Although I don't know about the see-through door models, I can tell you that I'd never EVER purchase GE Monogram! We bought a house in March and the instant that I opened the refrigerator door, I knew that something was wrong....this is an expensive built-in model. Six years old. Should have been under warranty for several more years. Even the information packet says as such! Of course, the compressor was out and we had to buy a new one...and the company would not honor the warranty. And, I also felt that this should have surely been caught on inspection! The freezer temps were in the high 20's...not to mention high '40's for the refrigerator..and that was after it had been closed all night! So, $2000 later, we are still out the money and I'm probably not going to be reimbursed from GE. TERRIBLE service with these people! And I replaced the cooktop with my gorgeous new CornuFe range...but that's another story. Just think very carefully about built-in refrigeration from GE Monogram. I don't want anyone else to have such an expensive issue if they can avoid it!

Thank you for all your responses. As far as lakedog's comments are concerned - Yes! I am upset! Whilst I agree that it was a rather sweeping statement I made about 'local' companies I feel that a national or larger company (that I might previously have thought would be disinterested) would have a 'brand' that it perhaps would care to protect. A more reputable company would also more likely have learned through experience the value of customer service and satisfaction, and perhaps also have a better developed contract that is less ambiguous! As far as your other remarks are concerned, as I explained, we had had a business relationship with this company (with many satisfied customers of our own) and in fact already had several of their windows in our own home for a few years, in addition to the 26 large windows they installed in our commercial building - with no problems. Personal experience trumps recommendations in my view! Their windows were not less expensive than those of reputable competitors so we certainly did not go for the 'lowest price', nor were there any 'discounts or special offers'! 'Being in a hurry' did not cause us to make this mistake - believing as you apparently do that "local people have to live with their mistakes so they usually go out of their way to avoid making them or are quick to take responsibility and make it right" did!! It seems many of us are guilty of generalizations of some sort! Hence my comment about local companies - I will never again assume that they have a greater interest in the quality of their product, service, or customer satisfaction than the larger well known companies. Each supplier will in future be judged carefully on its own merit, regardless of size - but now there sadly will be little trust of any company - how can there be if even extensive personal experience fails to protect us! I appreciate your good wishes but for now I remain sick to my stomach!

We redid our mid-century modern house last year. Our architect recommended "thin, black, aluminum" frames. Aluminum is great because it is so strong that the frames can be made very thin and sleek looking. Just what one wants for a modern design. We primarily looked at Milgard, Fleetwood, and Blomberg. (Blomberg is a small manufacturer in Sacramento which makes really nice aluminum products. No web site. But call them and they will send you a nice packet of info.) We ended up choosing Milgard and have no regrets. BTW, both Fleetwood and Blomberg make commercial level units. Milgard rates theirs for "light commercial". Energy efficiency wise, aluminum is normally not considered "great". And on my windows, if one touches the frame vs the glass area on a very hot/code day, there is a very noticeable difference in temperature. Mitigating this is that because aluminum frames can be thin, there is more glass area vs frame area compared to vinyl or wood. I should note that we opted our Milgards to the Solar Max glazing. If possible, and the cost difference is not too bad, consider the 'thermally broken' aluminum frames - such as what Fleetwood offers. Milgard offers thermally broken aluminum frames too - but when we bought ours it depended on which state you lived in. For some strange reason, they were not available in California! I gave the Milgard district sales rep a really hard time about this.

(Sorry for the confusion about which post to reply to - I'm not familiar with forum ettiquet and had started a new thread when I should have stuck with this one). The 24anb6 is a single stage. All conversations are centered around a 3 ton unit. The ducts are in the attic space. The original house was 1140q ft. The addition is about 488q ft. The original house (1950s) has a metal ducting trunkline system that runs in a dropped ceiling in the 12' long central hallway. The new ducting is in a jumble in the attic of the addition, with a big box thing (a baffle?) and 4.5" ducts curling around everywhere - even back to the front rooms of the original house. Apparently code has changed and new 'jumper' vents needed to be installed in all the rooms? Before that ceiling was closed up, I got a glimpse up there and noticed that it looked like and orgy of Robby the Robots - probably not the most efficient thing ever. If it's true that with the ductwork currently installed would not support a more efficient unit in the future without ripping out walls, I think this makes an even stronger case for upgrading the equipment now. (I work at home and I plan on living at this house a long, long time.). I was told when to pick out plumbing fixtures, hardware, lighting, etc...I guess expected to be told when to decide on the other choices involved. If the GC had asked, I could be looking at paying 10 or 11K for exactly what I want - a 2-stage, high-efficiency, quiet unit. Instead I'm having to choose between paying nearly 9k for stuff I don't want or - it seems from this email - paying twice for the install and associated repairs in addition to the upgrade. I'm going to push for exactly what I want. The GC is working up estimates for the Carrier Infinity 17, 19, and 21 SEER units. I have no problem paying the difference in the cost of the equipment, or even the cost the have the install done 'right', which I assume means moving the trunkline up to the attic and having a single trunkline.* I'm sure things will get sticky when we start discussing who pays for what. It would be so helpful to be able to get objective estimates from a neutral party on what the original install should have cost and what the install that I'm requesting will cost. Is that ever done? I'll post any progress as it happens. Thank so much for your feedback. It has so helpful in getting clarity on this situation! ************ *The email I received this morning regarding my request to move forward with the estimates for the 17, 19 and 21 seer units: "The 17,19,21 Seer units besides being even more expensive will likely require more duct replacement, more sheetrock removal, etc. as this will snowball the work; time frame would increase accordingly. " and "Regarding the duct work replacement, it should be noted that the metal ducting trunkline system & some ducting that pre-existed in your home is still in place & that airflow supply system may need to be upsized as well, as the Seer rating increases, expanding the scope of other sheetrock & installation repairs as well." It would seem that he really doesn't want me to upgrade...From what I can gather the difference in cost of the equipment between the builder-grade Comfort series and the Infinity series is about $1,500 - about 1% of the total project cost.