I’m at the tail end of my stuff and SO close to dialing it in. I should thank Maverick for sending me over here too since we’re doing similar pondering/research, Brady.
So first I want to validate that your plan is NOT overkill. If I didn’t have 3" mini quad coils on top of our 8" of support coils those 3" would’ve been 3" of dunlop medium along w/ our 3" of dunlop soft. Transition layers are part of a normal bed making process and I think there’s some very geeky (AND FUN AND WONDERFUL… bcs I’m a geek) posts about doing just two layers - 1 support and then a big shift into one layer of comfort OR going a more progressive route, which is what you and I are attempting. I think that’s the term they use. I’m not sure if those have been shared yet but I’m going to not be lazy and find it… here ya go- https://mattressunderground.com/mattresses/putting-the-layers-together.
I’m glad to see your guys’ convo about HD vs Coir because I’m debating a base layer under my coils also and didn’t want airflow impacted. Matan from TPS said I don’t have to have a base layer w/ the distance between slats that I have but I know it can be helpful to ensure the longevity of the coils. Coir is so much more expensive and for me doesn’t sound like the extra cost will provide much more so I’ll be picking Lux-HQ from foambymail.com (they are quite a bit cheaper). That site does specifically recommend the Lux-HQ for mattresses.
As for what Ken said about the feel between the latex topper over vs under the encasement - having the topper directly on top allows you to be closer to the latex and if you like the feel of laying directly on latex, it’s a good thing to try. The encasements can change the feel and depending on how thick the quilting is, it can put quite a bit of distance between you and the latex comfort layers and it can also tend to firm things up a bit. All, of course, depending on what sort of encasement is used. I have LOVED laying on the latex directly under our sheets while I’ve been playing w/ layer combos so I don’t want to mess that up so I’m opting to encase our 2 sets of coils and whatever base I decide to go with. I’ll be getting a knit cover for the topper though so it can be more protected while also not affecting the feel.
Brady - this is what I’m thinking will be my final build - only thing I’m not sure on is if I’ll actually get the base layer but I’ll add it in just in case. So from top to bottom:
1" Lux-HQ foam - foambymail
8" Support Coils (15.5g w/ 13.5g support edges) - TPS
3" Mini Coils (similar feel to medium dunlop but w/ more airflow) - TPS
12" Cotton/Wool encasement - APM
3" Soft Dunlop - SOL
Knit topper cover - APM
There is a part of me that wants to add that 1" of Lux-HQ to the bottom, not just to protect the springs, but also to have an extra inch to play with, if I need to, in the future.