I plan to break ground on my home later this year here in Bryan. I'm starting to look at window options and wanted to get y'all's opinions on window dealers as well as a specific models. My design would look best with a bronze or black framed window. The home will have approximately 50 windows, so I'm wanting good quality window at a decent price point. I would appreciate hearing the good and the bad, so it will hopefully help me make a good window choice. Thanks in advance!

Black outside frame with white inside frame is the way to go. JeldWen makes a good window for a pretty competitive price. Just start getting quotes from McCoys, The Home Depot, Builders First Source, Tri Supply, etc. A lot of people use the Elevate window line as they are pretty cost effective from what I know.

I recently got a handful of new construction Anderson 400 casements. Black ext, white int, no dividers. Single casements were about $600, $1100 for double casements. Lead time was 12 weeks.

I got them from a local building supply...but during shopping, I went to Home Depot. They were the same lead time, product, everything. They gave me a price, a bit more expensive than the building supply and I told them that piece of info. Then they called me back a week later and offered a 10% discount. ??? Maybe I got the impression they work on commission? I got a small additional discount from the building supply as I am a contractor and it made it the better price so I went with them.

Moral of the story is, work them a bit, they are flexible. At 50 windows, 10% less is a good chunk of change and maybe get you better kitchen appliances?

others to shop + their opinions
Weatherford Doors & Windows
Enercon on W. Villa Maria
am reading some going out of town to Window Worlds/etc. but IDK about all that

Ask about
Warranties, esp. the frame
R-value
Solar/bells/whistles and if good "bangs for the buck"

Please stop back and educate us with experiences

Check with Superior Window in Conroe. All custom made by them. Very happy with ours.

Lincoln Windows. Casement windows. Black aluminum clad on the exterior. Black wood on the interior. I didn't get near as many windows as you're getting, but just going off what I spent, it'll be over $100K for the same windows to outfit your place. I think the next step up would be getting steel frame windows, but then you're looking at $200K+.

I'm tempted

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Double-Hung-Windows-Replacement-For-Usa_1600206267009.html?

Black or bronze doesn't say much about what you're after other than color. Black on black looks great depending upon style of house. Do you want thin frames, simulated divided lites (SDLs), grids between glass (GBG), wood windows, thermally broken aluminum, etc?

In general, vinyl will be your cheapest windows, then materials like fibrex, aluminum clad wood, then thermally broken aluminum, and finally steel.

Ram Windows is in Houston and Austin so probably serve Bryan - they have thermally broken aluminum in various styles.

Other brands I know that are good are Andersen, Don Young, Quaker (and luxury division Quartz), Kolbe, NT, and Jeldwen have some good options. Prices vary widely depending on line picked.

No I'm not a window professional. I've just recently been through this for my own place and did a ton of research.

Thank y'all for the ideas and info.
I have spent the past week or so researching window options, and have narrowed it down a bit.
I plan to live in this home for many years and am concerned that vinyl will not last, so I'm ruling that out.
I also do not like wood clad windows, because they have a history of rotting behind the cladding, and I would always be thinking that they were rotting.
Fiberglass seems like a decent option, but I am unsure how it will hold up in the sun.
So, I'm back to aluminum windows, but I do not want junky aluminum windows.
Do y'all have any recommendations for a decent aluminum window?
I'm wanting a black, brown or bronze window. I really like the exterior simulated divided lights, but would consider the grids between the glass.

I recently talked with Ram Windows, and like their product design, but their reviews online are mixed.
Have any of y'all dealt with Ram Windows or had them in a home?

I have seen windows made by Western Windows, but when I had them priced out, they were more than double the price of the Ram windows.
Do y'all know of any other window manufacturers that provide a good quality aluminum window with the simulated divided lights?

Look at the brands I listed as Quaker/Quartz, NT, Ram, Don Young, etc have thermally broken aluminum. Avoid Plygem.

Thanks! I didn't realize those were aluminum brands. I will check them out asap!

I had Ram windows installed in my old house back in 2014. They were bronze aluminum. We didn't opt for the higher end thermally broken windows. The issue we ran into was whoever made the glass inserts left greasy fingerprints BETWEEN the glass panels. The installers thought they were on the outside and would just clean off after install. Ram replaced the inserts, but it did cause a pretty bad odor in the house for days from the adhesive used. I'd require a reinstall if that ever happened again. The house was significantly quieter with the new windows and double pane definitely were more comfortable that the old single pane.

Ram are a solid window.
Yes, you want machine laid glass, like cardinal glass, instead of glass laid with hands. Oils from hands/fingers increases potential of lost seal

I had Don Young windows installed a few years back. Had one issue with a very large one and they replaced it free of charge. No other problems, we were happy with them and the price.