Furnace Shopping

The last of the rafters went up yesterday with the help of a crane. After painting the triangular knee braces, I’m a little bothered that they don’t quite look like old Craftsman style architecture. I’ve been looking more closely at some originals around town and I am thinking that I may need to make some minor modifications to make my braces look more authentic.

Today I will meet with a furnace salesman to get an estimate on replacing the gas furnace. It appears that, not only is the existing gas furnace over 60 years old, but that it was only intended to heat less than 1000sf. However, the house will be nearly 3000sf after the remodel and including the basement. Today’s guy will be the first of at least 4 to give an estimate. I’m going to ask that they not only replace the gas furnace, but that they remove the gas fireplace in the living room and improve the air circulation in the basement. One thing that confuses me is trying to pick between the dozen or so different brands of furnaces. They all offer around the same efficiency rating and have many of the same features for roughly the same price. I’m thinking it may be a tossup to decide which to go with. Today’s guy represents Ruud, but I also plan to talk to a guy from Trane, Carrier, and Rheem