My attachments/hose are stored in the hall closet on a bracket attachment. It hangs on the side of the wall. The one in the garage is just hanging on the wall, by the workbench, with the attachments in a cabinet. I've always said I should have another hose for upstairs, but you know how that goes. Love my Vacuflo. It's going on 10 years and no problems. When the boys were at home I used it downstairs six days out of seven. Now with just the two of us, it goes about every three days, at least for the downstairs. I have two outlets in the garage. One is closest to the front so I can vac out cars while they're parked in the driveway. I'm picky about my vehicles, so they get vacuumed frequently. Also use it to vac out the RV. Actually hook two hoses together. Have the vacpan but the hose in the wall wasn't around when I had mine installed. When I moved my Mom out here, the first thing we did to her house was get a Vacuflo installed in her house. They just vacuum so much better than any portable vac. I originally bought it to help with allergies for my youngest son. This and a combination of running the HVAC system constantly, really helped keep his allergies in control. That's why there was always so much vacuuming going on. Had to work at keeping the pollen out of the house. And also does an excellent job of keeping the dog hair under control. I guess my only gripe is the rugrat attachment is very noisy. However, I don't know how they could quiet it down. And don't get it to close to small items. Otherwise you are going to be fetching it out of the container in the garage.

I've attached the 2nd floor of our house plans. I want to put the 50' HAH outside the GAMES closet in the center and the contractor did say he could get to it. He wants to put the 40' HAH outside the Laundry Room, and the 30' HAH in our Master Bath against the closet wall. I'm not sure what height he'd put the outlet if the pipe is coming from below - I guess the lower electrical outlet height as HAH recommends. There is not enough room to run the 50' pipe above... but I just have a hard time believing that I will struggle with a 50' hose as opposed to a 30' hose. Ordinarily, I would be at the contractor's shop the same day he suggested it, but my in-laws arrived tonight (and I've been cleaning our house and garage out in anticipation of their arrival). I also have a meeting with my builder tomorrow morning and a work meeting at noon. Plus, the general running around of my kids for summer activities... I'm having a hard time scheduling this vacuum visit into my schedule! LOL One other thing - the power units he recommends are Beam, or CycloVac for a $200 upgrade. Any comments one way or another on these units? I had another contractor want to put a Simplicity with the HAH - but it had 570 watts and I'm afraid that may not be powerful enough. He had never done the HAH but was game to try and it did have a lifetime warranty which was very enticing... I'm just afraid since he's never installed HAH before (but 20+ yrs installing CV).

I didn't get any other bids since I was so dead set on the HAH, so I can't really compare. Knowing your bid amount and your square footage, it seems comparable and in line to my pricing. I have two hoses, one vac pan, all the tools I could possibly need, and the garage outlet/tools/garage hose. I think the extra costs are there not because he marks it up for profit, but because of the HAH requirements. He has to build in enough tubing to house each retractable hose, so the price difference is for the material and the extra time it takes him to install. The main trunk line can't really house the hose because it would render the system unusable. Also, because the HAH uses special sweeps, that can rack up the price as well. Is it worth the extra cost? That is going to entirely depend on you and the way you plan on using and storing the hoses. For me, the HAH was essential because I knew I would end up with the hose tangled up in the bottom of the coat closet rather than neatly put away. I just know myself and knew I would be neat with it at first, but would eventually give in and just not do it which would result in a mess (and then the toddler would probably end up climbing on it and smashing it, etc.). I didn't see the point of having the central vac if I was still having to take up space in the closet for it like I did with the traditional vacuum. I also knew I would drive myself and my neat freak DH crazy with the tangled hose! :) Frequent vacuuming is essential in my house (a minimum of 2-3 times per week) because we have three dogs that shed, so I have to stay on top of it or suffer the consequences. I have to make it easy on myself to be organized or I just simply won't do it. Since you have a two story home, you would probably also want a hose on each floor if you didn't go with the HAH, so that is something to consider as well. If you don't think you would mind dealing with the hose (and some people don't), then you may not see the $2,000 benefit of the HAH. I just know myself and have been able to come to terms with my weaknesses! If you are a person who always puts things away regardless of any amount of hassle involved, then you probably wouldn't miss the HAH. However, if you have the slightest suspicion you might ever get a little lazy (you have to be brutally honest with yourself), I promise the HAH is money well spent. Another point to consider whether you go with Bob or not, I'm not crazy about the Turbo cat with the amount of dog hair we have to control. We have all concrete floors with plush carpet rugs here and there. Just based on its performance with the rugs, I know I wouldn't like the air driven head if I had actual carpet. I don't know if I would have the same opinion if we didn't have the dogs though, but for our situation, it just doesn't work. If we had carpet any thicker than berber and animals that shed a lot, the electric head would be a much better tool. The HAH was my splurge in our build, and even my husband, who rarely sees the value in these types of things, has said on numerous occasions that it was by far the best money we spent in our entire build. That was a profound statement coming from him because I swear sometimes I can hear him squeak when he walks! ;)

"flip a switch sending 240V over to the heating appliance" It would really help us if you told us what kind of "appliance" this is and what its ratings are. "If I am using this kind of relay with a transformer, the only place for me to put it is inside of the cavity behind where the thermostat will be located on the wall, since that is where the wiring is. But I think transformers give off heat. Is this setup going to create enough heat to distort the operation of the thermostat?" This just a BAD idea - and not just because of the heat might cause a problem with the thermostat. Why is the only place the switching relay can be located inside the wall? It should be located at the "appliance" - then you run low voltage wire inside the wall to the location where you want the thermostat. I installed a Honeywell R8845U when I upgraded my thermostat. It looks like it has two NO contacts that could be used to switch 240volts - but it would need a neutral connection for the 120volt transformer. But you need to know the ratings of your "appliance" - you may need something with a relay/contactor that can handle a larger load.