You can contact me @ 201 983 3522 CJ Mechanical of north jersey out of morris county ,NJ

On one project we went through trying to design a ceiling to deal with HVAC ducts below the ceiling plane (It was a row house with masonry walls and joists that ran opposite the way the ducts had to go--there was no other place for the ducts in a conventional system) Anyway, we came up with trays and such for a couple of the rooms and it got more and more complex because of dealing with windows and such that we decided to go with just one large dropped area through the entire house, the same width and depth throughout so it didn't call any more attention to itself than possible. In my house there is only one area that has a soffit and when I opened it it was completely empty except for one corner. However, I've been in similar houses where they took it out and replaced it with a boxed out area only around the spot that it's needed. They got a higher ceiling over a 3' x 12' area, but now they have this weird box dangling down in one corner that screams "Plumbing". The large soffit is lined up with the stairs and a doorway so it looks at least much more necessary than that box which looks like a mistake. My point is, I would make it look intentional but you have to be careful not to over-design and over-complicate the ceilings in the process. A rectangular spine running down the center without anything else *might* be all you need.

AS: "The items are condenser pad, electrical disconnect box, liquid and suction line filter driers, metal furnace stands, plywood to lay furnace down, double wall flue pipe, metal supply and return air plenums lined with R-8 insulation, add return air, media filter (Lennox), take splitter off bedroom ducts and run directly to plenum, airflow check before and after installation, extend ductwork where needed, metal supply air registers (16 total), start collars, Honeywell touchscreen thermostat displays temperature and humidity, safety drain pan, safety float switch, evacuation after copper brazed in.

The hydronic solution for the basement is an excellent idea if this hydronic air-source HP system were to be installed. First of all, the HP is essentially a geothermal HP without the ground loop; commercial quality that even includes a desuperheater for domestic hot water and an electronic expansion valve for greater control and efficiency! I would suggest properly insulating the slab in the basement with 2 to 4-inches of blue Styrofoam sheets, installing closely spaced in-floor radiant throughout the house for a lower supply water temperature and hydronic fan coil units in the basement and elsewhere where you want quick control of temperature, dehumidification or air-conditioning. Hydronic fan coil units are designed with drip trays and in some cases with condensate pumps for the removal of condensate (water) in air-conditioning mode. This system configuration does not require a gas line, chimney, side vent or much annual maintenance. I would install buffer tanks for both domestic hot water and for the radiant heating and cooling for energy efficiency and to prevent short cycling when only 1-zone is calling for heat or cooling. This is a big house. Even with gas forced air they will still require large electrically powered fan coils to distribute the air. With in-floor radiant they only have to heat from the floor till about 6-feet off the floor. Who cares what happens above that height - remember, this is radiant! Forced air requires that you heat the entire volume of air within the envelope – a completely different animal! Haven’t even discussed the possibility of using chilled beams for air-conditioning that’s possible with this system. Heating without ducts, A/C without a fan coil – imagine that! Think Water! http://www.multiaqua.com/index.php/water-fan-coils/mhww-3-hi-wall-120v#mhww-3-installation-operation-manual http://www.multiaqua.com/index.php/water-fan-coils/cffwa-universal-2p IMPO SR