Yeah, those old houses are full of surprises—never met a square corner in mine either. I’ve been down the same road with window upgrades. Ended up going with fiberglass too, mostly for the durability and how well it stands up to the rain we get here. The sticker shock was real, but honestly, dealing with swelling and stuck sashes every winter used to drive me nuts.
One thing I’m still not sure about is long-term maintenance. The finish on my fiberglass units seems solid so far (three years in), but I’ve heard mixed things about fading or chalking over time, especially on south-facing exposures. Anyone actually had theirs long enough to notice any issues with that? I keep wondering if I should have gone with the aluminum-clad for easier touch-ups, though the thermal break on fiberglass is hard to beat.
Funny you mention fading—my place faces south too, and I swear the sun here is out to get me (or at least my paint). I put in fiberglass windows about six years ago, and honestly, they’re holding up better than I expected. The color’s maybe a shade lighter, but it’s subtle—I only noticed because I found an old offcut in the garage for comparison. No chalking yet, just the usual layer of pollen and city grime that needs hosing off every spring.
I did have a neighbor who went with aluminum-clad, and he’s constantly out there with his touch-up kit, so I guess it’s a tradeoff. Fiberglass seems to shrug off our endless rain, which I appreciate since I’d rather be inside than scraping windows in February. If the finish ever does go weird on mine, I figure I’ll just call it “patina” and pretend it’s intentional.