We built a house in 1984.

Used Cradco windows.........at the advice of a commercial contractor friend of mine..........which were 50% of the cost of Pella windows.

His reasoning was that we could replace all of the windows twice for about the same cost as Pellas, and he really saw no difference in quality.........and he installed both kinds.

We have yet to replace one of those "cheap" windows.

We used triple panes on north side of house, and double panes on south.

For the difference in cost, I would do the same thing again...........the north side of the house is the "formal living" area..........and gets used about twice a year.........and is always cold near the walls in winter.

The south side is the "living" side of the house, and we typically run the overhead fans since the double panes seem to accent the heat from the sun.