Hi fsq4cw, Here are some answers to your questions. We will be heating through hydronic in-floor heat. We also will have access to a hydronic coil on our air condenser to supplement the heat if necessary. We are not sure if we will do the in-floor on our bedroom level, so may need the hydronic coil on the air handler (natural gas forced air) to supplement the in-floor. Our house will be 3000 square feet when done, with full basement, main floor and upper floor. We also have a small section of conditioned attic that the kids will use due to low ceiling. I don't know how much the gas will cost to heat the boiler as the system is not yet done. We are currently living in a shelled in house, that we are relying on a gas fireplace and two electric construction heaters for warmth. So, we are essentially living like pioneers. Thanks for your help.

I am taking your advice and going to do the HVAC on my own. I've had 2 authorized dealers take a look so far. Will have 2 more. I've gotten one proposal back and the second guy will do one but his will be time-consuming and I hesitate to have him put a lot of work into the proposal when I'm still interviewing others. He said he would not be happy if he didn't get the job. I can't promise he'd be the one. NOTE: No load calculations were ever done on this house for heat or AC. I just learned this yesterday - 1 year into the job. The second AC dealer wants to do load calculations but, as I said, we've come so far and have limitations. Would it be worth his time? The first proposal goes like this: Remove incorrect air handlers and install 2 Trane variable speed Hyperion AH 2 Trane 2-stage SL16i condensers install Honeywell control system - digital programmable with WIFI replace all flex ducts on 2nd floor (I believe they're 6 or 7") with new 10" round flex with larger difusers Install 2nd return in ceiling on 2nd floor, redo existing return ducts The total cost of all this is $14,650. He also proposed installing a secondary heat source. We have Viega radiant heat panels in the floors but there is some concern that it will be adequate given the level of quality of the HVAC work and a poor experience with the electrical sub. There are 4 options for supplementary heat proposed: 1. Hot water coils in the AHs: $3400 2. Electric heaters: $700 plus cost of running electric lines 3. Carrier Heat pump (would mean using carrier equipment, not Train) $2900on top of AH price 4. Carrier Infinity 20 greenspeed heat pump - $5400 on top of AH price I have no specific model numbers from him - I suppose he doesn't want me to be able to compare prosals directly. Any reactions?

Yesterday the tech came out when the temp was above 90 (finally) and he FINALLY agreed that my A/C didn't work. This time he said the unit needs to be replaced and amazingly the Warrenty Co. agreed!!!! So after a year of fighting I am getting a new A/C???? So. . . I now have to move fast and I have to use the them because they are the Warrenty Co's choice. The following are the charges that I'm supposed to pay (total $1750): $225 Transition Sheet metal 75 Gas Line DRip Leg 250 Duct Testing 325 Unit siting Curb 175 Disposal (opt) 450 Duct retest/cert by Independent Duct specialist 250 2nd Crane (2 required ??) Home owner responsible for all permits and codes. They say that 2 cranes are required because mine is a roof downdraft unit. 1 to pull old unit (my expense) and 1 to place the new unit (warrenty co). They say it has to be done fast so the 2 cranes will sit side by side. I know our county has a lot of rules about duct sealing etc, and as my house is old, I'll probably need work done. Also when I checked their Contractor License had been suspended: " License is under suspension for failure to comply with Workers Comp. A worker's comp certificate or exemption statement may have been received by Board but not yet processed. Ask the contractor for proof of worker's comp and contact insurance company to verify coverage". Comments about costs etc? and the license thing? I'm thinking about agreeing to them doing the A/C install and going somewhere else for the duct check etc? Don't get me wrong, I'm THRILLED that they're finally doing something (after a year of fighting and games), but that fact also makes me distrustful. Thanks for your earlier comments, that helped me deal with them in a more informed manner.

Seble, we have had multiple things done which helped with it and it seems to have gotten better. They switched out our HVAC unit to a smaller one (turns out our upstairs unit was 1 ton too large so it was short cycling and not removing enough humidity inside). They also insulated an unfinished bonus room upstairs that connected to the hall bathroom where our biggest issue was. And they also foam insulated around outlets, bathroom vent fans, etc. It sounds like you have a bigger issue since your mold is behind the walls and ours was surface mold only. We have a slight smell still up in the loft where we have the built-in desk/bookshelves, but they came out and did some more insulating a few weeks ago. So, I’m hoping that that’ll resolve the issue permanently. This is our 3rd summer in the house and so, we’ve dealt with many troubleshooting session with the builder and his various subcontractors. We had a structural engineer come out and do a full inspection too. You might have to do the same. It’s very frustrating, and I’m not even sure we are 100% out of the issue. Just praying we are. It seems like it is a multi-factorial issue and every change has made some improvements, but there wasn’t a single fix.