just a little above CR*P

[Snipe Hunter]

My daughter has MI windows and patio doors and they are just a little above CR*P

Maybe they're the low end MI?

[Tapper]

I've had good luck with Jeld-Wen windows. I bought them with aluminum cladding on the exterior (no maintenance) and wooden interior. After 10+ years would buy them again.

Doug