"Wow," you're thinking, "they look the same as the old windows!"  Yes indeed, they do!  We didn't want to replace our windows.  We loved our old windows, with their simple, narrow frames that maximized the view, and we still have several remaining in the rest of the house that did not need replacing.  But the east wall of our home gets some serious sun exposure and also bears the brunt of any storms that pass through, coming in off the mountains.  Many of these windows and the master bedroom patio door on the east wall of our house were leaking, rotted or both and generally weren't too weatherproof, and that we didn't love; they desperately needed replacing.  Our primary challenge with this project (other than just getting the windows and doors ordered and installed, but I won't even go there, except to say that we started this process back in November...) was to buy brand new windows and doors that, at least upon casual inspection, matched the original, 25-year-old windows in our home that we so loved.  So if you think they look the same, we've achieved our goal, since now we have windows that are intact, waterproof, have low-e glass for better energy efficiency and SmartSun to prevent fading of furniture and floors.  Hip hip hurray!  Now for those new window treatments...

At a glance, the fancy new hardware is about the only thing that distinguishes the new doors from the old

Unfortunately, we had to put our old window treatments back for the time being but we plan to get new, more updated ones eventually

The living room has five new windows and a new sliding patio door and the master bedroom has two new windows and a sliding patio door; we removed the old damaged wood windowsills and replaced with drywall sills

The interior windows and doors have wood frames, stained to match the remaining existing windows

The exterior frames are made of a maintenance-free, all-weather composite material, hopefully meaning no more leaking and/or rotting!  We had a very limited choice of colors.

 They coated the entire rear of our house with a thin layer of tinted stucco for a nice smooth, consistent finish (otherwise you would see the patchwork around the windows and doors) - we think it turned out great!

The biggest change is in the exterior appearance of the house.  The light colored, low-profile frames give our house a sleeker, more updated look than the painted brown wood frames on our old windows