I would be curious in seeing if you have a good grasp on the numbers I posted originally and the effects they truly have on a home, along with a program you use that actually takes into account some of these things, such as thermal bridging and extremely low infiltration rates...cause ours does. Some of the hvac guys I talked to their programs maxed out at r29 insulation in the walls! Not to mention their "infiltration numbers were, well not numbers at all, but rater "loose, medium, and tight". (tight being 2 ach@50 pac, still way too loose). Its not a fight between who is smarter. Its a matter of new ways of doing things. Tried and true and gut feelings are all fine and dandy on typical code homes, but not here. It gets people out of their comfort zones and actually size things correct, heaven forbid. My HERS rater and ES rater came back with similar numbers now. I guess we are all crazy and the home will really, really suck. (just like the PH homes in VT, IL, MI, and other places that use a single point cooling such as a mini split with great results....)

Yes, install a separate zoning control for the basement. Now is the time. Yes, I think both furnaces are oversized. Makes me wonder if he sized the furnaces not for the heating BTU capacity but for the 4 ton rated blower that would be needed for the 3 1/2 ton condenser. Yes, based on heat gain calc, a three ton condenser seems to be right size, not 3 1/2 ton as quoted. This should be questioned. Keep in mind, 36 KBTUs=3 tons. I would want to know the design temperatures used both inside temp and outside temp both for winter heating and summer cooling. You want excellent ductwork insulation for attic. That's a long way to blow air. You might consider an 80% furnace for second floor installed in attic. This would eliminate the long distance or perhaps insulate attic where it can take a high efficient condensing furnace without fear of freeze ups. The 80% would be a less expensive option. Discuss the options with dealer/GC. Nothing is easy is it? IMO

Guys, I have gotten stuck in between two systems for my final decision. Please help me out to pick the right one. I am trying to decide in between these two ; #1 - Bryant 6129135 Active Systems BRYANT HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE 13 PURON HP BRYANT HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS 286BNA048****B CNPV*4821AL*+UI 1300 1040 315(A,J)AV048090 45500 11.50 15.50 46000 8.20 29600 1 HRCU-A-CB 355 1140 also includes - Evolution touchscreen thermostat and comes with free Bryant Air purifier - one year test drive - I don't know how it works but they say they will provide 100% refund if I am not satisfied with the system within a year from the installation date #2 - Trane 5768796 Active Systems XR17 TRANE 4TWR7048A1 4TXCD063BC3 1370 1090 *UD2C080B9V4 48000 12.50 17.00 45500 9.00 30400 1 HRCU-A-CB 342 1077 Yes Not include thermostat. will use exiting HW VP IAQ includes GPS-2400 plasma air cleaner price wise the Trane is roughly $200 more expensive than the Bryant after the tax credit is deducted Both contractor will add two returns and one supply and will fix the distribution issues in my current duct work. Based on the notion I got; both contractors are very capable and have very good reputation I am more inclined to Bryant due to evolution controls. I do know Trane is very reliable and efficiency wise it is a little more efficient compared to the Bryant system. to me $200 difference in price is very negligible. I just want to make right decision. I got stuck! PLEASE HELP...

(FWIW, ceiling heights in basement apartments might not be biggest concern. I know of two basement units right on my street that have been renovated within the last few years. Both have had stable tenants paying $1600/mnth and $1750/mnth. This despite the fact that although the units look nice, it is clear that they are not legal, with bulkheads at around 6ft and original-sized windows that are too small. yeah, I know. The reason isn't just about legalities, it's about money. Rental Real Estate is a long term game. There's a number of things that can do you in. Legal is one of them, but the cost to entry is much lower. The other con is that real estate is hot right now, been hot for quite a while. So what happens when things aren't so favorable? This isn't to say that if you do xyz, legal etc. That you won't have trouble. Crap happens. Life gets in the way. As you said you don't want to be told what to do. This situation you got is complicated, you do all the work upfront pay for it, then the process of getting paying tenants etc. Not everyone is cut out to be a tenant, not everyone is cut out to be a landlord. If you catch my drift. There is no amount of planning, doing that can prevent life happen type scenarios from happening. I've seen too much... I've condensed this down. Rental real estate can be 'easy'. But often times things get exagerated in terms of how much you make. Especially if you carry debt. This reno is likely going to cost well into the 30K range, maybe more no matter which or how you decide. Unless you do the work yourself, which takes more time. That's a lot of money to stick out there with no realization of ever turning a profit. Remember, this looks much easier from the outside looking in. Tenants don't care about half of what you think they might. Until they do care. As long as a place is clean, nice looking, nice area, nice schools many times that will do it for most. But things go bad after a tenant moves in. I feel the floor removal method is the better way mainly for the access to redo the plumbing runs and get the place height legal. (is it perfect, no not really. It's a choice that opens more options when it's far easier to fix things not thought of when the house was built.) The HVAC stuff is secondary for a basement. There will be little need for conditioning a basement. If the HVAC is problematic for the upper level then obviously before you finish the basement would be a good time to shore up those issues. I think dehumidification / some AC / little heat is really all you need for a basement. If this is your first endeavor into rental real estate, you've got your work cut out for you. It's always adviseable to do 'easy' first. This is complicated for a wide variety of reasons. Not saying you can't do it, but after trying it... well I first rented a home over 30 years ago. It was a complete disaster. Tenants stop paying 3 months after moving in. It took me the better of 20 years to get over those mistakes, and the visual nightmares as a result. Trust me when I say this is not easy, not for the faint of heart. If it was easy, everyone would do it. It's glamorized primarily because RE often is sold because of how glamourous it is. That's misleading when you're knee deep in crap after you've bought it. If this is a "house hack" kind of project, you're slightly better off in terms of getting your money back. But it's easily a 3 - 4 year project of working for nothing, dealing with tenants etc. Meaning this investment is going to take at least 3-4 years of your life before you show a nickel of profit. That's provided there isn't some unplanned "life happens" event that effects you or your tenant. There's far more to consider here, it's not meant to discourage you but as you noted the likely illegal rentals in the area... they're likely illegal due to? money. The whole reason you are contemplating doing this.