My friends are hopefully purchasing a house in the near future, and due to allergies they want to remove all of the carpeting in the property and replace it with less dust-harboring alternatives. (Laminate, etc. Which option will depend on the use of the room.) In one of the rooms, there is good reason to think that there might be an original wood floor under the carpet, however it's likely to be in rough shape. If that is the case, they want to keep that rather than put something over it, as it will look better going into the adjoining room which does have what looks like an original wood floor exposed. This is not something they have any experience with, however. I've suggested that they hire professionals to deal with the floor since it can be messy and I understand there's a learning curve to sanding properly and getting the finish on nicely, and it will be a higher traffic room so it's not where they want to be discovering they did something wrong in six months. I have a few specific questions: 1. Any tips on what to look for in or ask a pro that they're getting a quote from? 2. Any general ballpark they should keep in mind for cost? (It may be that it varies too much job-to-job for that.) 3. Assuming that the floor under the carpet is recoverable, should they plan on having the entire expanse of wood refinished? (I.e. into the next room.) The wood in the next room doesn't look like it needs refinishing, but I feel like it'd be difficult to match the finish and everything and have it look nice if trying to just do the one room. 4. Any other comments, tips/tricks/thoughts/warnings?

MAKE SURE THEY USE BONA PRODUCTS TO STRIP FLOOR AND STAY OUT OF THE HOUSE FOR 3 DAYS AND ASK THE RE-FINISHER IF HE'S A DRUNK AND GOING TO SHOW FROM 1-3 EVERDAY AND TAKE MONTHS TO DO THE WORK OR WHAT. GET IT IN A CONTRACT IN WRITING AND A PENALTY FOR EVERYDAY THEY ARE LATE GETTING DONE OF ATLEAST $250.00 A DAY

Without being there and checking the unit myself, I can only answer your replacement questions directly. I have several questions I would ask the tech. A stuck compressor can be restarted. I don't want to question the tech's ability and obviously can't at this distance. I'm going to do my best not to throw a lot of technical lingo at you. Considering the age of the unit, it would be best advice to replace it. I say that because it's age indicates other things have the possibility of going up over time and it will become a money pit. That's not always the case but it has the potential. The whole outside unit is called "the condensing unit" which contains the compressor, a fan, a condensing coil and a few electrical devices. The question you have regarding the attic area is a tough one to call from a long distance because consideration would have to be given to the size of the duct work, whether there are returns and the amount of insulation involved. I would suggest you get 3 estimates for replacement if you can. You would want each of those who look at replacing your unit to do a heat load calculation to determine what size unit you need. This will take into consideration what your house is made of, insulation values, windows, number of people in the home as well as a lot of technical data. The size of the unit will also have to take into consideration you duct work system (supply and return). After you get that information, why not post back here with it. There are a number of us here who can then help you determine what real questions you can ask, once we see what the techs are recommending. As for the window units, if you are running them all at the same time, you will be better off getting a central unit that does the whole house IF THEY CAN DO IT. I say if, because you might need all new duct work, maybe insulation, etc. and as you see, the costs may add up to an amount you may not want to spend. I don't mean to alarm you but I do think you need to see the reality you may be facing. I hope it is not that elaborate for you. I'm not familiar with the power companies in your area but maybe this suggestion might help with costs. Some power companies offer installation of equipment and add a payment plan onto your utility bill, making it a bit easier to deal with.

Thank you, all, for your thoughts and kind words. Lynn2006, i checked the can in the crawl space for the wall color - it said only 8232-W, which googled as "Lulled Beige". I think it looks a little more "peachy" than what i have here, but i suppose that could be the monitor's doing. In retrospect, i would have asked the builder to add a few "highlight" colors on key walls, but having never been through the process before, i just sort of "addled out." The floors are white oak, and the individual pieces measure 3 inches wide. We chose no stain or tint, and they've yellowed a bit over time. I can't remember what clear finish they put on at the time of installation. As i understand it, the new boards will have to be tinted a bit to match the old. One little interesting tidbit i learned from the gentleman who was here yesterday: I've always been a little needled by a bit of gapping between some of the floor boards. Just after moving in, i expressed my concern to the builder, but was told by both he and the original floor installer that it was just "seasonal shifting," par for the course. That explanation never sat right with me, but seemed a comparatively trivial matter in the broader context of the world. Yesterday, the gentleman who visited noticed immediately that the gaps are uniformly 48" apart, because the subfloor wasn't properly laid. Apparently, the seams should have been staggered, so any seasonal swelling and contracting would have been distributed in such a way as to not "float" the top boards apart. He's going to add a fill to those gaps to his quotation, but it may or may not be a long-term solution given the way the subfloor was put down. Ah well ... if floor gaps are the only frustration in a given day, it's been a pretty good day, yes? :)