Greetings - I am looking specifically for recommendations on some new windows for my home.
It's a 35 YO split level in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. We do get cold weather but mostly hot weather, direct sun on the windows on three sides of the house.
The house is going to be remodeled from the roof down - new shingles, fascia and soffits, as well as siding. Gonna be putting up Hardiplank siding, and AZEK trim boards and possibly brick mold around the windows.
I went to a home show a few weeks ago, and heard some wild and contradictory claims from window company reps who said that their window technology was better than the other guys.
Basially I have old single-pane wooden windows on the house now. I want to replace them with more maintenence-free and energy efficient windows
- wooden on the inside, and they can be whatever works on the outside.
The current technology seems to be either aluminum, vinyl or other molded plastic coverings over a wooden window. The aluminum cladding is either extruded or pressed and joined over the wood. One aluminum guy says that the extruded aluminum is superior to the pressed and joined aluminum covering and that aluminum is better than vinyl because it doesn't expand and contract as much as vinyl The Vinyl guys say that the coloring on the exteriors won't wear out like the paint on the aluminum.
We simply want white or off-white windows for the house that need a minimum of maintenence given the weather conditions down here in NC. So we are looking for someone - a building contractor, an architect, etc - with some real experience with more than one type of window who can tell me the real life pros and cons of the different types of windows for sale in the RTP NC area and make some recommendations.
Please - no BS comments from people who really can't answer the question. Please respond through the group. Thanks!