I have purchased a small bungalow from the 1940's. It is a solid, 850 sq. ft home with a full basement. The home was used as a rental for many years. I bought it for my elderly mother to move into and am making it wheelchair accessible for the future. I have gutted the upstairs and removed many walls - the basement will wait for later. I had made up my mind on hardwood or engineered hardwood for the main living space. I then thought that the heated tiles would go in the bathroom and front entryway. The flooring company in our little tiny town came to give me a quote. They came and measured and told me that because the floors were uneven in a few places that it would involve many hours of leveling etc. The quote was for $20,000. - This is something that I can't afford - the flooring I had chosen was medium quality - it seems the floors are the issue. I have been sanding the high spots and plan of leveling things to the best that I can. The floor company told me that I would have to do wall to wall carpet or vinyl. Any suggestions - any others that have experienced this have cheaper fixes. I'm thinking the sanding and leveling myself should help for the costs. I suppose vinyl flooring that looks like wood is an option but I would prefer the real deal. Thank in advance.