Hello, I used to grow under Florescent lights, But have changed to HID there is a bit of a cost difference but its worth it in my case. Anyhow with respect to your question about Paphs and the humidity levels, I have a grow room that I maintain in the 70 up to 85% relative humidity, I drop the humidity when the lights are off but raise it again in the start of the light cycle. I use a ultra sonic humidifier that I got at a home center that has a humid level control on it. I think I paid some where around $40.00 for it. And my Room is 12 feet by 14 feet. All you need to do is watch the Media that your plants are growing in and see if its drying faster or slower then the plants like. I grow in Clay pots,,, It takes a little more watering but it helps keep the media a little more even on how fast it dries out. As for the lights DonÂt go cheap with Orchids. As there going to hurt your feelings if they start to Sulk, Anyhow enjoy and good luck, I am able to grow and bloom VandaÂs and Cats in the same room as My Paph. rothschildianum , you just have to move them according to the light requirements. Good luck Forrest

Thanks for your responses. All three contractors have visited and I have two quotes. The first in the original post. The second recommends Amana 16 Seer 2 ton, 2 stage compressor with an oversized 3 ton coil for cooling and Amana 80,000 BTU/80%, 2 stage, variable speed furnace. Nothing about changing return ducts. The third firm suggested zoning the system split first floor and upstairs with separate thermostats to control a pnuematic damper in the attic. Do this first and then see if the cooling and heating systems needed to be upgraded. He was their ducting expert and he thought it would be better if the returns were larger, but he thought too that the zoning would solve the problem for the majority of the time. I have yet to get their quote so this detail may change. I am not sure that I have found the right contractor yet. The lack of Manual J calculation bothers me. I am concerned too that there has been no attempt to better quantify the flow issue. I have asked pointed questions about this and been given answers along the lines of " xx years experience" or "not needed for replacement of existing systems". These are, in theory, the top rated HVAC firms in the DC Metro area on Angie's List. So how do I find a firm that, as seaton puts it, would make it unnecessary for me to post so many questions? Returning to the point of my post. I think it would be unwise in my situation to size for the future and so am concentrating on getting the house right as it is. I will not be worrying about the basement either. I found a link to a blog that talks ducts: Fred Weldin (that can be googled) - I learnt some things from his site last night. Does anyone have experience or opinions about the Amana furnaces and cooling systems? I was told that they have lifetime warranties on key parts that distinguishes them from all the others. Second, does putting in a coil that is 3 tons make sense for a 2 ton condensing system? I need to fix my attic insulation and appreciate the nudge from david cary! Any other thoughts or advice welcome. MoT

With help from the forum, I got 3 consistent load calculations and a bunch of quotes. I have settled on the American Standard contractor who was knowledgeable and had a fair price. Here is my final choice: AUD2C080B9V4 4A7A7048A1 4TXCD063 AHRI# 5942858 I am going to add a 5" media cabinet as recommended here. TFM245B0FR0. The contractor recommended getting the largest filter (24" wide) even though the furnace is 21" wide (said it improves air flow). My last question deals with the thermostats. I've read all the forum posts and am still a little confused. I've asked for a quote on the Honeywell Prestige IAQ 2.0 as recommended here. The contractor is recommending 803s, however. Should I insist on the Honeywell? The contractor made it sound like the 803 does the same thing but from reading here it seems like the 803 just overcools to de-humidify whereas the Honeywell slows the blower speed. Is that correct? Is it possible to have one Honeywell Prestige downstairs that controls both the downstairs and FROG (with a temp and humidity gauge installed in the FROG)? Let me know any final thoughts before I sign the contract. Thanks so much. MB

You may want to have a blower door test/ energy audit done to determine where it would be most effective to spend money on. The payback period on new windows can be quite long sometimes.The Simonton is a pretty good window not the best but pretty solid.I have not seen a Jeld-Wen product I have cared for yet.It would be difficult to comment on pricing without knowing the full details of the install and full details of the window.$10,000 is a lot of money, so take your time and do your homework.