How much should a 3ton airconditioner system and heater cost with vent installed? 1700 sq. foot house.?

Question

House is old 1929 and has no vents, no heater and no air conditioner system. We get so many different price ranges that I am confused!!! Help!

Answer 1

Your problem may be that each bidder has his own idea of where and how to install the furnace, air conditioner, and ducting. Some bids may reflect a quality installation, whereas other bids may be based on shortcuts to lower the price. If you have a one story house, it may be possible to run all the ducting under the floor. A two story house will be more problematic and expensive.

You should write a Statement of Work (SOW), defining exactly how you want the equipment and ducting to be installed. You may need a new electrical panel; if so, include that in the SOW. Then, get the bidders to revise their bids in accordance with the SOW. The more definitive your SOW, the easier it will be to compare bids. Nonetheless, it would not surprise me to find that the high bid is double the low bid. Here is where you need to consider the bidders' reputations and other factors. The low bid is not always the best bid.

My SWAG (scientific wild xxx guess) for this work is in the range of $8-10K. My unknowns are the difficulty in routing the ducting to each room, whether your electrical panel needs to be modified or replaced, and how much carpentry work is necessary.

Although you have not mentioned it, you may want to consider insulating your house, and perhaps having double pane windows installed.