Where is the home? At -15...I am going to hazard a guess and say somewhere up North and possibly Canada?

Are we talking about new construction or replacement?

I said it earlier in another thread and don't want to sound like a broken record but based on your criteria (slim line, dark exterior, etc.) a fiberglass window might be a good fit.

There are some great vinyl units out there and they will do just fine, just depends on what look and construction type you are going with and what will fit or what is even available.

Aluminum (even thermally broken) is going to be ice cold and a condensation spot at those lows and burning wood.

Where is the home and that will tell me what is around and what might be a good fit.

How many units as well? While I would love to say, this is the best product and the cheapest...the two are usually mutually exclusive.

That being said, don't skimp if it means stretching the budget limits a bit to get the right window that will last forever and work best as well as fit your visual goals.

Sorry, new build in British Columbia on Shuswap Lake, and thank you for the reply. I'll just say money is going to be tight the next few years then we'll be laughing (hopefully, you never know!) Utility connections have been ridiculously expensive, pile on removing a good chunk of timber and 97 loads of rock/dirt and the expenses add up quickly.

Of the 4 fiberglass quotes, the cheapest is about $25k after tax for 27 windows, not including install. In doing research I realized they were going to cost more than vinyl but roughly $600/window more??? We have some big windows 7060's but just as many small 2020's etc. We can't justify spending $15,000 extra just to have a nice looking surround.

I'm all for spending a bit more for a better product, but windows aren't the only cost and as most know thats what turns a $350k budget into $500k and this mortgage will be taken on for 3-4 years without any extra income.

Are there any other suitable options besides white/beige vinyl, and if not then Milgard? I mean $5000 extra, probably doable, $15k extra...beige vinyl it is!

There are some nice vinyl options in Canada but I would also encourage you to shop that price on Fiberglass.

There are more fiberglass manufacturers in Canada than in the states by far.

Who was your fiberglass quote from?

Fibertec was $25,000 but was offered 5% more off when i told the sales rep it was out of our budget

Milgard Ultra through a local rep was 23,xxx

Cascadia was 26,xxx for 21 windows (quoted 1st, we changed the design slightly and 2 small windows were completely missed for the quote).

those were Canadian companies, I also checked with 2 in Washington state but prices were marginally better, then once you factor in currency exchange + duties + travel costs they were more than the above 3, not to mention warranty/risk of damage with travel etc. I received a couple aluminum/thermal break quotes as well but same sort of thing so I ruled out any further WA companies.

Have a quote for the below which i need to do more review on as it's at the top of our price range. Thoughts?

Design Series Harmony Black Metal Clad Vinyl by PlyGem. $14,382.40 plus taxes

Have you tried Accurate Dorwin or InLine?

WOW-thanks for the recommendations. I've tried to email you but it doesn't allow me to? When searching for companies they didn't come up so I'll have to check into them.

The local shops carry Milgard, Jeld-wen and Plygem. We like the milgards warranty as we plan on having this place til we die (in our mid 30's) and in research we found it's great for 1st owners (although there does seem to be quite a few complaints..due to the volume or?). Plygem we have a solid quote on aluminum clad vinyl but in research I've found their customer service/warranty is a major downfall.

From local Milgard reps (which is a huge bonus) we have a few quotes

Milgard Ultra Fiberglass $23k. We have a few ridiculously priced windows with a couple minor mods and some negotiating I'm sure we can get down to the $17k range

Milgard Aluminum thermal break $15k

Milgard Montecito $14.5k

SHGC on the Aluminums is .33, Ufactor .37 VLT .58

compared to the fiberglass and vinyl which are virtually the same at .23, .29, .52

We're leaning towards the aluminums as this was our original thought and the price is right (finally found a decent quote). It is a vacation home, no building code, no inspections. Will be used 90% in summer, 10% for winter skiing and primarily wood heat. These performance numbers seem ok? Any input from others is greatly appreciated to. Thanks WOW.

Based on your occupancy projections, you can't really go wrong with aluminum.

They will probably sweat in the winter but if you aren't there that much and keep the heat super low, you shouldn't have any issues.

Great to hear, thanks for helping out. I'll now work on a few extras or bringing the costs down a bit.