Hi wxkristin, You should have the concern. A lighter weight floating floor like 3/8" is quite much harder to perform the same asa thicker and heavier one. Here are the 3 main things to have a sound instaled floating wood floors: flat subfloors, quality underlayment, heavier floors with good wear layers. Good luck with your project.

2 units will give you redundancy (should one fail) and better control over heating/cooling the house evenly (if the units are installed logically). You would also have two units to maintain, however. You could consider a 2-stage zoned system, but I prefer two units over a single unit zoned when possible--zoning one unit must be done by a competent contractor if it is to work right. I'm also not a large proponent of 2-stage units unless the homeowner wants them for one reason or another. I can imagine two units would cost more because of installation requirements. While it is the way I'd go, ultimately it is your budget and your decision. If you do get one unit, make sure they balance the ductwork throughout the home to deliver proper heating/cooling throughout the entire home and/or install more than one zone. I personally have one single unit with no zones that does a great job, so really, it's the installation that matters.

I have in the past, had this flooring made. Here is a breakdown of cost. 1"x4" red oak = $1.77 per board foot. Example a 10'x10' room requires 120"/2-1/2"= 48 boards. 48 boards @ 10' long = 480 board feet x $1.77 = $849.60. Next, 480 board feet milled into flooring costs $1.75 per foot = $840.00. Total material cost = $1689.6. This does make the square foot cost $16.89. This is allot higher then the typical $3.00-$5.00 per square foot cost, but some people are willing for the purpose of matching flooring precisely.

Building a new house, and not sure what bamboo width to get. I really like the color or one in 7 1/2, but not sure if that will be too wide...our rooms are pretty open and large. Suggestions? I'm looking at Engineered Bamboo Cafe Noir which is 7 1/2 width.