We are right at the beginning of a huge transition in our country's housing stock related to performance and health. Build your house the old way (probably local code minimum) and you will get a home with average energy costs and perhaps more importantly, un-healthy Indoor Air Quality IAQ. Build your house the new way (IECC 2012) and you will get a cost-effective energy efficient home with dramatically better IAQ. Insulation is important along with the other things discussed in this thread. The two topics that deserve more light are 1. Airtightness (as measured by blower door test). 2. Fresh Outdoor Air Introduction with mechanical ventilation. Meeting the minimum requirements of the International Energy Code IECC 2012 is a cost-effective path to low- energy bills and healthy indoor air. Individual opinions and anecdotal evidence can be helpful but meeting these minimum guidelines is ones best bet for those results. Building with deep floor trusses is an easy way to get ducts into conditioned space. Even better, hang the trusses from the wall to reduce air leaks and thermal bridging. jowens751, Murphy is beautiful. Its in building climate zone 4 but personally, I would build to Zone 5 minimums due to your exposure. I would also go for less than 1.5 ACH50 on the blower door test. International code is currently at 3 ACH50 for zones 4 and above but Iam pretty sure the 2015 version will be much closer to 1.5 so try to stay ahead of history if possible. Airtightness is much easier to measure than real world R value and it has a much bigger impact on energy costs. Insulative sheathing (foam being most affordable and popular option) is practically required in the new energy code for Zones 3 and up. Open cell foam for cavity insulation has become cost competitive with densepack cellulose in many areas and blocks air movement better. Find out your local climate zone and see what the minimum energy codes (future laws) require in Table 402.1.1 of the IECC 2012. lexmomof3, I would probably upgrade but might want to cross post to HVAC forum. SEER ratings are rarely accurate as they depend on different Compressors, Air Handlers and duct install. In other words, a 12 could be outperforming a 16 but thats usually an exception. Probably more important is to get a variable speed or two stage unit to better handle de-humidification.

So, lets think this through. You need a flat surface that mimics a boxspring. A boxspring is plywood, springs, and a covering. Use your plywood. Drill some small holes here and there. Cover the top of the plywood with a thin layer of batting and a mesh cover. Staple it to the plywood. Also, have you considered a memory foam topper and a standard mattress. The toppers are wonderful. I have one on an older mattress and it is great. Enjoy your daybed (I love mine) and your mattress.

For those of you interested in the materials used, manufacture location, etc. for the Novaform (by Sleep Innovations) memory foam & gel-memory foam mattresses, check out this FAQ link. Boy was I glad to find out that the first mattress my husband and I purchased (2 years ago) as newly-weds, the gel memory foam, is free of PDBF/Formaldehyde and it is made in the USA. The reason we purchased this mattress was because it helps alleviate pressure-points which was crucial for us to have considering that my husband had recently underwent back surgery. In the two years we have had this mattress, he is still pleased with this purchase; and needless to say, so am I. I understand that comfort is a personalized type of thing, and being that I myself prefer a "in-between/medium" support (not too hard, not too soft), this was a great buy. We live at an altitude of about 5K, so in the 2 years we've had this mattress, the gel portion of the mattress is a bit more stiff when not in use during the winter, then eventually softens up with the applied body-heat; and during the passer-by summers, it is continually soft. Just a heads up! ;-) http://www.sleepinnovations.com/support/faqs/#1

No such machine was used... They poured the entire garage at once which lasted from 8:15am-8:45am.. From that point until 1pm they were working the concrete by hand.. This is a quick shot of what they were doing: I just really can't believe that this company would allow this.. They are a higher end company and they do most of their work in high end neighborhoods.. I am actually getting a little concerned that its not even.. I went over while at work to take a quick pic but got their late and it was already dark.. I left the headlights of my car on and took a pic.. I can't tell if its the lighting combined with the trowel marks, but it almost looks like ripples.. This is what it looks like: At this point I don't know what to even do.. I feel like every time they get to the next stage I have to question what my options are because it wasn't done right.. I know I am not building a mansion or some multi million dollar home, but I just feel like I probably could have done a better job myself and I have absolutely no experience.. I know it's easy to second guess people, but I feel like this is not an acceptable finish.. I talked with a few people and they said there is no real way to "repair" this.. They would have to hammer it all out and pour again.. I had contemplated doing an epoxy finish but I don't even know if that would solve this.. Im sure it would help the finish look, but if this floor is in fact not level I am not sure an epoxy coating will level it out.. I am nervous to even go down to the basement.. I only saw a small portion from the upper level (no stairs installed yet) and everything was covered.. I can only assume the basement slab looks the same..