Harvey is average at best and I would stay away from lowes or Home Depot.
In the northeast you have access to the following companies that make high end vinyl which not only last but look very nice and actually add value opposed to detracting.
Look at Okna Windows, soft lite windows, sunrise windows, gorell.
You can probably google dealers of these companies in your area( state).
Remember, you only want to do this once so go with quality.

1) all vinyl windows are custom sized. Wood will need to be custom as well if you do pocket replacements rather than full tear outs. Even then, exact sizing is highly recommended. Most manufactures offer it for far less a premium than they used to, and it will result in less labor and a nicer finished product.
2) you might do some additional research prior to letting those companies in your home. One is know for high pressure, high price, and two are known for mediocre product and cut-rate labor. Agin, I'd just recommend researching them so you at least know what you are in for. My recommendation is a premium window from a good local company. I like okna, HiMark, softlite, sunrise, Polaris, and homeguard products. You can contact those manufacturers for dealer recommendation in your area. Some even have a dealer locater by zip code on their web site.

Agree, we only won't to do this once and do it right....one of my favorite sayings is "less is more in the long run".

Appreciate the feedback. One of the issue we have is the exterior wrapping is dented prior to us buying the home not to mention the caulking is completely dried and cracked. So my question is : to be replace the exterior surrounding or wrapping I'll call always done or do I need to specify it?

Any idea on the costs?

+1 to the other comments.

Take a breath and take a step back from the process. The nice thing about the lack of immediate need is that you can make a decision on your schedule and be sure that you have done your research and gotten the correct product for your application.

Typical window replacements (pocket/insert style) will require that all the capping and caulking be re-done.

Pretty home by the way.

Agree, you would get new capping with windows. Most dealers of higher end brands will do this automatically.

+2. Anyone that suggests replacing them without re-doing the capping is generally not the type of company that is "quality-minded". Certainly there are cases where it can be done and still look professional, but that is more the exception than the rule.

Does the capping on the exterior generally part of the entire quote? I recall one company saying that would be an extra expense . The last thing we want is having new windows and the framing around it looking crappy.

Homesealed- care to,share what you know those vendors. You can email, as I understand not wanting to say negative things in a public forum but I would welcome your thoughts.

I list the capping seperate from the windows. Everyone does it differently, so if you don't see it listed make sure to ask.

We listed the capping as separate as well, but I cannot remember a job where we did not do it.

A quick search of the boards will tell you everything you need to know about several of the brands/contracting companies that you have listed.

I would encourage you to expand your search a bit.

Received 1 quote
6 pella architect wood pre finished w/ tradition woods w simulated divided grills ~size 36"x 65 " $1055 each window
9 pella 20 series thermostar vinyl w/ grills $5450 total
Labor $3750 some full frame and some pocket installation, total 17 windows.
Any feedback?

Stay away from pella vinyl, very low quality same with Andersen ( silver line). Look into Okna Windows, Soft lite, or Sunrise.. I'm sure the other pro's will agree with me. The aforementioned brands look very nice as well
Most do quote capping separately. Keep in mind you have window headers which do not get capped.
These brands are available in the northeast by exclusive dealers which ensures that you don't get some handyman installing your windows.

Thanks.... If money was not a concern I would love to get all new wood windows, my other option and probably more of a reality is finding a manufacturer than has a nice wood like vinyl window.
I looked at some wood like vinyl and it looks incredibly fake.

Tomorrow we have more companies, still waiting on Sunrise to get back to me.

Sunrise, Okna, Soft-Lite, and HiMark are the brands that you will commonly see referred to as premium.

All of those above listed brands do a pretty solid job of producing one or more windows in their line that have an organic feel to them.

While I think the Pella 350 is a pretty solid window, there is not much good feedback on the lower Pella vinyl offerings.

Thanks...power remodeling group completed their visit ....nice kid but a horse and pony show. Quote for all vinyl 13 windows ~16k . I directly told him we wouldn't decide today probably in 2-3 weeks and then presented a lesser price if I decided before he left 14K . Stating something about using the same business model as UPS..... I am deep breathing.

Same business model as UPS ???? That's a new one .does power deliver your new windows in a box by a guy in a brown jump suit?

Lol@ mmarse.... You are going to find much of the same in terms of what the woodgrains look like. They are acceptable to most people as long as the color matches, and some colors actually look a bit more realistic than that grainy fake oak. Another option would be a composite stainable interior like the Starmark or infinity.

Great idea HomeSealed, Starmark or Infinity are great options with a stainable interior.

My head is spinning, spoke w 3 companies today....all sales pitches, god help me! Interestingly enough the last guy was going to show us the composite stainable but was a totally scripted sales guy and we told him he had an 1 hr of our time he said he needed 1 1/2 hr and would come when we could get him it....suffice to say he left and he are not seeng but he left a brochure on the composite stainable window. The sad thing I would have like to learn more about it because it sounds like a good option for us. But me and my DH do not respond to cheesy sales guys.
Homesealed: mentioned Interstate windows does that sound familiar? In any case I will research star mark and infinity, do you have any idea about prices on these windows, he said it would be more than vinyl but less than wood? Most of the windows are 36"x 60".

Most of the composites will be a bit more expensive than the standard vinyl offering but what company "X" charges depends on in large part on how they go to market.

The Starmark is a solid window and does look good when painted/stained up nicely.

The Infinity is also a very nice looking window. History and observation tend to show that window coming in a bit higher than the Starmark but again, it depends on the company.