Charv... In my opinion picking the right contractor / installation is as important if not more important than the brand. I had to change out my heat pumps alittle over a year ago and I had no idea who to use. Obviously word of mouth is important, if you get good reviews from others who have used them.. also check with the bbb. Dont always go with the lowest bid. I had one contractor come in 4 grand below another contractor for the same equipment, but I had heard some not so good things about him, so despite the fact he was 4000 less, I opted not to use him. Good thing because last month he got a prison sentence for selling a local school system "top of the line equipment", but installing low end junk. Bilked the school system out of more than a million bucks... Turned out the guy I used came highly referred. Owns the company and did the installation himself. Wasn't the cheapest, but I believe he did a darn good job, and so far a year later not one problem. I got lucky.. good luck to you. Roland

Pretty darn easy to find the sq footage of your roof. Go out and do it yourself and pick the company that came the closest

I would ask if the contractor does a load calculation to determine the size of the equipment. Most do not and want to use a rule of thumb which often results in over sized equipment. If they don't do a calculation ask how do they know the equipment is the right size. The contractor should also be offering you more than one equipment choice. Ask him to explain how the choices differ and spending the extra money is worth it. A good contractor should be spending time in your house taking measurements of the duct work and rooms. He should be asking questions about if the temperatures are consistent in the house with the current system. If you talk to a few contractors you will notice who pays attention to details and who does not.

Hire the right designer, and they will have contacts. Plan for next year, at double your budget. [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractors-first-meeting-dsvw-vd~5332686?n=90[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractors-first-meeting-dsvw-vd~5332686?n=90)