Rever Berkshire vs. Milgard Tuscany

Hi -

I live in northern colorado and am comparing two quotes on replacing some windows in our 100+ year old brick house. One quote is for a Rever Berkshire Double Hung (I've read here that these used to be called Alside Excalibur and dont seem to have great reputation). The quote is for about $412 per window installed.

The other quote is for a Milgard Tuscany vinyl window -- about $500 per window, installed. It appears to have a middle grade rating on this site.

We are somewhat cost conscious and therefore cannot afford the most energy efficient window. We want something that will last at least ten years though (and look good in 5 years when we sell).

Any opinions on whether Migard Tuscany is worth the extra 90 or so bucks per window?

K

If those are my two choices, the Tuscany is my personal pick.

Are you sure there are not other options to consider?

Thank you for your reply. Our budget maxes out at $500 per window installed. I know that might seem silly since windows are a good investment, but we are doing a lot at the moment to the house. I'll do more research to see what is out there. I'm a little nervous about contacting many distributors simply because I have found the sales teams are a bit aggressive for what I could consider a small job (7 windows).

7 windows is on the smaller side, but certainly not below what would be considered a worthy project.

Do your research and you will likely find a better product at a better price point.

Thank you so much for your help. I've went back to one of the professional installers that was getting a quote on and he came back with two more window types; Armaclad Encore and Sunrise. Sunrise seems to be a good window on this forum; although I cant find much about Armaclad Encore. On price, Armaclad is coming in a little cheaper. Both windows are Cardinal 366 with Argon gas fill, white. 3 -1/4" frame and cam locks.

Any thoughts on how these two compare? Thank you for your time.

What model Sunrise window?

The Sunrise is the best of those choices IMO. If it is at least the standard "Sunrise" or better (ie: Verde, Vanguard, Restorations) and it fits your budget, that sounds like a nice choice. I'm not crazy about the Essentials.
Milgard is okay, the Berkshire (aka: Alside Excalibur) is not held in high regard by most window pros, and I am not familiar with the Armaclad. Looks fine in the brochure, but I have not seen it in person. I'd look at the performance ratings (thermal and structural) to gauge where that would fall.

I agree, out of the windows you've had quoted, Sunrise is the best - as long as it's not the Essentials line. Since some of the better choices aren't available in Colorado, you might consider Simonton as well.

OK. Thank you all for the great advice. Regarding Sunrise, there appears only to be one type of double-hung: http://www.sunrisewindows.com/windows/double-hung.aspx

Would this be the "Essential" line?

I'll also check into Simonton. Thank you again.

The link that you posted has the regular Sunrise double hung model pictured which is fine and is not the Essentials.

Thanks Delaware Mike and everyone else for your input and advice. I'll be sure to refer you all to my friends/family back east.

Kevin, just for your info, you are correct that only one option (the standard "Sunrise") is listed there. The Restorations, Vanguard, etc have independent websites. They are found easily by google search, and you can reach the different dealer networks that way as well , as each line typically has separate dealers.