Question for you all. The wife and I are currently picking out windows for the house we are building. Her pops works at the lumber yard where we are going to purchase our windows.

Gotten prices on several brands and different materials and there's quite a range.

Viwintech Double Hung Vinyl - $4500
Atrium Single & Double Hung Vinyl - $6000
Sun Aluminum Clad Vinyl - $8500
Sun Aluminum Clad Wood Double Hung - $11,000

I love the idea of having clad wood windows. I think they will outlast the vinyl windows and I prefer the look. But it's hard for me to justify paying double the price

Atrium is made locally to us but has been bought out twice in the life of the company. Lately their quality has went down some and their prices have went up.

I'm not really even considering the Viwintech because I think they are cheap spec home windows. The Sun clad vinyl windows are only offered in casements and I don't really want that either.

Guess I'm between the Atrium and the Sun clad wood windows. Thoughts?

It all depends on what you want the interior to look like....
cool wood finish on the inside?
Cool look outside?
look at r value....

I like Anderson because the warranty was good,,, so check warranty and repairs if they fail.....

Aluminum is what we use in AZ,,,, But if you use a thermal register,,,,they transfer heat

Over the years I have built more than a few houses and replaced a lot of windows. You couldn't give me wood or aluminum frames.

Also, casement windows seal better than other types if that is important to you.

I would say it depends on your climate and the direction of exposure to the sun ..........IOW the orientation of your building.

Vinyl or fiberglass would be my choice but my climate is much different than yours

Always casement,,,but it is all about using the right product to seal the outside and insulate around the inside.
You have a window being stuck inside of 8 or more pieces of wood

Thermal protection and water .......

I guess a piece of useful information is that we don't frame with wood in our family, lol

I'd ask the family.

My pops and grandpa both put the Sun Aluminum Clad Wood windows in their houses and they've been great so far.

I'm just not sure it's worth paying $5000 more over the vinyl

Ya cant put vinyl in a structure that perty,,,,,

X2 on the wood/alum clad. I've used the Anderson and Pella top end windows and they all leak/rot over time. I've replaced both windows multiple times in homes.

Glass block. We wish.
As unpopular as always,
stand alone Vinal or al windows SUCK in my region.
Yes I earned the 100 installs with no call back jacket.

What does you LOCAL supplier and sales have to say?

Yeah, glass block, final answer lol.

I guess with the choices you are considering I would go with wood/alum. That is a beautiful home!!

I built my house 36 years ago and the Anderson windows I put in are still like new.And thats after going through 36 New York winters.

better get good at installation,,,,windows are only as good as the person that installs them

I would favor the manufacturer who offers the best warranty. Installation methods make a difference also. Keep your paperwork and take photos.

The Pella windows in this house suck, they're thirty years old and don't seal plus the seal between the double panes have failed in most. In the old house we had local made windows made by a company called Progressive Windows that seem to be a very good window.

I have bought Anderson for my personal use. They're not expensive and the 200 series is a decent window. Fella is expensive and their quality has gone downhill substantially the past years. I'm not familiar with the brands you have available.

You get what you pay for. Vinyl warps and forms to the opening. May not be an issue in your case but generally if you nail your window to a crooked board or opening, your window will not function properly. Doesn't look like you are building a cheap house, so you may want to go with what you know is quality. There's a lot of junky window manufacturers.

If you go with vinyl, (and a lot of people do) whatever exterior finishes you do, make sure you can change them out easily....I prefer aluminum clad myself...but as usual, you will get what you pay for....I've changed/installed thousands of windows