Hello, IMO Dallas is a good place for quality work at reasonable prices. Last year, I read one post that was quoted $27,000 for a 3-ton system installation. I also read a post of a $2500 3-ton replacement. This is a lot of difference. The typical price is between $3000-5000 for a 3-ton system replacement. Duct work during the summer can be very expensive. I have heard of guys charging $2000 a day to work in the attic during the summer. These are not dishonest companies, just guys that do not want to work in the attic on a 100+ degree day. If your system is in the attic, do it while it is cool. (Now) There are so many quality HVAC companies in Dallas. Quotes like yours are for people made of money. I read and heard of many 3-ton replacements last year in the $10,000 range. I can not imagine what caused the cost to be so high. A typical system can be installed in a day with 2 men. Labor and 2x markup is nowhere near $10,000. Even in Legacy, this is a high price. I am helping someone that was hosed last year with a 5-ton installation. He now has the state of Texas involved. He was hosed so bad, that his case was placed in front of 30 previous cases waiting for proscution. The sad thing is the company that did the hose job has a fair reputation. The installation was incomplete, yet he spent $6200 for a 5-ton replacement. The company tried to charge him an additional $2k for a 1/2 days work replacing a couple of ducts. His summer bills were over $1000 a month for a 2600 sqft house. Get multiple bids. I know of one wholesale installer that will replace a condenser for under $200 labor. (Last spring) This is very cheap for Dallas. This is less than I charged in the 1980's. If you intend to replace all three units at one time you should talk to this company in Austin. He manufacturers a system designed for Dallas and hot climates. His equipment is like commercial equipment, and is truly efficient. http://www.alliedenergysystems.com/thermal.html Replacement of lines depends on the requirements of the new equipment and not age or condition of the lines. Sometimes this is needed for maximum efficient operations. Any handy person can install new duct. The key to a good job, is to seal all joints and seal the insulation properly. Many installers use a mastic to guarantee the joints are sealed. For a very efficient duct system consider using foam spray insulation on the ducts. Installing a system requires a few tools. Guages, Vac pump, torch for silver solder, Volt-amp meter, and a few sheetmetal tools. Basic mechanic tools also. For legal service work you need a recovery machine. By law, you need a CFC certificate to buy freon, or systems. You are also required to have it to adjust freon. Most cities require a permit to replace HVAC equipment, but less than 20% of the residential work is permitted in the Dallas area. Now, for the good news. The state of Texas will issue you a voucher that allows you to purchase equipment for your house, if you have a cfc certificate. Kinda neat. If you have specific questions email me. I am in N. Texas area.

I've heard there are online programs. You need to know your house construction pretty well to get an accurate calculation. Below is an example of how one exterior wall would be rated. Then you also figure windows and doors after that. Walls: (Each exterior wall, on each floor, must be done individually) Any windows and doors in a wall must be included with that particular wall. A rough drawing of each wall can be supplied, if easier, showing windows and doors. All measurements, in feet and inches for walls, windows, and doors, must be included for the length, width, or height. What direction does the wall face? O North O Northeast O Northwest O East O East Northeast O East Southeast O West O West Northwest O West Southwest O South O Southeast O Southwest O A: Wood frame, with sheathing, siding or brick Wall cavity O None O R-11 3 ½" O R-13 4" O R-19 5 ½" O R-27 7 ½" O R-30 8 ½" O R-33 9-10" Select exterior insulation O None O R-1.3 ½" Asphalt board O R-1.8 ½" Beadboard O R-2.5 ½" Extruded poly board O R-2.7 ¾" Beadboard O R-3.6 1 in. Beadboard O R-3.8 ¾" Extruded poly board O R-5.0 1" Extruded poly board O R-8 Sheathing O B: Masonry, above grade Select insulation value O R-5 1" O R-11 3 ½" O R-19 5 ½" Wall construction  no added insulation O 8" or 12" block O 8" block and 4" brick O C: ICF Insulated concrete form, above grade Select ASTM R-value O R-12 to R-14 O R-14 to R-16 O R-16 to R-18 O R-18 to R-20 O R-20 to R-22 O R-22 to R-26 O R-26 to R-30 O R-30 to R-36 O D: SIP Structural Insulated Panels O 4 ½" panel O 6 ½" panel Exterior finish O Stuco or siding O Brick O Split logs on both sides O E: Logs Circle the log thickness: 6" 7" 8" 9" 10" 11" 12" O F: Block or brick, extends to 5 below grade Select insulation value O R-5 1" O R-11 3 ½" O R-19 5 ½" Wall construction  no added insulation O 8 or 12 inch block O G: Block or brick, extends over 5 below grade Select insulation value O R-5 1" O R-11 3 ½" O R-19 5 ½" Wall construction  no added insulation O 8 or 12 inch block O H: ICF, extends to 5 below grade Select ASTM R-value O R-12 to R-14 O R-14 to R-16 O R-16 to R-18 O R-18 to R-20 O R-20 to R-22 O R-22 to R-26 O R-26 to R-30 O R-30 to R-36 O I: ICF, extends over 5 below grade Select ASTM R-value O R-12 to R-14 O R-14 to R-16 O R-16 to R-18 O R-18 to R-20 O R-20 to R-22 O R-22 to R-26 O R-26 to R-30 O R-30 to R-36

My brother and I isntalled tile in my house as a DIY project, 3 bathrooms, a lobby and a kitchen all together about 1200 sq feet of tile. You can do it yourself if you are really careful about details, its also very strenous work, back, arms, legs, neck, wrists will all be in pain for at least a week heh. I'm really proud of the work though so it made the effort all worth it. Saved A LOT of money as well, the estimate for the kitchen alone for me was in the mid 4k's and we did the entire kitchen ourselves for about 800 and that included everything, materials and all. We had hardwood subflooring and we just put down mortar on it and screwed down hardibacker on top of it and then put more mortar on top of that stuck the tiles in and then grouted. The floor is now over two years old and still in mint condition. It can be done with some elbow grease, patience, and dedication. If you have an eye for quality then you will be more than happy with the results, we had a plumber guy show up and tell us the flooring looked professionally installed. :) Also make sure you buy the right mortar, we just bought the strongest one Lowes had, it was flexforce something thinset. You just mix it with water. Good luck.

Hey, I had my own "Blew the budget" thread. A very wise KF guru (Buehl) gave me this great advice: To decide what you can do to cut costs, I recommend asking yourself the following questions: (1) What is not that important to me and doesn't add functionality? [Candidate for elimination altogether] (2) What can I do at a later date? [Candidate for deferring until a later date] (3) What can't be done at a later date and I can't live without? [Candidate for keeping and doing now] I know that you are also asking about what you can do vs. paying for a contractor, but you may want to narrow down the list with this logic first. At least that will help you to prioritize. It sounds like you have found at least one candidate for "what can I do at a later date" with the backsplash. For me, my moldings as a cross between 1 and 2 (doesn't add functionality and can be done at a later date), so that was going to save me a lot of $. Once you have your prioritization, then maybe you could break the project into phases with the #3s in the first phase, #2s, then finally #1s - mixing in the parts that you think you can do yourself. Good luck - it's tough making these choices, and it often feels like an "all or nothing" proposition.