it's too bad you didn't look thru the cp power ring when looking for a house designer......
windows are a big ticket item, but they are also the single largest compromise to your building envelope. my advice is pay more for a better window.
kolbe, marvin, loewen & pella are widely known to be a more expensive, but better window. lux, ply gem (formerly cwd), gienow, all weather, jeld wen & ray-o-max would be considered middle of the road, or your average window. with that being said, all manufacturers have different quality levels, so do your homework.
also, if you hired an architect, are his fees based on total construction cost of the home, which i believe can be typical of an architect? if so, maybe there's your answer for him pushing kolbe.
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