Hello tigerdunes: I really appreciate your good comments and questions. Here are my attempts to answer: All recommendations from the same contractor. I also agree about your 4 ton advice. Thank you for the condenser advice and clear advice on proper thermostat selection. Old returns in the crawl space pre-dates our ownership by many years so I have no reason why they did that, other than to reuse decades old "furnace-only" house design Believe the have developed duct-boot leakages and one large return is nearly innaccesible from below, due to plumbing lines--so attic space is more generous. If returns move to attic they would return thru ceiling grills into plenum. The house is much longer than wide and returns are likely to positioned in 2 or 3 locations. The old design of returns in the crawl space allowed the bedrooms and dinning room to have their own 8" floor level return duct. Kitchen and large family room use a larger return that is mounted in the corner of room. Another contractor who suggested keeping the crawlspace returns with new ducting also commented that some crawlspace ducts might not be fully sealable due to access and resulting in "HERS" test issues. Thanks for any advice on the items above, its very good to get smart advice!

Julie, I had the same NFMart experience you did. I was completely overwhelmed by the store and DH ended up talking me into a soft Broyhill. DH..."Why are we here if were not going to buy anything?" After 4yrs the wood frame squeaks and it's so uncomfortable I'm always changing sitting positions. Have you been to Crowley Furniture in OP? I think they carry mid-line sofas but their service is excellent. The two sales people that helped me were decorators. It was great to bounce ideas off them, as well as get help with the multitude of fabric choices. If you're adventurous you could try T. Ormans. They advertise high end furniture at wholesale prices. Another overwhelming place for me. Tons of furniture spread out over a 70,000 sq ft building. I think you really have to know what you want before you go. They're only open Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays. I do think I'll visit NFM again. Next time I'll go during the week and be armed with a list of brands worthy to look at. I remember the back of the store had an area of higher quality furniture that wasn't prowled by hungry salespeople. Also, every time I try to find a dealer for one of the above mentioned brands it comes back as being carried by NFM. Jennifer

Hi Diane, I have had several pieces of both brands and heartily recommend Sherrill. The last Sherrill pieces we had were 10 years old when we moved into this house and they just didn’t fit right in the new living room. They were still as nice as new, even with daily use (including kids and their friends, and sometimes dogs). Cushions and springs were still in great shape (we are all smaller than average weight, which does impact how furniture wears). I gave the sofa to my mom, and chairs to my daughter. They’re still very nice. The flexsteel started squeaking almost immediately and the cushions did not keep their shape long. The flexsteel springs seemed like a good thing, but they are just noisy and honestly I didn’t like the feel after a few years. I don’t recall being given an option for upgraded cushions when I purchased them. Cushions can definitely be changed, so that’s not a huge deal, but the suspension is a bit more difficult to fix. We sold that furniture when we moved, and someone was happy to buy it. My new house got all new upholstered pieces. Everything but the bedroom chairs are Sherrill. We were just so happy with the quality and the way it looked. Oh, and the local dealer. She makes sure it’s what we expected.

@Salina For the year we had the C&B Axis II it held up exceptionally well. Cushions looked just as they did when new. On the couple of occasions when a spill occurred, the stock Douglas fabric did what it's advertised to do - liquid rolled off and it resisted any staining. I say 'had' because we needed to leave it behind when we sold that much-too-big house for one half the size, tucked up high on a mountain top in California - where we are now. But we did like the Axis so much we're planning to buy a smaller version of it, once the remodel of the new place is complete.