Webers are everywhere, I have owned a couple through the years friends have owned them and they are fine grills for the price (the charcoal ones) But Webers you can buy everywhere, are far cheaper depending on the model, have tons more advertising so of course you are always going to have more people recommending something of which virtually everyone has or have owned. That's like saying on a post about Beer. 1 count the number of people that recommend Budweiser 2 count the number of people that recommend Deschutes Brewery, "The Abyss" Bud is one of the worst beers ever brewed, it is classic horse pee as far as beer goes. YET it sells more than any other American beer, nothing comes close because it is sold everywhere and puts out many millions in advertising. 1000s upon 1000s would recommend Budweiser as their beer of choice in this country. Now Deschutes Brewery The Abyss ale is one of the very best beers in the world, not just the USA. That would be my recommendation for the best beer. Now which one is truly "better"? Horse pee with millions in advertising that is available on every street corner in the country for cheap or truly one of the best beers in the world, only available from one place and only a couple months out of the year for $14 a 22oz bottle? If you only have say $150 for a grill then a good little Weber Kettle is by far the best choice. If you are talking about spending between $500-$1200 though? Any number of Kamado type grills be it the Big Green Egg, Primo, or the Vision are better BY FAR. Most of the Webers mentioned here I think are what, about $600-$900? The Vision I got from Costco was $570, less money, lifetime warranty, costco return policy, will BBQ, Grill, Sear, Smoker, Water Smoker, Pizza Oven, Wok, easy to start, very efficient use of charcoal, can maintain almost exact temps like you can on your indoor range from 200 up to 800+ degrees. So $570 Kamado or $600++ Weber Gas is a total no brainer as far as usability and value for the money. If Avid still prefers Gas no matter what then for the money the Solaire Infravection grills are far better than the Webers though cost a few hundred more, but what is an extra $200 when you are spending $1200 when you get a far better grill? Lower priced Weber Charcoal grills are hard to beat. If you are spending $900-$1500 then there are certainly better options for that price. and Charcoal beats the heck out of gas for absolutely everything except for ease of use.

First off, I think you must ask dealer what upgrades you need to make to your attic where dealer will guarantee against freeze ups. That's if you are serious about placing a high eff condensing furnace in attic. Then get pricing from an insulation contractor and/or dealer if he provides that type of work. Weigh the cost of the upgrade and decide if it's worth it. I think quote #1 is ridiculously high. Good comprehensive list though for scope of work. Compare to the other quotes for apples to apples. On quote #2, I want R8 insulation up and down. I don't believe you require a 90 KBTU furnace for upstairs area. I would want to see the load calc to support that size. Drop down to 70 K model. I assume Infinity controllers for both systems. How many returns on each floor? I would want two returns on each floor, properly sized and strategically located. Filter cabinets on both systems? I think a 3 ton condenser for upstairs is oversized and would suggest going down to a 2 1/2 ton Sgl stage high eff model. Don't like that condenser on the Trane quote. I would like to see evap coil model numbers. What about filter cabinets? What model thermostats? Is this rental property? Who will remove old radiators and old pipes and make necessary repairs including flooring? These are just some general observations. IMO This post was edited by tigerdunes on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 13:02

Well, arbitrary decisions have to be made. There is real competition at all price points, however, in order to survive in the marketplace all products need to be reasonably well made. You have infinite options- Stainless steel (hard to clean) or porcelain enamel (chips)? And the different suppliers differentiate by dong their 'thing': Wolf, red knobs and stacked burners, Thermadore - star shaped burners; Kitchen Aid, not a Ferrari but nothing to sneeze at and well made. Bosch, Etlectrolux, GE, Jenn Air, they are all fine. Natural gas cook tops are based on 100 year old technology. (not entirely true but kind of true.) You will be fine. Do not buy garbage. Get something that will not be out of style tomorrow. Not a sin to save money and buying a brand new scratch and dent etc.

@nini804, Gas fireplaces don't need pilot lights. As David Cary stated, a battery starter is included in most models. I replaced a fireplace a few years ago and everyone I researched had a battery starter. You may want to check if you insert has such a function, it may be an add on but is well worth it in my opinion. My older fireplace did have a pilot light and I always left it on because I forgot about it. It was a waste of energy. A gas lantern would never be a want for me. I prefer led exterior lighting with Dark Sky certification. Many of the exterior lights that I see don't actually provide good lighting to mark walkways and things like that so that is my focus. Good luck!