Start with conditions, not a product
How it’s flashed in, what the sill and frame are made of, the glass package, and the trim work afterward all shape the outcome as much as the window itself.
Build a complete scope
- Whether the openings are mill-era and therefore non-standard sizes
- Whether the existing sash is repairable rather than replaced
- How paint layers in the oldest housing affect the method of work
- Glazing chosen for heat gain and how the opening is flashed
- Trim restoration, removal of the old units, and the warranty given
Gastonia context
Which Gastonia a house belongs to decides this job. Textile-mill housing and the compact early neighborhoods were built to tight budgets with openings that are rarely standard sizes, and the original wood sash there is frequently repairable -- worth assessing before replacement is priced, particularly since paint layers in housing of that age may be lead-bearing, which governs how the work may be done. Postwar expansion brought aluminum and early insulated units whose frames rather than glass are the weak point, and because those neighborhoods filled in quickly, whole streets reach replacement age together. The newer subdivisions are a maintenance question rather than a replacement one. The Carolina climate contributes the specification: solar heat gain and air sealing at the opening matter more than insulating value, and intense rain tests the flashing at every exposed elevation.