I am a recently retired master plumber and in all of my 35 years in the trade I don't recall reading or hearing so much mis-information at one sitting. First of all, DO NOT equate the price tag of a toilet with its efficiency. I have two American Standard "All in One" kits in my house, which come as a complete set, tank, bowl, seat, wax ring and new mount bolts, all for the outrageous sum of $99 and I can assure you, if you flush my toilets while your seated you better hang on or you may go down the drain too. The problem with retrofitting low flow toilets in vintage homes IS NOT the toilet. To understand the problem we must first understand a basic premis on how the drain pipes function. In all cases drain lines are sized so that when they are handling the full discharge load from the fixture a horizontal pipe will be 1/2 full. In this manner the depth of the liquid is sufficient to suspend and carry any solid particulates in the waste while still allowing the upper half of the pipe for the free movement of vent air. Originally toilets discharged 5gal per flush and they determined that they needed a 4" line. In the late 70's or early 80's the code standards were changed and toilets were reduced to 3.5gal/flush and the old 4" lines continued to work fine, but in the late 80's they reduced the water to 1.6gal/flush. While the toilets all worked fine they began having serious complaints from customers about lines continually clogging. Most ppl automatically assumed the problem was in the fixture but such is not the case. When a 1.6gpf toilet discharges into a 4" line, the level of liquid in the line is no longer sufficient to effectively convey heavy solid particulates, thus the solids rub against the bottom of the pipe slowing their velocity, while the liquids continue to flow around them. In the course of time, and in this case generally rather frequently those solids collect are not adequately transferred so once the liquid has passed the solids dry in place, which then further retards the next solids to pass through the line and before you know it, you have a clogged line. The solution was to reduce the diameter of the water closet fixture arm from 4" to 3". That reduction in line diameter effectively raised the level of the liquid enough to convey the solids effectively. Now we see all forms of power flush, vaccuum and a number of other so called improvements in the fixtures all promising to eliminate the problems of clogged lines, but that is nonesense. Those improvements do improve how the solids are conveyed up and over the trapway in the fixture, but once the discharge enters the house DWV (Drain, Waste & Vent) system it is faced with the same problem as before. When retrofitting older homes, the correct solution is to remove the 4" fixture arm and replace it with a 3" fixture arm.

Thanks for all the feedback already!!! We're really trying to stay away from the mini-splits or ductwork from the basement up into the original floors--all for aesthetics sake. For having all of the original windows, this house really is well-insulated and stays relatively cool on the first floor throughout the summer...the house has six bedrooms and we have three kids, so we really need the central A/C upstairs because the window units are getting very annoying since all the rooms are now used. Glad to hear that Lennox isn't terrible--we like that company, they're local, and well-established/respected. Can't wait to hear how the other bids come in. I'm fine with having ductwork in the ceiling--I'm trying to keep a nice balance between the integrity of the house and our comfort as a young family. That doesn't offend me like some other changes might. The attic is GIGANTIC and the ductwork will be kept off to the sides, so if we ever get a chance to put our dream rec-room in up there, short knee-walls would cover it. Honestly, I'm pretty confident that with the two open stairwells the front third and back third of the house should be cooled pretty well. The one room in the middle of the downstairs is our living room, so if that doesn't get cold enough, we'll go with either one window unit or one mini-split. My parents have them in their 50's ranch, and while they love them, I just can't get over the look... Thanks...any other info would be much appreciated!!! -Sarah from Albany

Many times people complain that the items shown in a Show house are all to-the-trade and not affordable to the masses. It seems this house has gone in the opposite direction and lowered the price point to the Cost Plus World Market level. I would take a guess that they were the major sponsor for the project! The mid level design market that falls between low cost Chinese made goods and custom to-the-trade-only goods, seems to have disappeared completely. At least that has been my experience while remodeling and decorating my house the past 4 years. That was a strange show house project!

I would not put the dishwasher between the sink and range. It would work better on the opposite side of the sink. If someone is cooking and using pots/pans to the right of the range, someone else could be cleaning up at the sink with the dishwasher to the right of the sink. It's our new set up and I honestly love it. Hubby can load/unload the dishwasher while I cook without tripping over each other. Pictures are here: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4212346/reveal-before-and-after-nyc-kitchen-basically-done#19305396 I recommend a pocket door for the pantry. Otherwise, it would be tight for someone trying to enter the pantry while someone else is opening the frig. I thought about a prep sink too, but it wasn't an option for us due to plumbing limitations. I find that we use the island more for serving meals than for prep. The only time I use the island for "prep" is when serving meals from take out containers. lol If you take out the prep sink, you can add more seating on the island if you install an overhang.