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so im trying to buy a house and have lost out on a couple of properties i've offered on for various reasons, but ive now landed on an antique property (1850s) which is spread over 4 storeys (partially finished basement, 1st floor, and 2nd & 3rd floors which both have bedrooms on), and is 4500 sq ft excluding basement.
so i have a couple of questions...at present, the property has no air condition system whatsoever, nor, as far as i can tell, any duct work. the heating system is via hot water radiators. so the query i have is how difficult and expensive is it likely to be to install an airconditioning system for this house? are we talking $50k, $100k, >$100k? as such a procedure would presumably involve both flooring and walls, im guessing the house would not be habitable during that installation? in which case, what would be a guesstimate on the time it would take to do this work?
other questions: it would great to build a stone wall along the border of the property...does anyone have any recommendations for a good contractor for that kind of work in the chester area?
finally, the property has a pool (in serious need of renovation), but no pool house...does anyone have any good recommendations for local suppliers of pre-built pool houses (and barns), built to set designs, which can be delivered and assembled with minimal work?
much appreciative of any advice offered before i go to the next step of getting formal quotes in...
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Originally Posted by kronenborg
so im trying to buy a house and have lost out on a couple of properties i've offered on for various reasons, but ive now landed on an antique property (1850s) which is spread over 4 storeys (partially finished basement, 1st floor, and 2nd & 3rd floors which both have bedrooms on), and is 4500 sq ft excluding basement.
so i have a couple of questions...at present, the property has no air condition system whatsoever, nor, as far as i can tell, any duct work. the heating system is via hot water radiators. so the query i have is how difficult and expensive is it likely to be to install an airconditioning system for this house? are we talking $50k, $100k, >$100k? as such a procedure would presumably involve both flooring and walls, im guessing the house would not be habitable during that installation? in which case, what would be a guesstimate on the time it would take to do this work?
other questions: it would great to build a stone wall along the border of the property...does anyone have any recommendations for a good contractor for that kind of work in the chester area?
finally, the property has a pool (in serious need of renovation), but no pool house...does anyone have any good recommendations for local suppliers of pre-built pool houses (and barns), built to set designs, which can be delivered and assembled with minimal work?
much appreciative of any advice offered before i go to the next step of getting formal quotes in...
Does propery have an attic or this is 3rd floor? If this is 3rd floor and attic you will loose the whole floor and duct will be impossible to install. The only solution will be AC units either in the wall(s) or window with additional electric lines for the feed (you need 220V for AC).
I got similar problem with my first house a cape-cod with finished attic and seperate appartment in the basement (also finished).
The bigger challenge is going to be getting the exterior envelope insulated well enough to make it worthwhile to put AC in. Unless there have been renovations done in the past, the walls are likely plaster, and likely don't have any insulation. The windows are also likely large, single-pane glass units that might as well be open- that's how little they do to keep heat in/out. If you don't solve those issues, you'll need to install massive AC units in an attempt to cool the house, resulting in large upfront costs, and 4-digit electric bills in the summer.
Once you've got a handle on the envelope, you need to look at how the AC system should be zoned. In a 4,500 sf house, you'll want a minimum of two zones, and possibly even three. Once the zones are determined, you'll then start looking at the most efficient duct routing, which could be done fairly unobtrusively by using closets and other existing shafts to distribute vertically where possible, and using small diameter, high-velocity ducts to go horizontally.
Excluding the insulation/window/envelope work, you should be able to stay under your $50k number, and could at the same time get rid of the hot water radiators if you so choose.
With regard to the post above, "a couple of ductless mini splits" likely aren't going to cut it for you- they'll freeze the room they're in before the other rooms they're meant to cool would get cool, since they've got no ducting to distribute the air.
Well, it sounds like air conditioning is going to be complicated and expensive to do. Although, based on your estimates ($100k?!?!) you might be suprised. I am only guessing here, but it might cost upwards of $30k to put A/C in, and you will not be able to go with a traditional system. You might have to look at the Mr. Slim ductless units or you may have to consider a high pressure unit (cant remember the name, but instead of large ducts they use rigid, small diameter PVC pipe).
As for time, I have no idea, but if you want any info, DM me and I can give you some contacts.
As for the retaining wall, great idea and if you get any recommendations, let me know as well, I'm also in the market.
The last one, the only place I can recommend for a shed/poolhouse type thing is something from Lowes or HD. I dont know how big you want it or how finished you need it to me. If you are looking for something more lux, you may have to try elsewhere.
Your house (to be) sounds similar to ours. We just put in A/C last year on the ground floor and basement (the 2nd and 3rd floors already had central a/c). We had to go with a high velocity system because of the duct work and the cost was about $14k.
We also have steam radiators which I LOVE and would caution you to think a lot about before giving up in favor of forced hot air.
the 3rd floor is a finished attic, comprising of 2 bedrooms and a shared bathroom between them...however there is an additional sizeable unfinished room on the 3rd floor...perhaps that might provide a solution to some of the problems?
we wouldnt go down the route of window units, unless there is absolutely no other alternative.
im not sure about the insulation of the exterior envelope, and ill have to check that out...as i mentioned, the house is from the 1850s, but has indeed been extensively renovated. the windows are quite sizeable, and single pane, however we were also considering replacing these with double-glazed pieces. the exterior of the house is finished with traditional stucco.
we would probably prefer to keep the existing radiators, as we like the style, and also its what we are used to...being from the UK as we are
i knew the aircon installation wasnt going to be straightforward, hence my fears of it potentially coming in at a 6 figure bill...but from first impressions here, it seems that not only might it be possible, but also for signficantly less than i had originally feared.
We also have steam radiators which I LOVE and would caution you to think a lot about before giving up in favor of forced hot air.
I second that, keep the radiators, they are soo much more efficient than forced air. We moved from a house with radiators to a house with forced air, our energy bill tripled. I know, we need better insulation, but still...
If you have radiators, keep them, great source of heat.
I second that, keep the radiators, they are soo much more efficient than forced air. We moved from a house with radiators to a house with forced air, our energy bill tripled. I know, we need better insulation, but still...
If you have radiators, keep them, great source of heat.
It's tough to make a blanket statement like that- you can have a highly efficient forced air system that'll cost less to operate than an older, inefficient boiler for a steam/hot water system. The main advantage to radiators is that they don't dry the air out like a forced air system can- that's what most people who have had them like about them.
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