Thanks again! This is extremely helpful! My house is 2 stories and the first floor is 2000 sq ft and the 2nd is 2200 sq ft. This system is just for the 1st floor. It's an older home so even though it's a lot of sq ft, it doesn't have any high ceilings so volume of air is not as much. The current system (when it had freon) did a good job of cooling all the rooms on the first floor and it's a 20 year old carrier 4 ton seer 10. I'm not replacing the 2nd floor system right now (it still works) but I know I'll be replacing it in the next few years (if not next year). Not sure what you mean by what stat was quoted - probably just due to my limited knowledge - could you explain what you mean by that? He did mention a filter box would be on the end of the furnace that needs replacement every 6 months but I don't see it in the quote so I'll follow up with him to find out. Yes, under 4 grand - and TX has an energy star tax free weekend coming up - need to see if this equipment qualifies - if so, no sales tax. Yes, first floor system with furnace in attic. Will ask about lineset also - didn't mention a new one so I assume flushed - but I'll double check. Thanks again!

tracey - just know that a quality heat pump beats any apartment unit. Running all the time is fine if you don't hear it and with a good unit and good install, you shouldn't. I understand the worry and wouldn't try to talk you out of it - I'm guessing you would have propane for other things anyway. I don't actually understand the dirty sock syndrome... I'll give you our situation although I'm surprised that these things aren't decided yet if you are painting.... We have dual fuel downstairs and zoned heat pump upstairs. We rarely hear the downstairs unit either winter or summer. The floor vents are quieter. Upstairs we can hear the airflow - partly that is a result of zoning since the full system is forced through 1/2 the upstairs but partly it is due to a design of the vents. And partly it is due to the upstairs having lots of doors - all bedrooms. The air flow under the doors is a bit annoying at times. Why am I telling you this? In a strange way, the heat pump alone upstairs is made annoying because of our design. Downstairs, heat pump alone would be no big deal since we can't hear it. Also the humdifier is on the downstairs system so running all the time does not dry anything out. So at one point, I wished I had done dual fuel upstairs. We have NG which is usually like 3-5 times cheaper than propane and beats heat pump anytime it is less than 35 degrees or so in cost. My wife and I like it cold but the baby gets a nice warm bedroom. We never ran the upstairs unit until mid Jan when he was born. So it wasn't an issue until then. This winter was brutal but I've even considered ducting some of the downstairs unit up to the upstairs through the garage. Mostly that is a cost thing since we have NG. The vent noise really requires bigger unsightly vents and returns in the bedrooms which I don't think I can sell to the wife.

here are a few details since a pandora's box of speculation is all over the map. started the process of finding contractors at the end of april with the idea of a fall/winter build. house is 1 story, 30x40, on piers, 2 bdr, 2 bth. so my 'lavish' lifestyle will be housed basically in a trailer in the sky. ( to pigeon hole the style, would be mid-century-ish). i would wait 2-3 weeks, between phone calls, mainly because of the amount of rain pouring down from the sky and i was well aware of weather delays and the havoc that creates for building. my wonderful septic guy Carl was a peach. returned my calls, let me know of delays, showed up when he said he would, did a fantastic job & i am for ever in his debt. the flip side of carl tho? evidently he was a spoiler for my expectations in contractors. i was my own GC for my yankee house and also for an elderly neighbor's home. and most of all. i do not hate the south. southern's are the most kind, polite, gentle, most friendly people i have ever met..... always a wave hello, always a smile. they just hate to use the phone? if at any time anyone would have said- 'job is to small, not worth my time, your plans suck, you are crazy, don't ever call me again, kicked my dog or called my children ugly.' i would say thanks and move on to find someone else. not a problem. the reply's to my feeble attempt at a rant, and humor have been enjoyable. if i lived under your skin, i take it as a kind of a zen thing, accept my apology for inadvertently pushing a button, but i probably saved someone else. to those who sympathized and offered help, advice and patience, i thank you. and the wise sage who wrote rude behavior would be turning a job down, and it is not rude to never return phone calls- you gave me a light-bulb moment. i now know how to start the conversation. so...... let's all lighten up, just saying.

The pergola on that website omahastructure.com, they would have had to do some type of heating to get the board to bend like that. I believe it involves steam and heat. Hopefully someone else with a little more knowledge can clarify. Some really cool designs in their portfolio. How did you find about them? I wonder if they would travel to kansas my deck and patio is ready for some new creative input haha!