The best window for the price of that group is the Softlite Elements. That's actually really aggressive pricing for it.

+1

Without question, that is the best window and most aggressive price I have ever seen on it.

Wonderful! Thank you both!!

Hello there,
I am from Marietta,GA and I am right now getting quotes for windows. I have 18 oversized windows, 1 regular patio door and 1 3 pane patio door. Altogether for slocomb I got around 12K, Vytex Georgetown around the same price.

Where did you get softlite quotes from?

Hey basu76! I'll send you an email with the information.

Soft lite elements without question while the Excalibur is bottom of barrel.
As for Vytex, ask to see the Potomic or the Fortis, they are both solid windows.

thanks lil_tee, to take time out and discuss. As i started this process about 3 days back, I am still a little dicey.

I am kind of zeroing on Sunrise or Soflite.

Here are my window dimensions, 4 windows are tempered glass, either because they are near bath tub or are too near to the ground.
1 - 22 x 48
1 - 36 x 48
4 - 48 x 48
3 - 60 x 60
2 - 36 x 70
1 - 96 x 47
1 - 60 x 45
1 - 32 x 79
1 - 36 x 60
2 - 60 x 60
1 - 6 ft patio, 1 - 9 ft patio

I got 14300$ [11175$ for windows and 3500$ for patio] , for Sunrise (Ultra Plus 12)

Softlite Elements for (13,500$ for windows) and about 4K for Patio. Softlite Bainbridge windows for about 10,500 (I didn't really like the looks that much).

Any thoughts?

What model window inside the Sunrise line.

The Soft-Lite Elements pricing is certainly within what I see as a normal range.

Any more details on the windows and installation (i.e. grids, wood out, trim wrapping, wood rot, etc)?

mmarse1,
Thanks so much for the input! This is actually an old thread that was brought back to life by someone who has some of the same questions I did when I was getting quotes for new windows. I did end up going with the SoftLites and I love them, but it's still nice to get the reaffirmation from you. Thanks again!

basu76,
I'm just a homeowner who was doing what you're doing now, so I can't really weigh in with any kind of expert opinion. I can say that I'm very happy with the SoftLites and the company that installed them. Hopefully some of the experts who monitor this forum will be able to chime in about the Sunrise windows. I know I ruled them out...it might have been something to do with their warranty, but I can't say for sure at this point.

Hi there,
thanks for letting know that, lil_tee had also said this particular soft-lite dealer is very good and reasonable.

Its regular Sunrise, he said Vanguard and Restoration are just renaming with subtle changes to have more dealers sell their product. I have some one come to give a quote or vanguard line, but that is not until monday.

For Soft-lite, the company is one of the top rated in Atlanta area, I haven't seen a single negative review for them, they also have left atleast 50 pages of referrals, but lil_tee, said they are very good, as they got their windows from the same company. The sales guy said, they will remove the rot and put foam around windows and caulk it (almost every one I have talked to has talked very good about their installation).

For Sunrise, it is a owner operated, owner will himself install it, He doesn't have any sales guy and stuff, he also has very good reviews on it.

I am ok with a grand here and there, but want the best for the money (lol i guess every body does) .Its more a question of , if we decide to go with Sunrise, should the price be lower as we are getting soft-lite at this price.

Also is Sunrise spacer good, it has 7/8" MaxEdge Warm Edge spacer (which i guess is steel), while Soft-lite has 1" super spacer.

thanks for your time

Hi lil_tee,
Yes, as you said and we discussed yesterday, the sof-lite dealer is really good, and I like the product. Thanks for all the information!!

I want to close it off by Monday, so just checking if I need to spend 2K more if the difference is not a whole lot.

Thanks, I will also double check and compare the warranties.

Sunrise and Softlite are both great choices and the warranties should be fairly comparable. Which line did you get quoted in the Softlite?
If the Sunrise dealer is a one-man operation, the price should be significantly lower than a company that has the overhead of a location, staff, etc. What you may not get is the level of service and security that comes with a larger company. If that is where the $2k difference comes in, then it is really up to you and your level of comfort with each dealer. On product alone, there is not $2k worth of difference between the Sunrise and say the SL Bainbridge, but I would say that difference is justified if it is the Elements or Imperial LS.
On spacers, composite (super spacer, duralite) will offer superior performance. If you go with metal, I prefer stainless.
On the Sunrise lineup, there are multiple upgrades in the Vangard and Restorations. One of the most important IMO is the added reinforcement. It is a very narrow lined window to begin with, so that reinforcement is a little bit more important on that window than it is on other products. The difference is evident in the change in DP rating.

Both of those are great window options.

The Elements will get the nod in structure and some performance items (air and thermal) whereas most will find the Vanguard better looking and more glass/visible light.

If the installations are comparable, it all comes down to your preference in window at that point.

Thanks HomeSealed and WOW... Some followup notes..

We were Quoted (for 18 windows, 1 6 ft patio, 1 9ft patio) as :

Softlite-Elements = 13561 for Windows + 1615 (patio 1) + 2109 (for patio 2) - Patio is kingsroyal by Soft-lite
Softlite-Bainrbridge = 10761 for WIndows.

Sunrise, its the base and I got it @ 11,175$ + Patio doors @ 3500 $

Gorell 5300 series @ 13587$ (Including softlite-kingsroyal patio doors).

So to compare :

Softlite-Elements @17,285$)> Sunrise@14,675$ > Softlite-BainBridge@14485$ > Gorell 5300@13587

Soflite and Gorell - installation comes from reputed dealers, Sunrise is a individual dealer (who runs business in the family - including installation).

Is durability an issue, with any of the above products (more so with Gorell)? I know the window guys say mine is stronger because of this, this and that, but for normal conditions would any of these windows fail ? because they are not well constructed or anything of that sort. Or in any of your experience would the seal bust of..because of some poor construction..

More so would I recoup, the additional 4 Grand spent on Elements instead of Gorell, because Elements has superior AI rating...

THanks all for chiming in!!

This post was edited by basu76 on Fri, Feb 1, 13 at 18:42

You'll probally be dead before you recoup the cost.

Todd is now making death threats, lol

Soft lte, gorell, and sunrise are all well constructed products rendering durability a non issue.

Todd .. lol, makes sense. Now its bargaining phase. I have been open with each of the vendor, that I have competing quotes. Sunrise dude told me he will cut the price by 700$ and thats the best he can do. He said his cost is about 9500$, so he would be making about 4K on installation - I would assume its fair (150 per windows * 18 + 250 each for a patio door for installation = which comes to about 3200).

I have yet to speak with softlite and gorell dealers. Will update the forum..

Hilarious.

Todd...making death threats.

I agree with him completely though.

If the Sunrise were the Vanguard or Restorations, I would say that is the way to go. If not, I like the Bainbridge if you want a slim line window. The Gorell is a great choice as well.

Basu76
You can't / shouldn't base your decision on whether or not you recoup the cost. If you were to sell your home, I believe you would. However, recouping a cost can come in the form of enhancing the beauty of your home, making it much more comfortable ect.. These enhanciements are difficult to quantify and vary from person to person.
I can tell you this with confidence, someone who opts for a cheaply made window will no doubt be at a financial loss. I like how you are focusing on quality.

Hi Mmarse1,
Thanks ! Yes I have narrowed down these based on the product reviews, dealer reviews,discussion on this forum /and the time dealer has been in business. Installation needs to be top notch, else any window is useless.

This forum and a lot of you folks (reading older posts), have helped me tremendously, to narrow down on windows (specially I started even thinking about windows abt 4 days back :-), yes Last wednesday or Tuesday...

After interacting here, I cancelled appointments with HD, Sears, Costco, Pella and Others.. Now its either Softlite or Sunrise or Gorell. If either of them can last 20 years, without known issues, I would just go with the best bargain (yes all the ones in the ShortList, have been around for long time, and are well known in Atlanta area). Lol, who knows what we will be upto in terms of technology in 20 years..

Its been an experience. Every dealer says their product is the best, sane one stop short of ridiculing others, but they say theirs is the best.. they speak of their balancing system, yada yada.. I only realized yesterday that Balancing System, doesn't really matter to me, as all except 1 window are sliders for my house.. he he, its amazing how a sales guy yesterday told the price is good for today. I told him, he could leave as I am not going to make any decision until tuesday...he then said he will get an exception for me. The windows looked cheap to me, so I am not even considering it.

I have enjoyed the process so far, thanks all of you, for amazing inputs and specially this forum..

Have any of you heard about PGT 2300 windows? Any thoughts, is it in the same league of softlite/sunrise/gorell?

Decent window. Solid performance numbers but probably not quite as good at the upper ends of each of those brands.

Finally I ended up going with Sunrise. If it helps any one, I got the deal closed for about 13900K, for 18 Windows and 2 patio doors. He also agreed to split the project into 2, with no additional cost (works better for my pocket).

For this cost, I got Glass package upgrade of Ultra U+12 (U of 0.28 and SHGC of 0.21). This is pretty much the same package restoration uses.

I got optiview screen upgrade for about 15$ a screen. The only difference Restoration has is they have FiberGlass reinforcement and definitely the lines are more prettier. I checked around and from what I learnt, the regular sunrise haven't had complaints wrt warping or bending or anything of that sort.

Warranty is comparable, and the installer has been in window installation business for little more than 15 years.

Thanks a lot for all of your advice and help

Basu

I strongly disagree with you regarding sash reinforcement.
Since Sunrise utilize a thin frame, sash reinforcement in my opinion is paramount . You would be best served by paying the upcharge for reinforcement. Sunrise offer " non metal ( non conductive) reinforcement.

Congratulations on a great choice! The only thing that I will add, is that I would agree with mmarse1. If you can still get the reinforcement added, I would recommend it. It is not a big deal in many products, but I do generally like to see it in the Sunrise due to their very narrow extrusion... I don't have the Sunrise option pricing handy, but it should not be a tremendous cost difference.

Hi HomeSealed and mmarse1,

All the windows (except 1) are Double lite slider, 2 picture windows, and 1 25/50/25 slider, Would you still recommend reinforcement. Just for reference, here are the windows sizes

1 - 22 x 48
1 - 36 x 48
4 - 48 x 48
3 - 60 x 60
2 - 36 x 70
1 - 96 x 47
1 - 60 x 45
1 - 32 x 79
1 - 36 x 60
2 - 60 x 60

I will in the meanwhile, contact my dealer and ask about it.

thanks
Basu

Please let me know your thoughts on these being sliders, obviously I do not want to take chances, if the general feeling is the regular sunrise might buckle. I will try call up sunrise as well.

With those sizes, I would opt for sash reinforcement. In fact, I would get it no matter what.
I assume your extrusions are also foam filled?

They should not buckle or warp, but the reinforcement does improve the structural integrity and is peace of mind at the very least. If it was my home, I'd get it ;)

Well said " HomeSealed " ...

+1

If you can add it, opt for the sash reinforcement.

Can anyone recommend a reputable dealer in the Atlanta/Lawrenceville area that sells soft-lite or sunrise vinyl windows?

I wish I could, but have you contacted the manufacturers directly? They can typically get you in touch with local dealers.

Hi

I'm hoping for some advice on choosing a window. I'm in the Atlanta area and I'm looking to purchase 22 Windows, 20 double hung and 2 picture. I found 2 companies that I know will each do a quality installation. My problem is deciding on the window. One company quoted 12,500 for Soft Lite Elements with solar E glass. The other company offers a Vytex that is made especially for them. It appears to be a hybrid between the Fortis and Potomac (has triple silver low e glass), they are 9400. I am making myself crazy looking at all of the specs. The two have almost identical energy rating and seem to have all of the same bells and whistles when it comes to construction. I'm wondering if the Soft Lite's are worth the extra 3k? The Soft Lite price includes all discounts but the Vytex dealer will do a little bit better if I pay cash. Do you think I have any wiggle room with negotiating a better price on the Soft Lite? Which brand is my better option? Thanks!

The Elements is the better window. Probably one of the 2-3 best vinyl windows in the market. If I were spending the money once, that would be my choice in that comparison.

Thanks for the feedback! I was leaning a bit more towards the Soft Lite's, in the back of my mind I knew that was the way to go. I know I didn't give window sizes but what is your opinion on the price? Do you think I have any wiggle room to negotiate a bit? For what it's worth I also plan on buying 4 Provia doors as well, so it will be a nice sized job for them.

No harm in asking, but I don't know how they go to market and what sort of incentives they have. In terms of the price now, it is very reasonable for that window. You might have some more wiggle if the doors are part of the project. Great window and door combo you are looking at though.

Thanks for the help!

Good luck and keep us posted.

ctrapolsi,

My 2 cents... I went with the Soft-Lites based on the feedback I got from the pros back when I created the initial post and I'm so glad I did. (Thanks again, Windows on Washington!) And if it's the same company I used, you will definitely be getting a quality installation. I got a bit of a discount from them by paying with cash instead of credit and they typically have a coupon on Angie's List. Good luck!!

Lil_tee ....i am working with my son to remodel his mid 1960s house just inside the Perimeter in Northeast ...read this older thread. Could you share your installer name with us?

Georgestephenson...I am in the north ATL suburbs and I just had Pinnacle Windows install the Soft Lite Elements in my entire home, 22 windows total. They did a fabulous job. I would very highly recommend them. First class service from beginning to end! PS, If you need doors, they did 4 doors for me as well, also amazing.

georgestephenson

Pinnacle Windows (pinnaclewindows.net) is the company I used and referred ctrapolsi and many others to. They did all of my windows as well as my front door and sliding patio door. The products, the people, and the workmanship were A plus all the way!! I highly recommend them!

Good luck to you and your son with the remodel!