Cost of installing central ac

[Anonymous]

I know that there are many variables but does anyone have a general idea of what it would cost to install central ac in a 1920s house that is approximately 2000 square feet? We are debating about putting an offer on this house b/c I'm starting to think that it might be too expensive to do all the upgrades. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I cannot answer your question, but wanted to ask if there is ductwork in the house. Probably not? Probably the heat is radiator? If there is not existing ductwork I think that really ups the price a lot. FYI there are area/room AC units too - it wouldn't be central AC but I'm not talking about window or floor units either - years ago I researched this and found some that you install in the wall.

[Anonymous]

No, there is no ductwork in the house. I had a feeling it would be expensive but I was just curious about ballpark figure.

[Anonymous]

We've done this to two houses so far. Both had radiator heat. The contractors ran new ducts through closets, in both cases. They put equipment up in the attic, ran the ducts through the closets into the 2nd and 1st floors, and then put an AC unit outside. They put vents in various places in our ceilings, for the cold air to come out.

This takes up room in your closet, however it doesn't involve a lot of new construction work. There wasn't a lot of dust raised, or disruption to our lives. It took probably a week each time.

I'm a little fuzzy on the costs because the first was 15 years ago and the second was about 10 years ago. I believe the first house was 8-10K for maybe 2000 sq ft, although we put in a super-powerful AC system because we were planning to build an addition and wanted the extra capacity. More recently it was about $12K for about 3,000 sq feet. Both of these figures would need to be adjusted for inflation.

Best thing we ever did, however! Our house has nice, large windows, which were filled up with those ugly AC units that didn't really work because they were so old. The difference in comfort when I was pregnant with kid #1 (no central AC) and kid #2 (AC) was huge. Also, I'm fairly sure this is up high on the list of investments you will recoup if/when you sell the house.

[Anonymous]

We bought a 1930 house with radiator heat and window units.

We kept the radiator heat because "Radiator Heat is Best Heat."

We added a high velocity duct system. This has the advantage of much narrower ducts, so you can run it through the house without huge bulkheads everywhere. I can't remember the total cost but the drywalling etc was a lot of money as well. I think installation for our house - about the size of yours - and drywalling was something like 22K.

[jsteele]

We want to add central air to our 1920s house. Can those of you who have had it done recommend contractors?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:We want to add central air to our 1920s house. Can those of you who have had it done recommend contractors?

We used Energy Systems in Md for the high velocity small duct system. Not the cheapest, but very professional. You don't want to go cheap on this because it is important they get the air flow right to make the house comfortable. Be aware that with the high velocity system there is a noticeable whoosh noise when the system circles on and off.

[Anonymous]

Real estate agent here - yes, did this to my house too. For a one zone system, you're looking at about 15-20k. Two zones, about 30k I'd recommend Argent Heating and Cooling. Ron Gallant, the owner literally knows houses and how they're built inside and out. I have an old 1920s 4-square, and we have NO visible ductwork (it's all between the joists). There are many companies who will install ugly ducting below the ceiling and then drywall just because it's easier that way. But so ugly. Anyway, you can also still get a tax break for it too.

Then, there is the high-velocity Space Pac a/c. Talk to Ron - depending on your house, it may be a better option, but I would go for the standard ducting if you can - the Space Pac isn't really cheaper, and the cooling is better with the others, though that's not a terrible system. And don't forget to add in the cost of the drywalling and painting (I included that in my general estimates above). Good luck!

Ron's cell is [phone] and the main office is [phone]. I'd try his cell first. Tell him Casey sent you!

[Anonymous]

PP here - to clarify, we had NO ductwork to start, just window a/cs. They installed it all with no visible ducting.

[Anonymous]

Central HVAC for our 3900-sq.ft house cost us about $19,000 last summer, but the main reason I'm writing is to advise you NOT to hire Michael & Son. They certainly weren't the lowest bid we got, but we went with them because they were a relatively well-known company. They did the installation but used the cheapest material imaginable and destroyed our house in the process. The only reason I didn't go completely ballistic is because we hadn't moved in yet and only put down 1/3 deposit.

Anyway, good luck!

[Anonymous]

Friends of mine in Richmond paid 18K for their house (small, 3 bed 1 bath) a few years ago. Then, they had to turn around and pay 12K for a whole house repipe that they were NOT expecting, ouch!

[Anonymous]

I'm 20:23. Mindte Air Conditioning did our two houses in Montgomery County. We were very happy. We didn't have the problem others have mentioned, of air ducts being added and then drywall being built around them, but maybe whether that is a necessity or not depends on the house.

[Anonymous]

If you can help it, try to do it BEFORE you move in. Lots of dust and major clean up. Better to do it first before painting, redoing floors etc. Maybe you can't avoid it but if you can do it before you move in.