To a degree - I get contractor reluctance. Most people don't care to spend more to do better, so they're never going to have much of an install base to build k

To a degree - I get contractor reluctance. Most people don't care to spend more to do better, so they're never going to have much of an install base to build knowledge from. So they're probably estimating high because of unknowns, and also partly because bidding on higher-end packages just isn't as competitive. I'd really just like to order my own equipment and pay an HVAC company's "day rate" to come out and install it, and I'll deal with surprises or warranty issues.