I use oxygen too, but only at night. Still, I have a bag full of those 1/4" hoses, some still in their original package. I don't have a rain barrel yet, but have thought there must be some way I can water all the plants on my lanai at one time. One of the first items needed to build this system would be one or more reducers (plastic or nylon)to connect the 1/4" hose to my regular lawn hose. Anyone have any ideas? cora

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! ;)

I have seen your pleas for the experiences of HAH users with 60' hoses, Jeri, but haven't been able to help as we have 30' and 40' hoses. I am sure you will have carefully measured to be certain that one 60' hose will work for you, but I just have one little piece of advice for anyone considering HAH. I had carefully measured for mine but one of the 2nd floor hoses is just too short to reach the furthest corner of the ceiling in a guest bedroom. This is because although I had allowed for reaching the corners of the ceilings I had not allowed for the future furniture arrangement in that room. The hose now has to snake around the bed, which makes it just a tad too short! I hope my error can prevent any one here from making the same mistake.

Mac users are disadvantaged by Microsoft, which sometimes refuses to update Mac versions of their software (i.e., Internet Explorer). However, this is not the case for Microsoft Office - there have always been Office for Mac versions available (and they've just released Office2008 for Mac that will run on older PowerPC as well as newer Intel macs, and keeps up with Office2007 for Windows). But it is actually web developers who are truly to blame for sites that only work using IE. Mac users are a small percentage of the market, but as a demographic they are disproportionately wealthy internet users, and it's a dumb mistake to exclude them from one's website design. There are plenty of ways to design sites that are fully functional for Mac browsers. In the meantime, if it's just a matter of the site blocking Mac users via a browser sniffer (which is really poor practice just by the way), definitely try the Firefox extension johanncv referenced. Try Firefox in any case, if you haven't already, and you might be pleasantly surprised at what it can do vis-a-vis Safari. cheers from a Mac specialist :)