Bejay, thats what I had -- the leaves were completely covered. The area they were infesting was starting to grow fast so I decided I had better do something. In fact I should have done something when I first saw it -- any time all the leaf surface gets covered its an epidemic level and I don't think the predators can keep up. When I wrote the above it was bad on one tree only, but subsequently about 20 trees got infested -- all my apricots and European plums in that one spot. For some reason they stayed away from the other fruits even though they were interplanted. I sprayed Stylet Oil on them last night, and I am going to keep on them with something or other every day now until I wipe them all out. Today I will trim off many of the shoot tips, a summer pruning. Since the flies greatly prefer the new leaves it takes away their food. I wonder what brought on this outbreak. I have had them before in moderate quantities but nothing like this. Scott

There are directions for spray intervals based on disease and type of plant on the label. Here is a pdf to help out. I try to spray every other week the entire season, but sometimes do not get to it until the 3rd week. Here is a link that might be useful: Bayer Directions for use

I saw that Shark Tank episode, and it's actually part of what put me off of the product. It was a couple of guys looking to make some money, who had no experience whatsoever in the HVAC industry. I have a lot of respect for Robert Herjavec, but again, he has no HVAC experience. I would not base my purchase of an HVAC related product on his investing decision. I have seen a great deal of issues in the field with the Nest thermostat. I tried tried one in my own home, but removed it after a few months. Again, it was not created by people who know HVAC. That showed in the product, and when you called them for support. It seemed to do a fine job of controlling basic systems that just had a gas furnace and A/C (though I noticed a lot of reliability issues, and it allowed excessive temperature swings in my opinion), but when I put it on more complicated systems, like multistage, heat pump, and dual fuel systems, it just choked and could not control them in an efficient and comfortable manner. Many people reported significantly increased electric bills. The fact that these smart vent people are partnering with them speaks volumes to me. Again - CNET is a great place to go for reviews on consumer electronics, but they know nothing about HVAC. Same deal with Lowe's and Samsung. Their ability to get funding from these places doesn't really answer any of my concerns about the product. I agree that the article I linked was mainly written with heating systems in mind, but a lot of it applies to cooling systems too. You don't just risk system damage by restricting airflow on a furnace. There is plenty of risk with an A/C only system as well. Low airflow can lead to coil freezeups, blower failure, and compressor failure. I don't understand what you mean about "relieving pressure" when using schedules. As long as vents are being closed off, static pressure in the ductwork increases. I'm glad these companies are at least acknowledging the pressure issue. But their websites have next to no specific information about what they are doing to get around the problem. I would want to know what type of sensor they are actually using to measure the pressure. Are they just measuring it at individual vents or are they taking into account readings from all the vents together? Also, what are they doing with the pressure readings they are getting from these sensors? At what point do they determine static pressure is excessive? That can be different for different systems. How do they specifically know what kind of pressure buildup for your particular duct system? That kind of thing requires a qualified technician to measure, and these systems are not designed to be put in by qualified technicians. Let's assume these systems can actually get accurate static pressure readings for the system, and somehow know when airflow is being restricted too much for a particular system (based on what I've read about these, I feel that both of these assumptions are a stretch). When pressure does get too high, what will the system be able to do about that? A traditional zoning system installed by a contractor could ramp down the variable speed blower, lowering pressure while still allowing zones to be closed off. A more basic zoning system installed on a non variable speed HVAC system could open a bypass damper installed by the contractor, allowing some the excess supply air to go straight to the return duct, again lowering static pressure while allowing zones to close. But these smart vents? The only thing they'll be able to do if they sense high pressure is to not close, which kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? That air has to go somewhere! The title of the article I linked is "Ecovent - Treating Symptoms Instead of the Disease". Based on what I know about these products I feel that is an accurate description of them. Even if they worked perfectly, without any potential for issues down the road, the problems they claim to be trying to solve should not be present at all in a properly sized, designed, and installed HVAC system. If temperatures are extremely uneven from room to room, that isn't just a fact of life that you have to deal with; it means that your duct system is poor. I have no zoning system whatsoever in my house, and my temperatures are almost perfectly even from room to room, even with just one thermostat. So, if you're having issues with comfort or energy consumption - get a good contractor to evaluate your entire system. You will be better off in the long run eliminating the root cause of these problems. All of this is just my personal opinion I've formed based on the information I've been able to find about these products online. If you decide you'd like to go ahead with one of these systems, post back with a review and let us know how it works for you.

I have a washing machine in my kitchen area and HATE IT! I see in your option 3 you have the stacked washer and dryer in your eating nook. In my household there are always laundry baskets that have to be stored somewhere (which takes up space in an already small kitchen). Just something to think about. Also, is there a reason you need a bathtub on the main floor? If you could get rid of it you'd have alot more space because you wouldn't need such a huge bathroom.