Oh I do feel for you. I was in the same boat. Suffered with it for decades. I'm 51 and went to the allergist almost 3 years ago. I have sneezed as soon as I wake up in the morning for as long as I can remember. Even as a kid. The older I got the worse it got. I was EATING nasal decongestant pills, and using the OTC nasal sprays like crazy. They made my blood pressure go up. Went to the allergist finally. Got all the tests on both arms and my shoulders, I swear it wasn't bad. I'm allergic to almost everything that grows outside, dogs, cats, dust mites, pollen, yada, yada. I started getting allergy shots. 3 shots twice a week. I have 3 different bottles of serum they use. They started combining 2 of them so I would only get one shot in each arm at ea. appt. I'm finally down to going once a month. I take Allegra and use Rhinocort and Azelastine nasal sprays. This combination works for me. I go MONTHS without sneezing now. It's truly amazing. I also use a nasal salt water rinse, truly a miracle that salt water! She told me to close the windows, get rid of the carpet get rid of the dog. I did 2 out of 3, can't get rid of my old man of a dog, he's 15 1/2 now, he'll be gone soon enough. Make sure when you use the sinus rinse you use the packets of salt for it and also use distilled water, and heat it up some, but not so much it burns. Oh, and when the sinus headaches get bad, heat up a gel mask in the microwave and put it on your forehead and just under your eyes. If you don't have a mask, get a washcloth wet then heat it in the microwave. Good luck, hope you feel better. Here is a link that might be useful: what I use

No bb, that is not what I have. I guess I'm still learning. I just remember that when they sold me the hot water heater and boiler, they said it was a "direct vent" type. that's why I reiterated that. I thought a DV was just an appliance which was vented forcefully (horizontally outside of the wall or otherwise) instead of with a chimney type instrument. Thank you for the clarification. My two forced air heating units are in the attic and it's unfinished with a gable vent near them. A lot of (cold) air gets in through the vent when they turn on. Maybe that would do the trick. It does seem that it should somehow get air INTO the living space though. I definately understand what you mean about the negative pressure. I'll have to look closely at my units to see if they are indeed direct vent and if they're even installed properly. The hot water heater has a 3 inch PVC pipe going straight out the side of the house, that's it. The boiler (not hooked up yet) is the same way, near the HWH in the basement in a closet with louvered doors. The two units in the attic have that ven like I described. I need some kind of house audit... but the pros I hired to do the original work should have mentioned all this. I'm just learning this now after reading here for a while. thanks again for all the replies. I'm learning a bit from this. One more thing, I can't stop talking here... lol If I have both vents, in and out, at the same location, would'nt the "out" air just come back "in" with that setup? It would seem like a circle exchange of some kind and you'd suck the "old/bad" air back in.

Blue, I would most definitely interpret that as the DW not needing an airgap. Whether or not your inspector might need one may be a different story...you'll have to ask your building department. But the good news is that if you need to put in an airgap, you'll be able to swap it our for a soap dispenser or airswitch or whatever after inspection.

The hyper heat heat pump can make sense to cool an area with difficult access for ducts. Does the basement fit that description? It will cost you more to heat it with a heat pump than with natural gas. What are the aims of zoning, saving energy or comfort? If the former, you are probably barking up the wrong tree. If you have a well-sealed, well-insulated home, your heat transfer rates between rooms/floors will be much faster than out of the structure. Zoning can be difficult to accomplish, but not impossible. With old-school high mass boilers, it was not so difficult, but a modern, low-mass boiler, if sized to heat a large area, will be shutting off frequently. The same may be true for furnaces, but I am not as familiar with that issue. I've seen you write boilers and furnaces, which are you looking for? You can do forced air heat with hydro coils powered by a boiler, or with a furnace. With a hydro coil, you might be able to heat the bonus room but you'd still need a way to cool it. Cost calculations would tell you if it is worth it to install separate cooling and heating systems there. What are you planning on doing in the basement? Is is going to be just one, open area? I'd consider hiring an energy rater to help you plan and set milestones for the builder. They can help you choose your mechanical systems appropriately. They can do blower door tests to make sure that the house is air-sealed and insulated properly. Where are you located? It can make a big difference in figuring out what kinds of equipment to install if you have to heat a lot vs. cool a lot or both. Humidity is an issue too.