Hi Mike,

I've done quite a few jobs like yours, different ways of course.
So, where to start, if I read right, your air handler in the closet is
a downflow.

I'd definately try to get it out of the house if you can swing it, a
nice 2 ton Package Heat Pump with 10kW strip and concrete pad would
look nice to a home buyer, and they come in 13 seer.

I sell Amana and Heil and Goodman, now, if you read around these groups
much, I believe Goodman is getting a bad rap for no reason, now before
they bought Amana, they were pretty cheaply made, but now, they're
copying some of Amana's tricks, so much so, they now look ALmost alike,
same color, dark gray, same compressor, main difference is the cabinet
design and some of the components, expansion valves or metering device,
GE or Emerson motors,
but after installing all 3 systems, I'd install a Goodman in my house
without question, maybe not a gas pack, but then I've had some of my
worst problems with Amana gas packs, mainly a bad run of leaking evap
coils, what a pain.

As far as Ruud and Rheem, they're the same unit, I've never like them,
after working on most brands, they seem to be one of the cheaply built
brands I've worked on. Frigidare is slightly above the Rheem/Rudd
brand as far as builds go, Lennox is almost a different animal
altogether, like their price, high,
and so is York and Trane, proprietary in their parts.

Stay away from Carrier/Bryant, worst line of units from them I've seen
in many years.

Hope I didn't leave you with more question than you had.

mrkool