We are building a new house and upgraded our furnace system to a Honeywell H2311 dual zone system. It is a Bryant 912sa unit. 1st floor is about 1,400 sq ft, second floor is about 1,700 sq ft and basement will have about 800 sq ft finished. I have heard that the proper ductwork needs to be done in the basement for effective dual zone systems to work. My question is how do I confirm that the proper ductwork is in place for a dual zone system and that they didn't just install regular ductwork?

If you don't have confidence in your heating installation, my suggestion would be to hire an independent, qualified heating technician to evaluate the system and the installation.

Do it now, before any finish work is done. If something is not correct it will be impossible to get if corrected later.

I know that this would be an additional expense, but well worth it, if you avoid having a problem later.

My advise is to forget the zoned system & use separate systems for up & down stairs. In most cases you will be more comfortable & it will be cheaper to operate. Granted, two separate systems will cost more to install but keep in mind also, if one goes down you at least have some heat.