Central heating & a new roof (AC, heater, ceiling, install)

[sfwithdog]

Hi, I just moved into a condo in San Francisco. It's a old victorian and quite cold. There is just one wall heater currently. I would like to install central heating (no need for any AC here). The building is getting a new roof installed after the rains. Would it make sense to have someone install duct work while the roof is being done, or would that not even make sense. I'm on the top floor, and I'm not sure if the roof is being first torn down for the re-roofing, if duct work could be installed then, or if it's completely separate. I do not have any access to crawl space from within my unit. Thanks for your advice & help!

[K'ledgeBldr]

"Crawl space" or attic space?
If you don't have attic access- that probably would indicate no attic. Which would mean if you want a forced air system you'd have to run the ductwork within the interior space and then frame and drywall it over.
if that doesn't sound like a viable option- the only other choice I could possibly see is electric baseboard heat.

[sfwithdog]

Thanks for your advice and help. It's a small crawl space - no attic. I think I'll have to drop the ceiling to install duct work... boo but heat is necessary, and electric sound way too costly. Thanks!

[Gandalara]

No matter what you choose to install, make sure to check the utility web site for rebates on the central heating and insulation. If you use SC Gas up there, they definitely have rebates. (There's even a rebate on small stuff like programmable thermostats.)

The manufacturers of whatever unit you decide on sometimes offer rebates on their sites also. And the state of California used to do this - not sure now with the budget mess.

Sometimes you have to hunt for the rebates, but it sure was worth it to me. When I installed a new AC/heater a few years ago - I found and got rebates from the manufacturer, the gas company, the electric company, and the state.