Hi Gertrude, Welcome to RMG! And a "future welcome" to Denver! You're gonna love it! Thanks for telling us about yourself! This is going to be uncharacteristically short for me! I'm sitting in a little cabin in Yellow Jacket, and need to get up early in the morning to pack everything in the car and head for another little cabin on Grand Mesa! But when I read your post I had a whole lot of things to say and will try to quickly hit a few of them now. When you're looking for a house: Try to find out what kind of watering restrictions you might have in summer before you buy so you'll know up front how limited you will or won't be in what you can grow (water)! If you're seriously thinking all xeric, look for a yard with as much sun as possible. Most of the truly xeric perennials don't just want a lot of sun, they NEED it. If you buy a house in one of the "older" Denver neighborhoods, you will almost certainly get a yard that comes with built-in weeds. For instance, many years ago I lived in a house in Park Hill (NW Denver) and had some nasty weed I called "carrot weeds" because of the big, nasty taproots they had. After living there for several years, and constantly "fighting" them, they were still there as big and beautiful (NOT) at ever! Newer houses have had the soil dug up more recently and will often not have the "deeply established" weeds you'll find in the older neighborhoods. Many of the older "original" Denver areas--like the Denver Bungalow areas--will also tend to have smaller yards, but not always. The far south side of Denver, like around Parker and Castle Rock, get more snow--usually--than Denver proper, and the north end of the Metro area. That can be good for moisture, but can be bad for plants that are already growing! Double edged sword! Just thought I'd give you a heads up! There are nice areas all over the Metro area. I recommend if you're considering a specific area you come post and get pros and cons from the folks here about it. We have people who live all over the Metro area. I live on the north end in Thornton, and there are some really nice subdivisions up this way, like the Eastlake areas. Don't have time to post links, but when you're looking for plants I recommend Paulino's for nursery stock--trees and bushes. They still carry a pretty good selection in the nursery. Broadway and about 62nd. For the best selection of perennials, including xeric perennials, Timberline gardens on the far west side of town, at 58th Avenue and about Simms. When planning your yard you might want to consider a smaller area that you'll be watering more often where you can plant things like shasta daisies and such that require more water. That way you can have your cake and eat it too! Mostly xeric, but one spot where you can plant things you really love that need to be watered more often so you don't need to go completely without them. What's your biggest problem gonna be? Soil! Somebody mentioned sand or clay--chances are you'll have some pretty bad clay, but either way you'll need to plan to just keep adding organic matter--year after year after.......... I very highly recommend you plan for a compost pile somewhere in your yard (as opposed to some rinky-dink little store-bought "compost bin"), so you can "grow" your own "organic matter," and, if you build it directly on the ground, grow your own worm supply too! I don't have time to reread all the above, but I think somebody mentioned the awful stuff they bought, and even if you find some "good" stuff to buy, it's not gonna be as good at the stuff you make yourself! Now my questions! Where are you moving from? (If I missed it in your post I'm sorry!) Do you have any idea when? You can definitely "make it" in Denver! It just takes a little "adjusted thinking" if you're from a "wet and humid" place--and be sure to bring your Sense of Humor with you! It helps! And there's always moral support here on RMG! Gotta go, Skybird P.S. Almost forgot this! When you get here and come to a swap I can/will very definitely get you some Ajuga to play with! Two or three kinds! But remind me when you're coming to your first swap! This post was edited by skybird on Sat, May 17, 14 at 2:09

Thank you both. I will look into a more updated t-stat if we decide to go forward with Rheem. It would seem they do not have a downdraft furnace in the lineup that will qualify for the Fed tax credit. Currently, I would say that Lennox is the front runner, but I'm still going back and fourth between HP or AC. Ryan, what is it about the XC 14 that makes it superior to the 13? I have read where the 15 is supposed to be very quiet and have easier diagnostic ability over the 13/14, but don't know much either way. I haven't looked into going with a lower rated furnace and a higher rated HP. That is something to consider, too. These are comparable systems in the results they deliver? What about cost? Similar pricing with either set up? Is this a 6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of another kind of thing? It does make more sense to me to go with a higher rated HP if that is going to be the primary source of heat over the furnace. But that isn't what I've asked for in the bids. I didn't realize that you could get the refund with the HP. DOH! The Lennox dealer I am working with has an A+ rating with the BBB and has top service recommendations by our local utility company. The Rheem dealer is the same business that installed our water heater so we have used them before and were happy with the work they did. They are also on the utility company's referral list, but not rated by the BBB. TIA

Just your basic 80% furnace and air conditioner. Not anything wrong with this, but you may want to look into the benefits of upgrading to a variable-speed furnace and higher-grade air conditioner. Talk to your contractor about the upgrade options available should you choose to go this route. York has 2-stage variable-speed furnaces. With Bryant, you're probably looking at more money to go with the Evolution equipment. Ask for the coil model number--this makes a significant difference. Also ask if a Manual J load calculation was done to determine sizing for your new home. Good luck.

Rosa - that's it - Peggy Martin's is in the link below. The pic looks a little washed out of my monitor. It can be made to look so different depending on how you place the blocks (1/4 of a circle).You can follow a planned color theme, or do scrappy. A much different way to use your scraps. I think I have a pic of one someone made on my other computer - I'll post it if I can find it. Google New York quilts and look at what you get! You find the coolest things, so I am interested in what you dig up! Here is a link that might be useful: New York Beauty