I didn't get any other bids since I was so dead set on the HAH, so I can't really compare. Knowing your bid amount and your square footage, it seems comparable and in line to my pricing. I have two hoses, one vac pan, all the tools I could possibly need, and the garage outlet/tools/garage hose. I think the extra costs are there not because he marks it up for profit, but because of the HAH requirements. He has to build in enough tubing to house each retractable hose, so the price difference is for the material and the extra time it takes him to install. The main trunk line can't really house the hose because it would render the system unusable. Also, because the HAH uses special sweeps, that can rack up the price as well. Is it worth the extra cost? That is going to entirely depend on you and the way you plan on using and storing the hoses. For me, the HAH was essential because I knew I would end up with the hose tangled up in the bottom of the coat closet rather than neatly put away. I just know myself and knew I would be neat with it at first, but would eventually give in and just not do it which would result in a mess (and then the toddler would probably end up climbing on it and smashing it, etc.). I didn't see the point of having the central vac if I was still having to take up space in the closet for it like I did with the traditional vacuum. I also knew I would drive myself and my neat freak DH crazy with the tangled hose! :) Frequent vacuuming is essential in my house (a minimum of 2-3 times per week) because we have three dogs that shed, so I have to stay on top of it or suffer the consequences. I have to make it easy on myself to be organized or I just simply won't do it. Since you have a two story home, you would probably also want a hose on each floor if you didn't go with the HAH, so that is something to consider as well. If you don't think you would mind dealing with the hose (and some people don't), then you may not see the $2,000 benefit of the HAH. I just know myself and have been able to come to terms with my weaknesses! If you are a person who always puts things away regardless of any amount of hassle involved, then you probably wouldn't miss the HAH. However, if you have the slightest suspicion you might ever get a little lazy (you have to be brutally honest with yourself), I promise the HAH is money well spent. Another point to consider whether you go with Bob or not, I'm not crazy about the Turbo cat with the amount of dog hair we have to control. We have all concrete floors with plush carpet rugs here and there. Just based on its performance with the rugs, I know I wouldn't like the air driven head if I had actual carpet. I don't know if I would have the same opinion if we didn't have the dogs though, but for our situation, it just doesn't work. If we had carpet any thicker than berber and animals that shed a lot, the electric head would be a much better tool. The HAH was my splurge in our build, and even my husband, who rarely sees the value in these types of things, has said on numerous occasions that it was by far the best money we spent in our entire build. That was a profound statement coming from him because I swear sometimes I can hear him squeak when he walks! ;)

As I mentioned on the other thread, we looked at thermally broken aluminum but ended up with Milgard fiberglass because we could get black inside and out. Also wanted to note that you don't have to have the same coating on every window to meet the codes (although you wouldn' want to change on the same wall.) We had a spreadsheet with the square footage of each window and the performance of each coating and tweaked it considerably to get the average to meet the code, which is what is required. It's a little odd because the code seems to assume we are in an air-conditioning climate, so solar gain is considered a bad thing, whereas we were trying to get some solar gain on our south side. (think we ended up with 3 different coatings on different window orientations.) Good luck! (There were some additional specs with the Milgards that you'd want to take into account if you go in that direction. I'd have to look them up.)

From my experience, the typical plywood sheeting panels rot in 3 months unless treated. I just don't see it as a good idea. What I would if in your case is to use a sheet of treated wood, then place a heavy duty tarp over to protect it from the soil, this will eliminate your concern with toxin leaching (unless you're concerned with using plastic as well). You want to have some concrete block in the middle to support the weight of all the soil unless you're gonna fill the bottom with sand or something. If you are going to fill the bottom, make sure there are no gaps or somehow promotes ants nesting, which will be a big problem. I know the tarp idea works because I made a concrete block raised bed on top of stone pavements, I had one layer of heavy duty tarp in between. After one year I had to relocate the raised bed (using a dolley made it easy to transport the blocks, but only one block at a time otherwise it's too heavy). The tarp underneath was like new. Tree roots can puncture the tarp, but not annual vegetables roots growing for just one season. If you have back trouble however, you really should reconsider using concrete blocks and sand which are both very heavy. Unless you want to do it one time and is sure it will be a permanent structure. Consider building a stepping raised bed on a slope, if that will suffice. Another option is "corrugated steel panels raised bed" since they tends to be tall, I suggest looking at some of the designs. It seems a bit more expensive, but will last a long time. You may have to build a wood frame so it's comfortable to sit one and work with, but it's easy. Although will likely need a circular saw to help with the job. Just being picky, cinderblocks are applied more for blocks that may have fly ash and very toxic, you probably mean "concrete blocks". Even with concrete blocks I think if they are made from these factory can have some small amount of toxin just from the manufacturing, though I'm not concerned. The other consideration with concrete blocks is it's made of lime so some people have a concern with alkalinity. My veggies grows well in it though, but I didn't have much luck with tomatoes, though I'm sure there are people who have. If you have a twin size metal bed frame that have wire grid, perhaps putting wooden raised bed on top?

@TXGuy - I get it. By nature I can get lost in the weeds and want to have everything perfect, but I could also get so lost in the details that I didn't get things finished, so I have learned to compromise and have taken a great interest in what people will or won't notice. How off can it be before someone notices. I create technical requirements for reports (business analyst consultant). I cannot tell you the number of times I have found reports with errors that jumped out at me and would have bitten me if they had teeth, but people used the reports for years and no one noticed an issue. I had to QA a report just last week and the other person who was supposed to QA the report didn't notice that the numbers didn't change since last month's report. The engineering team forgot to update the table. The other person is being paid to find the issues and missed something absolutely obvious. Averaging averages is one I find regularly. No one else seems to notice or worse, don't understand why it is wrong when I point it out. Again - this is their job. My house just has to be nice enough to make me smile. It doesn't have to be perfect, it has to be nice enough that people are comfortable and enjoy the time they spend with me in my home. I have adopted something that a master electrician said to me as my motto - "It's construction, not perfection". I want it done right, but right can be good enough and doesn't need to be perfect. BTW - my attitude changed quite a bit after having a heart attack at age 57. 99% block in the widow maker. Stops you in your tracks and makes you evaluate just how important getting every detail perfect is.