We're in a Southeast VA single story brick 2000sqft home built in 1987 which still has the original heat pump (ouch). And in the past, cats have done a number on the floor vents/ducts. We're looking at replacing the HP for efficiency reasons, along with the likelihood that it will just die soon (the condenser housing is heavily rusted and looks like it'll fall apart if you look at it too hard). We're looking at replacing the ducts primarily due to the smell. Heating will be done with a wood stove, with heat pump as backup (while out of town, etc). We got our first quote yesterday, $11,500 for a 16 seer Ruud, and another $5,000 to replace the duct work.

I'm considering replacing the duct work myself to save, I'm guessing, between three or four thousand dollars. We have a decent crawl space so access isn't too bad. I've been searching for any DIY guides for this sort of thing, but not having much luck. Can anyone recommend any links to one? Any supplier recommendations?

If you have any comments on the quoted system/price, I'd be interested to hear those also.

Thanks

Keith