Agree with PPS - Humidity is the reason to do it. That stated, our row house only has a window unit and it does the job really well, so is it a big space? and, how much time will you spend down there?

Anonymous wrote:I would think the benefit of having the central AC reach the basement is the air in there becomes part of the circulation of air going on in the house, rather than letting it stay there.

This. Our partially underground basement would stay cool enough without any A/C down there, but the set up before our reno had a single duct going to a laundry room in the unfinished space (for what reason we will never know). When we redid everything we moved that duct so that it blows into the living space. If it gets too cool we can still easily shut the register, but we found that leaving it open allows for the basement to stay part of the air circulation "loop" in the house which helps with the humidity. We still need to run a dehumidifier when summer hits, but it certainly helps.

I would think the benefit of having the central AC reach the basement is the air in there becomes part of the circulation of air going on in the house, rather than letting it stay there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keeping radiators and having central AC is completely doable and very common, even if it involves ductwork.

Why would you do this? It doesn't make sense.

Because radiator heat is superior to forced air.

You can always just buy a portable AC that vents out the window. That's what we did and it works fine.

Anonymous wrote:Keeping radiators and having central AC is completely doable and very common, even if it involves ductwork.

Why would you do this? It doesn't make sense.

I would not consider finishing a basement unless you install some type of climate control because I hate musty basements. I would suggest having multiple zones or a mini-split since I have never been in a tall, skinny townhouse that was not freezing in the basement and sweltering in upstairs bedrooms.

Keeping radiators and having central AC is completely doable and very common, even if it involves ductwork.