Oh - the house is in a suburb of Chicago, so 3/4" insulated low-e glass is a must. - thanks

these aren't perfect, but a good starting point

Pozzi Premium clad. Can get modified intereior trims to be square edged

dynamic windows, common mullion system. a true, old style window, so the casement frames can get a little bulky, but a hell of a system.....expensive

also look at quantum, quadrus, they have similar stick built products for architects

i don't know what you consider 'affordable', but loewen makes an aluminum clad window, with a wood interior. the aluminum, best of all, is the straight 26d anodized color. very, very impressive units. had great response to them from clients all over. doors should be no problem.

Have you considered Duratherm windows? I think they make a very nice cleanly detailed window. As far as I know they don't make an aluminum clad window, but you don't really want those anyway. Yuck. If you insist on a metal window, how about Hope's steel windows. I've used those recently and I love them. F.Y.I. , they have a really long lead time. Like g-love, I'm not sure what you consider "affordable." They don't sell Duratherm or Hope's at Home Depot or K-Mart, but I don't think they are crazy expensive.

Thank you all for your input thusfar - much appreciated.....

yes, duratherm is crazy expensive. we have used Pozzi & love the exterior cladding - I didn't know you could get modified interior trim! Actually, do you mean trim, or the frame? Because the frame has quite a bit of detailing (a bit froufy, my opinion). In terms of actual trim, we went without, and just added some 3/4 stop on to the frame so it sticks out about 1/4" from the drywall and mudded right up to it, worked out great. Their builder's series is less expensive, but not as nice. My source (husband who installs them) tells me the flashing at the top is not very nice(plastic instead of the metal on the more expensive version), and there was something shitty about the installation and possible hinges on the door as well... We have looked at a lot of options lately, and most of the big manufacturers have a traditional style interior frame. Marvin, Anderson etc. are all pretty similar, but should be less expensive than Pozzi or Loewen (?, maybe depends on locale). And in terms of aluminum clad, there don't seem to be small local guys who do it, and if they do they don't offer a warranty like the larger manufacturers (I believe the Pozzi premium line has a lifetime warranty!)

duratherm is crazy expensive - they're all custom built. sam sung, if you're looking at steel sash, give bliss nor-am a try. much cheaper than hopes for the same window.