Beachem I would tell him what lyfia said. I just double-checked a painting estimate I have from reputable company that does a ton of work around here, I know they are not the cheapest. $7,000 to paint my main and lower levels, all trim and ceilings. My home is 2900 sq. ft. I live in an area that often gets overpriced as contractors assume by living here, people have a lot of money. I have had to do that in my own home remodel. We moved from out of state to a new area to a house needing major remodel. We got a recommended GC (my husband's boss used him extensively). I didn't get other pricing because he was highly recommended by my realtor and DH boss, and was told he was priced mid-range comparatively. We gave him our budget, and we started moving forward. After getting things priced for our downstairs, he said we won't have enough money to do anything else we want (and we have a large budget). Well I can't live in a half finished house! I did get other pricing, and had to tell him as much as I wanted to work with him, he was simply out of our budget. In fact, he was one of the highest priced of all. He also cost me on the few things he did start on. One, we wanted our children's rooms finished so they could have a room right away (carpet, trim painted, ceiling fan installed). Well looking back now he knew we were replacing all the windows, why did he let me get the trim painted? It's all ripped off sitting in a corner right now. Also, to help us 'save money' he put trim on and painted our cheap flat panel hollow core doors. Only as of this month did I see hollow core doors were only 30-$40. I think I actually paid more having him trim out and paint them all. Really gets me upset, I could've used the money spent to upgrade to solid doors. In the end we are going the route of GCing it ourselves, and using one contractor who works alone, but has a wide skill set, so he is doing many projects for us. I guess like a handyman, however he is very professional and knowledgable. I did vet him with seeing his previous work (bathrooms, floors, cabinetry) and calling references. It's not ideal because I really wish I had the advice of a true general contractor (the guy I have is able to advise in some areas but not all), but I've learned that either way you go you need to educate yourself on the nature of the work going on in your home.

These questions can't be answered. #1 and #2 - these are largely affected by regional tastes and regional economies. These two question can't be answered the way you've worded them. You will get a different answer in Chicago, in Miami, in Boston, etc., and those are big cities. You will get a different answer in, e.g., rural Illinois than in Chicago, etc. #3 - so subjective, it too can't be answered. Not only depends on regional differences, differences in lifestyles, and also each individual household and how they treat their counters - how they are being cleaned, how often and hard the kitchen is used, etc. #4 Again regional, subjective, who can tell. You also don't account for differences within the same material. For example, granite - there are thousands; some are completely non-porous and never need sealing and totally tough, while others are more porous and need more care. Soapstone - some are very soft, and chip more easily, some are harder. Butcher block - maple? walnut? is the user conditioning it or not? Is the user cutting on it or not? Quartz and other manmade material counters - same thing, there is variation not only in production, but in how each household uses it. Your questions don't take into account the individual perceptions of the counter owner. For example, people have soapstone counters that may chip. Bothers some owners so they sand the chips out; other owners don't notice the chips or don't care. Same thing with marble - some are bothered by etching, others look at it as patina. You would be better served by asking about a specific countertop you are interested in, and describe your household - how many, cooking a lot or not, are you the careful type or not, etc.

I am trying to find a trustworthy general/building contractor, but i haven't been satisfied with those I have spoken to thus far. I tried Angie's List, thumbtack, Google maps, and my own Google searches and still looking. Anyone have a recommendation in the south Florida area?

Thanks for the additional input sktn77a and Austin Air. I got into the attic and had a look and have pretty much decided to go with keeping my existing ducts (I didn't find any obvious leaks) and pairing them with a new 3 ton unit for most of the house and the mini-split for master bedroom area (option #3 in my first post). I like the zoned cooling idea, and it brings the handler inside (don't have an option for "centrally" locating it). If my ducts end up being bad, then I can always have them replaced at a late date, and I think I'll still be happier with the 3 ton central/ mini-split equipment than if I bought a single 5 ton. So I made Contractor #3 an offer of $12000 on his $13K estimate to see what would happen. He countered with an interesting option. He will meet my price of $12K but instead of this unit in the original proposal: https://gemaire.com/american-standard-4a7v8036a1000b-platinum-series-3-ton-18-seer-variable-speed-air-conditioner-unit-208-230-1-60-4a7v8036a1000b#tab-description he tracked down this one: https://gemaire.com/american-standard-4a7v0036a1000a-3-ton-20-seer-variable-speed-acculink-air-conditioner-r410a-4a7v0036a1000a#tab-description The replacement option is a few years old (not sure how many) but is still new in the box and would have full factory warranty. The SEER unit is actually higher on the replacement option but almost all of the specs on the two units are exactly the same. But based on conflicting info in the link above, I can't tell if the replacement option is truly Variable speed, two-stage, or single stage. Edit: just to clarify, 4A7V0036 is the model number AS currently used and continues to use for the SEER20 unit, and 4A7V0036 for the SEER 18 unit, so that hasn't changed. The difference is the original quote was for a model number ending in "B" (4A7V8036A1000B) and the cheaper quote is for an "A" (4A7V0036A1000A). But I haven't been able to tell what changed from "A" to "B" units. Saving $1000 is nothing to sneeze at, especially if it is essentially the same unit, but I'm feeling reluctant. Opinions?