Just do a whole house water filter, the filter and filter housing cost about $90 at home depot and what ever your plumber charges to install it. The plumber will supply at the very most $100 but probably more like $30 in parts if you supply the filter. This should help give you a good idea of what your plumber is really charging you too.

Any particular brands?

Looking at reviews many people dislike most of the undercounter and whole house units out there. :(

KC - that's not exactly practical advice.

The $30 filters will only filter out sediments for the most part. Want to remove, chlorine, bacteria, and other critters AND do it for EVERY gallon of water that comes into the house? Doesn't make sense for most people and will cost big $$$ especially in ongoing filter costs. If you want quality drinking water filling your tub and washing you hands then, your filter will have to be changed more frequently.

Most find point of use filters a better option.

OH, forgot to mention the flow rates. Many filters, especially ones that take out everything are not capable of throughputting enough water to service a whole house if multiple high flow fixtures are used. Say your filter will do 9 gallons a minute and you are filling your tub at 6, running the washer at around 4 and flush a toilet. Enough water won't be able to pass through the filter to serve all properly. Something will get less water than it's supposed to. Now, it might not be a big deal to you but it really depends on your setup and your tolerance.

We have a whole house filter & are very happy with it. No filter changes -- it backwashes automatically every week, & is good for at least 15 years. Our water tastes & feels great. This is a charcoal based filter, not reverse osmosis.

Once again, all we're looking for is Brita-type filtration to get rid of chlorine taste/odor so we don't need to either spend $1000 on the SZ dispenser or put a $30 Brita pitcher into the new SZ fridge.

I have an Everpure filter that you buy as a set or you can replace the faucet that comes with it. They have several choice of filters depending on your water. If you are saying you just need Chlorine and taste improvement, then you can buy their cheapest single filter for your home. There are other filter manufacturers too. Cuno, Doultan, Omnipure and Aquasana? come to mind. I have included a link to a website that may be helpful. I have not shopped at this particular merchant but they have a variety of brands to choose from. Don't forget that HomeDepot and Sears have filters in their stores too. The GE filter runs about the same as my Everpure but the filters are cheaper to replace. I don't know how long each filter lasts though.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: A website with some information on Filters