I did consider failing to mention asbestos a bad sign. I thought that they would either rip it out without any precautions or else the crew would show up to do the install & see the asbestos that the estimator didn't. Your situation may be different since the contractor previously acknowledged. I do think that the contractors who notify homeowners of problem and refuse to expose their workers (unless they are trained/licensed to handle asbestos, of course) are the responsible ones. I think we'll probably end up spending about $2200 to have it removed with full report & documentation of remediation. The state and county offices charged with regulation were very helpful to me on the issue, giving me the regs, names of testing labs, and saying which remediation companies had good track records.

LOL! Aren't arts and crafts projects fun! The only way I can visualize ANYTHING in 3-D is to mock it up first, although my craftsmanship isn't as exquisite as yours, lawjedi. Unfortunately, Jill, the only way I've found to simulate life without an existing wall is to actually take it down to the studs. Of course, once that's done you have to hope you like it enough to continue the plan - or live with the wall frame until you get around to putting the drywall back! It also helps to HAVE a plan... We had a lot of fun tearing down the wall between our kitchen and dining room so we could see if it would improve the light in both rooms (it did) but then we had absolutely no idea what to do after that. So we lived with our imaginary non-wall for 8 months while we put together the plan. We're finally starting the project in earnest next week, hooray! I made my final decision on pendant lights for the new island today -- aren't they cute? Our little "demo adventure" will end up costing us a bundle, but at least we'll be able to take blue tape out of our monthly budget!

Dedtired, a tankless water heater will not run out of water even if you have multiple guests and extra showers, but the main sell on them (from what I have seen) is that they use far less energy because they don't have to heat 330-50 gallons of water and keep it hot all the time. A tankless heater heats only the water being used on demand. They also don't have a large tank that can rust or develop leaks and flood your home. My AC is 5 years old this week. We had installed those units to replace the existing ones in our home -- we hadn't been very happy with either. The newer unit needed a new coil for the second time in a few years -- and one of the coils put in was the wrong part with the wrong coolant. Required the entire AC and heating system to be replaced. It was such a mess that we decided to cut our losses and pull both systems and start completely over. We went from $150 service call to something that added some zeros and then some -- but we got rid of such junk, got a great system relocated in our attic so the service is easier and safer, complete with some new ducts, gas lines, a little vent work -- and the owner monitors phone calls from home after hours and helped us trouble shoot one evening to avoid a service call the next day. We went to a 2 speed system that runs high for cooling and low when it needs to dehumidify -- a great feature in a humid climate, and it is more energy efficient. And quieter -- never hear that kick and push of air when it runs. Don't miss it. We didn't have to replace the second system, but I have never regretted the decision. It's been great and I have an AC company I trust again.

@res2architect there’s barely any really, a few square feet at most maybe? It’s just bits that have been partially removed in the past. In the photos you can see that it’s pretty damaged and torn. It looks like someone just grabbed a section of it and tore it off. But, it is a paper-like material, not something that is crumbly. I imagine that I might be able to encapsulate it even though it has some damage, but I really don’t know. I think my landlord is going to send a professional out this week. Update: I think I found more of the same material inside of one of the vents. Hopefully it hasn’t been blowing fibers around the house... I guess I should get the air tested? Still, I can’t imagine that too many fibers would be released since the material seems mostly intact.