Thank you for the feedback.. FYI - These are not heat Pumps - Strictly straight A/C units w heat strips. The old unit ran fine in its earlier years and in its later years was nursed along and did not cool as well. I believe 3 tons will work fine as the old unit did the job in the early years and had to work in the summer when the sun came in during the late PM in the later years. There is a lot of heat that scomes through those windows in the summer. The efficiencies in todays units probably deliver much better cooling than I was getting.. Especially if they are sealed. I do have a second unit taking care of the living quarters and the Den area which are alongside this main room - when I sealed the unit 2 yrs ago - what a difference.. Another proposal came in today with 2 different A/C units w strips and 2 different Heat Pump quotes from the current Lennox servce provider who services the equipment. 1. Lennox XC14-036 Condenser unit (14.20 SEER/12.00 EER) using the new 410A refrigerant · Lennox CBX26UH36 Fan Coil with Thermostatic Expansion Valve · Lennox ECB26-10CB Heat Strip with circuit breaker · Manufactures warranty Condenser 10 year compressor & 10 year parts, Fan Coil 10 year - $6986.00 Installed w existing Thermostat 2.· Amana ASX14-036 Condenser unit (13.50 SEER/11.80 EER) using the new 410A refrigerant · Amana ARPF363616 Fan Coil with Flow-rater Valve · Amana HKR-10C Heat Strip with circuit breaker · Manufactures warranty Condenser Life Time compressor & 10 year parts, Fan Coil 10 year $7080.00 Installed 3. · Amana ASZ14-036 Heat Pump unit (15.00 SEER/13.00 EER) using the new 410A refrigerant · Amana ASPF303616 Fan Coil with Flow-rater Valve · Amana HKR-10C Heat Strip with circuit breaker · Manufactures warranty Condenser Life Time compressor & 10 year parts, Fan Coil 10 year $8168 installed - and qualifies for Tax credit 4. · Amana ASZ16-036 2- Stage Heat Pump unit (16.00 SEER/12.50 EER) using the new 410A refrigerant · Amana AEPF30361A Fan Coil with Flow-rater Valve · Amana HKR-10C Heat Strip with circuit breaker · Manufactures warranty Condenser Life Time compressor & 10 year parts, Fan Coil 10 year $ 9,442.00 Installed SEERs look a little low compared to the earlier quotes.. I am not familiar w Heat pumps only straight A/c and Heat strip units.. I feel that running that compressor unit in the winter just creates wear..That is why I'm slanted toward heat strips. Can one get a manual J from an independent source or does it have to be a contractor? I hear they are some work to work up and obviously I will pay for it. How much are they. If you have suggestions on specific units / condensor / air handler combinations I'd be happy to check them out as well. This is a big expense and i want to do this right. Thanks

Is your GC doing the windows? If so, why? Have you contacted any good window companies in your area? In terms of Houston, you vinyl windows better be quality. Thermally broken aluminum is popular as are the composites. What do you want the windows to look like? Do you want wood on the interior?

Before you put in a door think about how you would cover it if you need privacy. And consider the view you will have with full height glass. If you still want a door, You might want to look at doors that have blinds between the glass. We have sliders and French doors (with blinds between the glass) and really like them.

We recently moved into a new house and about half the windows are original (20 years old). The other half have already been replaced with insert window replacements (can't find a brand name on the windows - see label below). All windows are white vinyl inside and out. What would be a good brand to look at to replacing the remaining windows? Any recommendations on window installers in the Kansas City area? THANKS! LABEL ON NEW WINDOWS NEW WINDOWS OLD WINDOW