tigerdunes, Thanks for your input. I posted some incorrect info on option 2. The correct coil should be: CNPHP3117ATA with the 58CVA070-12 Infinity VS gas furnace instead of: CSPHP3017ATA HI-EFF R410A Evaporator coil. Regarding option with with AC instead of a HP, I have this information: 58MVC060 95% VS furnace 24APA524 15 SEER CSPHP2112ATA evap coil inf t'stat $6847 before C&R ($4647 after C&R) So the AC option is about $150-$300 less than the HP options, mainly due to equipment rebates and an additional electric rebate. From a conservative perspective, I'd swing to option 2... but hate to give up that 95% furnace for so little difference in price! The Carrier contractor says he doesn't see any problem with installing the 90+ in the attic, since the line is only 2-3' and goes down an interior wall. I wish the 80% option was significantly cheaper so as to make the conservative choice easier to make. I'll check on the addition of a pleated filter media cabinet, but am not sure I'll be happy with the additional cost. We don't currently have issues with indoor air quality and haven't had issues with the existing blower motor. But maybe the new system is different in that regard? Regarding the heat strips.. are you suggesting getting rid of the gas heat altogether upstairs and just use a heat pump backed up by heat strips?

I kept my old floor. I have a neutral color ceramic tile that was installed when the house was built 20 years ago!! Its a creamy taupe, with dark grout. It is dated because of its size (12"), but the color is fine. Since there is so much of it throughout the house, I didn't want the messy nightmare of breaking it all up. My cabinet maker demo'd the old cabinets, then installed the new ones according to the "footprint" of the existing tile. So, my cabinets sit direclty on the floor against the tiles, but not on the tiles as they would have if I installed new flooring. It all works well. My cabinet guy had to break and remove a couple of tiles and use the extras we had since we tweaked the length of the bar area. It all works fine and if I ever decide to change the flooring, it will not be a problem to work around the cabinets.

My 2¢ on this: I'm inclined to preach about making repairs and not sending workable appliances to the landfill or recycling. Your existing DW might just have a plugged line. However, wanna guess what I did when my early-1998 SHU3xx model stopped working back in 2012? I took the discount for a replacement dishwasher. Maybe an easy decision for me as a DIY project. It really is as easy as Dan1888 says. So the installation should not be expensive if you have to pay for it. A repair will require pulling the DW out, disconnecting and reconnecting, and then putting it back in, anyway. Beyond that, my on-line research back in late 2012 was that Bosch DWs and other higher quality DW brands had average expected lifespans of 12 years but some lesser brands were only lasting 7 years on average. (Lots of posting here with much gnashing of teeth and tales of woe about DWs back then, too.) You have already replaced a motor at seven years, so it is hard to say when you might need another one. My Bosch was 15 years old and had never needed any work. It might have continued chugging along after the board replacement. Eventually, it would have needed other repairs. For instance, replacing the detergent dispenser door when the latch springs wore out. Then a new door seal. Eventually, a new pump, etc. I decided to skip the hassle and bought an SHE55xx series model as the replacement. As far as I could tell, the new one did not have any more electronics to break than the old one. However, the boards are supposedly better built now. The boards from the late 90's and early 2000's were kind of on the cheap side all across the appliance industry. With some legal pushing, Bosch owned up to the issue and upgraded its boards while instituting the program for the board replacement/discounted new units. (Whirlpool also had problems with its DW boards. According to news reports, DWs made back then by Whirlpool were blamed for several kitchen fires. Whirlpool chose to fight with customers. AFAIK, that fight is still going on.) Anyway, my replacement SHE55 runs noticeably quieter than the old SHU. (More sound proofing.) The new one does take 15 to 20 minutes longer for the regular cycles than the old one did (varies a bit between loads.) The new one has more capacity. Also, the new one allows raising and lowering the upper rack, a feature which I find very useful. (I cannot recall if the SHU4xx series had that feature or not.) So, despite my preferences for keeping appliances running, I have been pleased with the replacement.

I guess we can always wait until after they put it in, then you can take pictures of the compressor and we can determine from there how much of a builder grade unit is by what kind of compressor they put in it. LOL. Climatuff Compressor? actual thing or just a trademarked name that means nothing. Alliance compressor? Copeland compressor painted orange with Alliance sticker. Or because orange is not really that big of a deal, a black Copeland compressor with an Alliance sticker on it. Nothing is as it used to be... that's for certain.