Hello, IMO Dallas is a good place for quality work at reasonable prices. Last year, I read one post that was quoted $27,000 for a 3-ton system installation. I also read a post of a $2500 3-ton replacement. This is a lot of difference. The typical price is between $3000-5000 for a 3-ton system replacement. Duct work during the summer can be very expensive. I have heard of guys charging $2000 a day to work in the attic during the summer. These are not dishonest companies, just guys that do not want to work in the attic on a 100+ degree day. If your system is in the attic, do it while it is cool. (Now) There are so many quality HVAC companies in Dallas. Quotes like yours are for people made of money. I read and heard of many 3-ton replacements last year in the $10,000 range. I can not imagine what caused the cost to be so high. A typical system can be installed in a day with 2 men. Labor and 2x markup is nowhere near $10,000. Even in Legacy, this is a high price. I am helping someone that was hosed last year with a 5-ton installation. He now has the state of Texas involved. He was hosed so bad, that his case was placed in front of 30 previous cases waiting for proscution. The sad thing is the company that did the hose job has a fair reputation. The installation was incomplete, yet he spent $6200 for a 5-ton replacement. The company tried to charge him an additional $2k for a 1/2 days work replacing a couple of ducts. His summer bills were over $1000 a month for a 2600 sqft house. Get multiple bids. I know of one wholesale installer that will replace a condenser for under $200 labor. (Last spring) This is very cheap for Dallas. This is less than I charged in the 1980's. If you intend to replace all three units at one time you should talk to this company in Austin. He manufacturers a system designed for Dallas and hot climates. His equipment is like commercial equipment, and is truly efficient. http://www.alliedenergysystems.com/thermal.html Replacement of lines depends on the requirements of the new equipment and not age or condition of the lines. Sometimes this is needed for maximum efficient operations. Any handy person can install new duct. The key to a good job, is to seal all joints and seal the insulation properly. Many installers use a mastic to guarantee the joints are sealed. For a very efficient duct system consider using foam spray insulation on the ducts. Installing a system requires a few tools. Guages, Vac pump, torch for silver solder, Volt-amp meter, and a few sheetmetal tools. Basic mechanic tools also. For legal service work you need a recovery machine. By law, you need a CFC certificate to buy freon, or systems. You are also required to have it to adjust freon. Most cities require a permit to replace HVAC equipment, but less than 20% of the residential work is permitted in the Dallas area. Now, for the good news. The state of Texas will issue you a voucher that allows you to purchase equipment for your house, if you have a cfc certificate. Kinda neat. If you have specific questions email me. I am in N. Texas area.

Thanks! I did take the pictures to a professional & he said the ink is from a fountain pen & that due to the age of the pictures etc. it wasn't safe to try to remove the ink, that it would do more harm than good. So, I will have to have them restored. Thanks for your help!

Not to derail the thread but I do home theater installations and the fireplace can be a tricky one. As you can see in Rookie's post above, they pre-planned for the TV, when doing there renovation. That's not to say it can't be done otherwise. Just way more difficult. It then comes down to what the covering is on the fireplace. Depth to chimney etc. Sometimes you can channel out mortar or bricks to run wiring. If that wasn't an option, you can get creative and run wiring in the mantle. Using Rookie's pic above and assuming that they din't run wiring ahead of time, you could have had components lets say on the right side cabinet and then run the wiring inside the brown corner wood pieces flanking the stone and up to the mantle. The wiring could them be run through the mantle to the center. Usually you will need to run a min 1 HDMI and you will need power for the TV as well. Both of which could be mounted within an electrical and Low Voltage box in the mantle top. The closer you put the bottom of the TV to the mantle, the more invisible the wires would be. Worst case is a short piece of cord cover that could be painted to match or blend in with the wall covering behind it.

Acetone removes caulk but u need to use a utility knives shave off as much as possible if its thick but If its just thin then acetone n scotch no scratch pad should come right off