Thanks for the suggestions! blakrab: Diciduous is ok. I'm surrounded by evergreens, so it's nice to have some diversity. not sure if we have any other open space to plant more though (property is overrun by coast live oak which sprout like weeds here. Every year I pull out about 20-30 saplings, and seems like I'm making no dent in the growth density here... every few years I have to have one cut down since they start crowding eachother too much). I'll take a close look at the Texas persimmon. Is that anything like the persimmons you find sold in stores? (orange fruit)? There are few of those in the area. if so, may be there'll be enough in the area without having to plant another in our lot... hoobv: it's a pretty densely vegetated hillside property, so fire is always a concern. But never really thought bout tree-fire exposure (we're usually more concerned with shrub/grass fire). I said 15ft, but just looked at the survey map, and it seems like it's actually more like 25 ft from the house. making a terrace is an interesting idea. the tree can be taller, as long as it's the type that is conducive to shaping/height reduction management. but taller tree usually means faster growth (may be) and hard to manage? and thank you for the tree selection guide. I'll ahve to take a look at that. An arborist who just came by recommended chinese pistachio. He said around here, it doesn't get much bigger than about 25ft or so, and has great fall foliage, drought tolerant.. doesnt require too much water in the summer so won't hurt the juniper either (I called it juniper, but arborist said cypress, so... hmm). The tree sounded good until I found out that it has a potential of growing to 60ft.. i'll have to do more research on that tree.

Well, not from N. California, so I would suggest you check out your better nurseries to see what cultivar will really excel in your area. Height of tree is mainly determined by the rootstock. If you want a big tree, purchase the tree on standard rootstock. A smaller tree (about 10 to 12') on semi-dwarfing rootstock, such as Carizzo or Troyer. Some cultivars tend to be more droopy and wide, such as satsuma mandarins. Others tend to be more upright, such as the Page mandarin. Page is an exceptional mandarin hybrid (3/4 mandarin, 1/4 grapefruit), being a cross between the Minneola tangelo and a Clementine mandarin. One of the best rated mandarins out there, and is fairly vigorous and upright. It is also an early mandarin, which usually means it will do well in cooler areas. But, I would check with your local nurseries and see what they recommend for your area. And, citrus are not expensive here in California. You should be able to purchase a 5 gal. tree in the $20.00 range :-) Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection: Page Mandarin

Thank you both for the advice! My house is a two story 3 br-2.5 bath with total sqft 1490. It was built in 1985. The existing one is Rheem and it is really old, I think it came with the house. So the efficiency might just be joke. :) I do agree that 2 stage furnace will probably be better ( I assume this means I have two thermostats to control different floors). If anybody lives in the bay area, I would like to know how much you are paying for the cost of the equipment and the installation. The quotes I get from contractors usually vary a lot.

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