Revisions log for Answer #1555

I think it's a matter of taste and, above all, money. Personally, I think plastic windows look cheap and cold. Wood looks much better. Modern wood windows (e.g. Meranti) are high quality and usually do not require as much maintenance as older generations of wood windows.

I wouldn't call it a niche product. I don't know the statistics, but I would say that higher quality homes tend to use wood or aluminum rather than plastic.