We are getting a metal roof. There are different types. It is more but will not need to be replaced for a substantial amount of time compared to the architectural shingles. We called the metal roof manufacturer direct and got prices and then called for labor from my contractor. On our 2000ish sqft roof (with high rise in part) was a $4,000 difference in product, labor is about the same for either installation.

I suppose I could have thanked Bob for his attempt to cheat me, I wasn't feeling very charitable at the time though. I do feel sorry for the guy, but he has no idea how to judge risk, my electric air handler is the least of my worries. As you say, kitchens are much more dangerous and as I mentioned, cars are deadly. Why someone would try to stop DIY work on HVAC when 25000 people are killed in cars each year is beyond me. You are welcome, I don't recall the lecture but if it helped you then I am glad of it. Can you tell me what you meant to say in this post? 8 is the most you have sent to the hospital, were you the installer, the paramedic, the police chief? Why are you sending anyone to the hospital, I never have. Am I to assume that this was a kitchen installed by a DIYer? Odds are it was a professional job and it was dangerous, are you arguing that professionals are not competent to install kitchens? I am not getting the point of this post. I'm am also not getting why you and Bob keep talking about poison and explosions when I am talking about an all electric air handler, where do you suppose the CO is going to come from? And what part of the electric coils are going to explode? I can not answer the question of what you know. You might know quite a bit, you might not, there is no way for me to tell. If you know quite a bit then you might find it uplifting to share the knowledge. I was really surprised at the outpouring of negativity that I found on this forum, I think some people feel threatened by DIYers. The DIYers of this world pose little danger to the jobs of the competent professional HVAC technicians. I would be willing to bet that many pros started out as DIYers on something, probably their cars, enjoyed it and found a profession that valued that kind of problem solving ability. Anyway thank you for your concern, I will install a few CO detectors. And thank you for your permission to continue with my DIY projects. As I write this I am listening to the gentle hum of my air handler and enjoying the soft currents of warm air moving through my house. No doubt I will be dead by dawn tomorrow, but I will enjoy my warm fool's paradise while I live.

Thanks ci_lantro...I just reread the OP's last post. Yah...the cork is going to need the SAME amount of glue as the floor. That means a DOUBLE stick...Ohhhhhh dear! That's very expensive. Personally I would find an engineered floor that is allowed to be FLOATED. That will save you $$$$. The cork is 'floated' (it just sits there...nothing needs to be done to it) and then the floor would float over top of it. The amount of glue will DRASTICALLY reduce and the amount of LABOUR will drastically reduce. The $1000 up charge would go away. Or a little bit more money would be spent on the subfloor preparation (probably gypcrete = super annoying to deal with) so that the floor sits beautifully over the floating cork. I'm sorry to say Lana the installer would have quoted you properly if s/he had been fully aware of your flooring + underlayment decision. In other words you would have said, it must be glued down and cork used underneath. The GC/installer would have quickly understood the double stick idea. I'm going to tell you a little secret about cork and glue. You need a regular amount of glue to get the cork to 'stick'. But you need MUCH MORE glue to get the wood to stick to the cork. Why is that? Because the glue on TOP will simply 'sink into' the cork underlay. That will leave very little glue sitting on top. The cork will just suck the glue right into which means the installer will trowel on MORE glue than the 'bucket' says. Which means the $1000 up charge is going to turn into $1500 very very quickly. If your 'guy' hasn't done this before, he won't know to add MORE glue to the cork. He'll find out somewhere around 30% wood installed. He will them have to come to you to purchase MORE glue...and that's when your project will skyrocket. And another thing...doing a double stick like this adds 2-3 DAYS of time onto the floor project. Why? Because the cork layer must CURE first. The guy cannot go over a wet cork. He'll have to wait until the first layer of glue cures. That means more time spent OUT of the condo. If you are in a hotel/motel, you will have to pay MORE for those extra nights. And if your 'guy' doesn't know this, he might request more money because of his wasted time 'waiting' for the first layer of glue to cure. Again, this is where I would SERIOUSLY look at a floating floor over floating cork. I'm unable to find installation instructions for the Thunder Cloud Maple (wear layer is only 2mm...which is strange for such a thick plank). I would reach out to the manufacturer and ask for the installation instructions for your choice. And while you have them on the line, go ahead and ask if your choice can be floated. And ask which GLUE is required for installation.

How about these 4x8 plastic panels you can buy at the hardware store? Can they be stuck on top of the plywood decking in a shop? They come in white, seem to be marketed for putting in wet areas like bathrooms and would likely be easy to clean. In a shop setting I'm likely to spatter stuff walls while working on a car project or something...