HVAC profession

Who here is in the heating and air business? I'm looking for a ballpark price on what a central heat and air system could cost for a house that currently does not have either. 1,500ish sq.ft. and 5 rooms.

would you need any other info? Thanks for the help.

 

Not in the profession but I would imagine you might wanna tell whether its one or two story. That might make a difference due to different zones, dampers, etc.

Also do you have natural gas available for heat? That might make a difference due to a gas furnace vs heat pump.

Again I'm not in the industry but I watch a lot of home improvement TV If I had to ball park my guess would be $4-5 for a complete overhaul provided you don't have any existing duct work.

 

Good point.

1 story, no previous duct work.

 

Whats the foundation? basement? slab? crawlspace?

 

basement: half finished, half drive under garage.

 

my new a/c unit ran 3500 and that was just the unit, all the duct work was in the house
if you lived closer, my neighbor could cut a great deal, he has his own business

 

I've been a commercial/residential HVAC installer for about 25 + years, maybe I can help, heres a few bits of info I need from you:

Ok I know its roughly 1500 sq.ft, is it single story ? Any vaulted cielings, I didn't catch what part of the country you are in, square footage wise you need about 3.5 - 4 tons of conditioned air for proper coverage in your home, is it in the country? or is it city ? the reason I ask is availability of energy sources i.e; electric, gas fired (natural gas or L.P. ?) do you want air conditioning or heat only ? Right off the top of my head assuming you wanted the whole heat/air package you could figure about $ 6k - 7k maybe even $ 8000.00, that would be everything including labor, I haven't bid any residential work in years but I'm pretty sure I'm not too far off the mark, hit me back with the info I mentioned & I'll have something more concrete for ya Bro'....

P.S. since this is an existing structure & no previous install , refer to it as a "cut-in" when you speak to contractors in your area. If they hear you use this term, they'll think you know a little more than they think you know & maybe they won't try to jack ya around as much .(I've seen it time & again)

 

Drywalled ceiling or drop ceiling? If it would be difficult to duct from below they might duct through the attic.

 

$3500 for just the unit!!!

 

Sounds about right. Good thing is that units nowadays are very efficient and should last at least 15+ years if you put in the right unit for a space that doesn't have to work too hard.

 

remodel

single story, no vaulted ceilings, I'm in east TN, I would want it to be electric (its in the city, kind of), I want the unit to be air and heat.

dry walled ceilings, all flooring is hard wood except kitchen and bathroom, they are ceramic.

 

Do you have gas available?

I would sway you to gas heat if you have gas available.

I have a heat pump in my house and i'm in GA which is further south than you..heat pumps suck in the winter time. My unit runs all the time in the winter to keep the house warm. My unit is also very efficient and only 3 years old. Works great in the summer to cool the house my house is like a meat locker in the summer time and the unit doesn't work very hard in the summer. I'm in a 1,700 sq ft ranch with vaulted ceilings in the main living area and tray ceiling in the master which make up the majority of the heating/cooling space. Plus my house is very energy efficient since its only 3 years old. Dual pane Low-e glass windows, plus is have added more insulation than what was originally put in.

 

It's a rather complex equation. They need to calculate heat loss/gain through windows, insulation, 'leakiness' of the structure and more to do it right.

You'll also pay much more than the up front cost of the unit over the years of operation and maintenance so you can save over time by paying more up front for quality and proper sizing and installation.

So now you have to factor in things like how long you plan on living there, and even soft factors like how 'green' of a system you feel is important to you.

 

your single aren't you Ben?

me too at the moment :/

 

not sure if gas is available in this location. it is a house that i'm looking to put a bid on, just trying to get a little info on where i would be at for a heating/air overhaul.

 

the ladys, they dont like the box fan idea and I dont like the window unit thing.

wouldnt matter if walmart had not discontinued my sex panther cologne, works 60% of the time every time.