Andersen 400 vs Ply gem

[Houstonhelp]

I'm renovating my early 1900s house in Houston and was planning on replacing the existing single pane windows with Andersen 400 double hung windows but my contractor wants me to look at ply gem windows as an alternative. I want to have vinyl- clad wood windows so I can stain all my woodwork the same. I've had experience with Andersen up north but have never heard of Ply gem until now and the few reviews i have found on-line have not been favorable (esp re customer service). First what is the equivalent Ply gem window? Builder series/ pro-series? and are they equivalent? Does the window matter as much as the installer?

[Windows on Washington]

The upper end Andersen are pretty well built and if done properly, will serve your purposes just fine.

If you didn't have your contractor picked out, I would recommend you talk to Randy (he is a regular contributor to this forum). I am not sure how much wood he does but his installers are top not and certainly capable of any install you can throw at them.

[TheWindowNerd]

I like the 400 WoodWright the best as it has an all composite exterior.
I would give my highest recommendation to Randy too.

[HomeSealed]

Another recommendation for Randy. He can also chime in on whichever Plygem product is offered down there (they have different products badged the same depending on region of the country). I do know that in an extreme climate like yours you want a very high grade product if you choose to go vinyl. In my experience, Plygem would not fit that description.