Start with conditions, not a product
Frame fit, flashing detail, and how well the sill sheds Piedmont clay runoff decide the outcome far more than the window label.
Build a complete scope
- Association requirements confirmed before any product is chosen
- What is installed now, given how many houses here share one build era
- Openings measured individually rather than assumed from the plan type
- Solar heat gain and installation air sealing for a humid climate
- Flashing on dormers and gable ends that take wind-driven rain directly
Cary context
Cary reached its current size largely within one construction era, and that single fact governs this trade. A very large share of the town's windows were installed within a few decades of each other, so entire neighborhoods are aging out of their original units together -- which is why so many houses here face the decision at once, and why exterior appearance is often subject to homeowner association review before work begins. What should drive the specification is the Piedmont climate: humid summers and mild winters make solar heat gain and air sealing at the installation more consequential than insulating value alone, which is the reverse of the advice written for colder regions. Complex rooflines matter here too, since dormers and gable ends put windows in positions that take wind-driven rain directly and depend entirely on how the opening is flashed.