Atrium vs. Alside vs. Republic

[hid-perf]

This one's for the industry people on here. Maybe you can give me your input on the pro's and con's of each brand. I've searched but what I've found isn't really apples to apples comparisons. The main windows are all approx. 72"h x 35"w and they're going in an all brick house built around 1908.

Atrium 8700
Alside Sheffield
Republic Enhancement

I've gathered enough quotes now and I'm more confused than before. All of these windows look great but I don't know enough about windows to make a decision I'd be comfortable with. One of my concerns is the availablity in the future. I'm only doing half the house at a time since I'm living there while the demo/remodel is going on so I want to be able to buy the same windows for the rest of the house at a later date, one year max.

Another question is about color. I love the dark frames with the red brick but one company told me that they stopped making the dark color due to warpage issues. Have any of you experianced this? Would you recommend just sticking with white over other colors?

Thanks in advance.

Steve

[WindDoze]

It is impossible to make a dark brown vinyl that won't fade. I've seen too many brown vinyl windows that are almost pink after as little as 5 years. That is why most vinyl window manufacturers -- especially the large ones, won't do brown. Those that do make brown, such as Great Lakes and Republic don't warrant color fade if you really read their warranty, and not take what your sales rep tells you. Best advice -- stick with white or tan.

Some manufactuers are experimenting with a painted. brown exterior. The jury is still out on those as far as how they'll hold up to the sunlight. I do know extra care is required with regard to shipping and handling on the jobsite to avoid nicks and scratches of this exterior.