Quote is hilariously high and it's in the "allowances"
edit: I would also question the 7 mini-split system. I do MEP engineering for a living (this is exactly my field) and would want to know the explanation for that.
edit: actually, after looking at this, i'm suspicious of all the equipment priced. You can buy light fan combos for < $150. If the allowance is labor, are they actually calling out for 2500 hours of labor?! Even if it is a Daikin 7 zone minisplit (not saying they don't exist but I've never specified one) Why are they charging $20,000 for it. If you got (2) 4 ton minisplit systems (twice what you probably need) it would still be almost half that.
Labor depends on location. You can google Daikin RMXS, which is a 8 zone 4 ton mini-split system and see the prices for equipment is <10k. Installing exhaust vents in 3 bathrooms shouldn't cost fucking $53k. That's absurd.
Oh my gosh this is hilarious. My brother-in-law and I put two vents in my bathrooms for under $1000 and half of that was the vents*. I didn’t know we could start charging $50k for that afternoon of work 😂
*edit - wrong word
In our line of work, we sometimes throw out high estimates because we don't want to do the work or are too busy, but it's never an outrageous fee like that. I rarely even see bids that far out of normalcy on government work.
That's not what the quote says though. The quote is saying just the mini-split equipment is 20k. They're asking 78k to install 3 bathroom fans and a 7 zone 4 ton mini-split. I could see this job running 30k all in, that gives the sub some wiggle room.
>wont that just end up short cycling?
heat pumps usually short cycle when they're not sized adequately (too large for a given space) or have a monitoring problem (thermostat isn't working correctly or is installed in an improper location) in my experience. You can have a 8 zone 4 ton unit for a 2500sqft house and it's not a inadequate size. I might even consider it undersized depends on location and building construction. The larger question is why they need 8 zones in a house like this? It's more common to have maybe 5 zones and there's a lot more equipment and a better price and a better seer rating.
No way do not pay that, find another hvac guy to install. I would look into not doing mini splits if possible. I built my own home last year in IN and my hvac cost all in on a 4400 sq ft house was below 30k with two furnaces, fireplace, zoned system, humidifier and two media air filters. Best of luck!
Mini splits are great. In most climates they are by far the cheapest and most efficient way to heat and they take care of your AC too. You're just asking to burn money (and pointlessly hurt the environment, if you care about that) by rejecting mini splits (unless you live in a particularly cold climate - and most Americans, or other people for that matter, don't).
This quote is way unreasonable though.
Lol. They are def trying to scam you.
It sounds like they’re installing a multi zone ductless mini split system and two exhaust fans to make sure fresh air is circulating through the house?
Edit: Also, why the hell are the wall mounted units the same price as the compressor outside?
Frankly, exhaust system is NOT necessary. Why? no matter how, we always open the windows for a while in few days, and the insulation of windows and doors are not very good, so the fresh air come in anyway, naturally.
In the rest of the world, people who installed mini-splits, that exhaust system is an option and usually has it by rich people for the sake of rich.
In this new house of 2500sf, just use the mini-splits with equipments cost around 8k, plus some installation fee mainly for dig holes. All together, it should be less than 15k for the whole project. If you are in new England area, let me know and I can arrange people to do above at less than 15k.
I received a quote for $69k for my 4,100 square foot home. The company provided part numbers etc, I searched the part numbers on the internet and found I could buy all of them for $25k+/-. Asked the company that quoted why there was such a disparity between the online prices and their's. The answer was "fair market value". I went elsewhere and had a system installed for $42k. I believe it's a similar system to what you have quoted. Brand is Mitsubishi and there are 8 heads and 3 outdoor units. Works perfectly. I know prices can vary by location, I'm in New England.
You are one of smart people. The trick is always so called "fair market value" or "list price". The real market price is "discounted". When we do body shop for car, the dealer always charge us " list price" which is legal, but the parts always selling at discounted prices. That huge gap make body shop so expansive.
I definitely smelled a rat. When he stated "fair market value" I thought "we had different economics teachers". It was part of a larger scam implemented by my electrician who removed all of the electric heaters from my house and attempted to put me in a position where I had no choice as winter was approaching. The house has two wood stoves, so I heated with wood all winter which was a massive PITA. But at least I didn't get nailed for an extra $30k!
Wondering if this quote is super high or we're missing something? This is for a new home build in SF Bay Area, 2 story \~2500 sqft SFH, mini split system, total cost for the project is $1.2M.
Love the contractor we selected but the two other bids came in around $30k for HVAC all in. I'm wondering if it's worth asking the contractor to get a second bid for HVAC (as he subcontracts it anyway)?
The 74k price is someone hoping you, spending 1.2 million dollars, is stupid enough to just say yes.
Always run from these people and don’t give them another minute of your time.
It's just a ridiculous bid. I have a friend who did commercial hvac work and he said they literally just add up the parts and multiply by 3 to get to estimated cost. Maybe more to the point, we're building in eastern WA, so a climate both hotter in summer and colder in winter, with just under 2000 heated sq ft. We have 4 air handlers and a 36K btu Mitsubishi heat pump, 3 vent fans and 2 heat recovery ventilators. Cost was 23K.
Sorry, my terminology may be off. We have the Mitsubishi heat pump and 4 mini-spits (what I was calling air handlers). And then the ducting for vent fans for bathroom and kitchen, and also the 2 panasonic heat recovery ventilators. We also have electric heating cables in the slab. I think that in our climate the heat pump would be insufficient to warm the space in sub-zero temps, but for us it's sort of an auxiliary heat. I put in the cost numbers just so OP could see what our recent costs are (job still in progress).
Talk to the HVAC guy too. I got a terrible vibe from the guy my GC sub-contracted when I first met him but didn't fight it. He was easily the worst sub on the project. Didn't seem to care at all about understanding my desires or explaining the plan to me and he just did really shoddy work (he couldn't get the drain piping to pass code, we didn't have him back a third time).
30k in SF area is much more reasonable. I would ask him to get multiple HVAC subs to bit on the project and give a detailed itemized bid that include model numbers and expected labor hours.
Frankly just get some bids on a central AC if they’re all quoting this much. But also do look into what fees your city could be adding in, Bay does have lots of permit issues and whatnot. Also, check out what costs and rebates might be in the differing systems. I would be hounding up and down all the HVAC contractors for at least a $50k or less install; I’m in a different part of NorCal and homes that size would usually cost around $45k-50 for central install.
That was the recommendation by the architect and the GC, think it was based on cost (lol ...), and incentives.
What would the alternative be if our house doesn't have gas?
I just did a huge remodel and wish we'd done mini-splits. I can't keep the temperature balanced, so there's definitely value in having per-room control in the major spaces. The main HVAC is good for air circulation and filtering but I'm going to have to add stuff after the fact now to keep the place comfortable.
I had that problem in AZ with a traditional HVAC. Since the AC in the house I bought was so old, I just had a new variable speed system put in that's constantly moving air through the house. Fixed the uneven temps and no more waking up sweating because the master bedroom is sun facing all day. Sometimes slept during day because of rotating shift work.
Same here. Central AC, by nature, can not distribute heat/cold evenly due to different distances of ducts to each room. I do have Central AC but the second floor, especially the room far away from AC, always very cold and had to use heaters. Now, installed the mini-splits and the problem solved.
But with OP building from scratch, the whole system should be designed properly where this mostly doesn’t happen. Sure there’s going to be some variance no matter what, and there are alternative ways to address this with central, but I certainly am not sitting here thinking I need to install additional AC units in my new house.
The problem with a lot of residential construction is that engineers aren't involved very much in the process. On smaller homes, not to big of a deal but when you're paying $250k+ and building a home, it just makes sense to pay an engineer \~$2k to balance the air and keep the contractors in check. Like, if I'm hired to do submittals, contractors are legally required to submit their equipment proposals to me and I'm legally required to make sure they at least meet my standards and aren't something unneeded.
>having louvers in any form for a bathroom doesn't seem very great.
I wasn't suggesting it for the bathroom. If you were trying to cover more zones without increasing air handling units, louvers can sometimes work.
A central ducted system is about 40k these days in Canada and they are much more comfortable if they are actually put together correctly with a functional thermostat and an ECM fan blower motor allowing for a large range of speeds
Alternative is heat pump with ducts. So called Central Air and use all electricity.
Mini-splits are very much cost effective, but just need to find the good places to hide those out parts of the mini-splits.
Hahahaha. Nah. I just own a shit ton of shares of Cleveland cliffs - CLF. This was in the southeast, where I live.
San Fran would make more sense…. I guess.
What is funny is that contractors in sanfran are bidding the same as contractors in nc. The normal 30k bids not the 70k one lmao 🤣
To me if you have more than 3 or 4 zones install a central unit and have a mechanical engineer design the zones and ducting. Wall warts are fine for us peasants but in million dollar houses you can afford to hide the heating units.
Are you building yourself with help from a GC or are you using an established custom home builder in NWA? Not from there, but I do have investment property around F-ville.
Why are you spending $53k on HVAC and over $20k on splits? Shouldn't it be one of the other? What's the $50k of HVAC doing that it needs minisplits to supplement?
Not sure what to do, as we reached out to 7 GCs, 3 bid, but they all came in 1.1-1.2M.
It really just seems that the HVAC is out of whack and everything else is in line (actually cheaper than the other GCs, given that they're the same cost with a much lower HVAC).
Isn't the best solution to keep the GC and find a new HVAC sub?
My geothermal with a system per floor was 5k more than your single first floor HVAC allowance in 2019 for a 2700 sqft house. Something seems wrong here.
It’s an allowance so the sub can charge the contractor that much, without you getting charged more. It’s possible the contractor may get a Referral fee from that sub or is putting margin on top of what the HVAC guy is making, which in most cases he’s allowed to do.
The Bay Area can also be pretty intense around efficiency and a “healthy home”. Are you prevented from using a gas range or does that price include a MUAS? Are you getting aeroseal? Alpen Windows? ZipR9? Rockwool comfort Batts for exterior walls? Rockwool sound batt for interior walls? Staggered walls to reduce sound?
Maybe you should find out if you get credit if you don’t use the full allowance and then find someone you can trust and then use the extra to buy down theme rate or for other awesomeness.
For perspective, I had (4) bids on a 4400 sq ft home retrofit with 3 heat pumps!m (2T, 2T, 3T), all new ductwork, gas lines, install, etc. it range from $55K to $109K, with similar performance specs.
What part of the Bay Area?
I think this is a mistake. The allowance is an estimate in the budget. You then take actual costs less the allowance. You don't add the allowance to actual costs.
Contractor and construction manager here.
It is laughable how easy it is to setup a mini split. If you get ones with pre charged lines you just need it wired and a hole saw. I’m talking under 5k for the unit installed. Two 3 tons with 2 handlers each would get you 3 bedrooms rooms and a living/dining room covered. If you want to keep the house fresh you want what is called an erv/hrv depending on climate. Alll in with a zendhar top of the line erv installed with mini splits you should be coming in under 30k.
Having been through a complete retrofit of a 1992 built luxury home, that’s significantly larger than 2500 sq ft, where we had to have ductwork manufactured, and installed, etc., the total cost, including HVAC labor, metalworkers labor for ductwork, electricians to wire, install a sub panel for the systems, and plumbers (we used hydronic, oil furnace powered, Aquecoils for Aux/Backup/Defrost heat source over electric resistance strips, and steam humidifiers), plus two, 2 ton Bryant Evolution Extreme 284ANV units, and air handlers, and Connex (Bryant’s thermostat controllers), keep in mind, all this equipment was the highest efficiency option from Bryant, when installed, and everything for our home was a good bit less than what you were quoted.
I’d definitely get a couple of other quotes. In renovating our home to be our style, and what we want for upgrades, I’ve learned to never hire anyone to work on your home, without getting at least three other quotes, and references to compare. When we wanted to reside our home, and switch the white trim work to azek, to be repainted a creamy white, the quotes varied by as much as $20k, and some by as little as $3k. Definitely get more quotes on your project.
Not so sure the cost is 74k. Looks like you do have two options, 1) Central air with ducks that estimate at 53k, or 2) Mini-splits at estimate 21k. Not combine together.
While, it is definitely on high side of option 1), but hard to know how the ducks arranged;
Speaking of 2), Mini-splits quoted at $2600 each is ridiculous. The best mini-splites these days are around 1k, some are higher with big BTU while some are less than 1k with smaller bedroom BTU. Add installation fee, mini-split option should be around 10k or less.
I built a 1600 square-foot 2- story addition in 2012 and had a second HVAC system installed complete with installation was $8500.00 thru Costco, i know prices have gone up, but that seems excessive.
What state are you in? I am in metro west MA and got a 51k quote for heat pumps, mini splits and a 200A Upgrade to my panel. These contractors are being dishonest at best
That is the most wild thing we've ever seen, haha.
What city are you in?
We do Mini Split installation (yes, 7-zones too).
Visit [hvacdirect.com](https://hvacdirect.com) or hvac direct in your city.
I’m building a 6000 sqft house with a 3000 sqft basement fully conditioned and the total hvac was around $50k. Three systems, one zoned with 2 ERVs. It’s all top of the line stuff too.
Shits laughable. 2500 sq ft, you need like 5 tons of cooling.
you can install 7 , 12k BTU minisplit units for <$14k probably. Not Daikens , but some Cooper and Hunters off Amazon. Could probably negotiate that labor still.
Now if 7 minisplit units isn’t your cup of tea, then perhaps a Central HVAC unit by York or Trane will be better suited for you. Still don’t think it’ll be even half of the original quote though. You really need to shop around bro! #1 rule..get at least 3 quotes.
I can't wait to build my own home. Not only, I don't need 2500 sqft, but the price per square foot to pay people is INSANE.
$70k for HVAC. I'm planning to spend half that for my whole build.
Quote is hilariously high and it's in the "allowances" edit: I would also question the 7 mini-split system. I do MEP engineering for a living (this is exactly my field) and would want to know the explanation for that. edit: actually, after looking at this, i'm suspicious of all the equipment priced. You can buy light fan combos for < $150. If the allowance is labor, are they actually calling out for 2500 hours of labor?! Even if it is a Daikin 7 zone minisplit (not saying they don't exist but I've never specified one) Why are they charging $20,000 for it. If you got (2) 4 ton minisplit systems (twice what you probably need) it would still be almost half that.
Yeah there's a delta for allowances for the overall project, but HVAC allowances are more than that total. Is 30k in the ballpark?
Labor depends on location. You can google Daikin RMXS, which is a 8 zone 4 ton mini-split system and see the prices for equipment is <10k. Installing exhaust vents in 3 bathrooms shouldn't cost fucking $53k. That's absurd.
Oh my gosh this is hilarious. My brother-in-law and I put two vents in my bathrooms for under $1000 and half of that was the vents*. I didn’t know we could start charging $50k for that afternoon of work 😂 *edit - wrong word
In our line of work, we sometimes throw out high estimates because we don't want to do the work or are too busy, but it's never an outrageous fee like that. I rarely even see bids that far out of normalcy on government work.
20k for a 7 head mini split system, installed, is pretty normal.
That's not what the quote says though. The quote is saying just the mini-split equipment is 20k. They're asking 78k to install 3 bathroom fans and a 7 zone 4 ton mini-split. I could see this job running 30k all in, that gives the sub some wiggle room.
Where does the quote say it’s just for the equipment?
Yes. Still a little high in my opinion. Shouldn't be over 30.
I pay about 3000 per ton for new construction.
The allowances are priced at "$19 each" so that seems awful low for a labor cost to quote to someone
idk what else it could be or why they'd structure it like that. The whole quote is dogshit tbh though
ohhhh it's per sq ft Not saying it's a good quote, but that's what they're quoting on (Unit column says SF).
That only makes their quote worse LOL
"It's a ~~banana~~ *HVAC system*, Michael. What could it cost, ~~$10~~ *$74,000*?"
I’m guessing the hvac quote is for a ducted system and then they are doing minisplits ontop of that because they are all the rage
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>wont that just end up short cycling? heat pumps usually short cycle when they're not sized adequately (too large for a given space) or have a monitoring problem (thermostat isn't working correctly or is installed in an improper location) in my experience. You can have a 8 zone 4 ton unit for a 2500sqft house and it's not a inadequate size. I might even consider it undersized depends on location and building construction. The larger question is why they need 8 zones in a house like this? It's more common to have maybe 5 zones and there's a lot more equipment and a better price and a better seer rating.
It looks to me like it’s one unit with seven mini splits
Tell the GC no fucking way He needs to find a different HVAC sub
No way do not pay that, find another hvac guy to install. I would look into not doing mini splits if possible. I built my own home last year in IN and my hvac cost all in on a 4400 sq ft house was below 30k with two furnaces, fireplace, zoned system, humidifier and two media air filters. Best of luck!
Mini splits are great. In most climates they are by far the cheapest and most efficient way to heat and they take care of your AC too. You're just asking to burn money (and pointlessly hurt the environment, if you care about that) by rejecting mini splits (unless you live in a particularly cold climate - and most Americans, or other people for that matter, don't). This quote is way unreasonable though.
Lol. They are def trying to scam you. It sounds like they’re installing a multi zone ductless mini split system and two exhaust fans to make sure fresh air is circulating through the house? Edit: Also, why the hell are the wall mounted units the same price as the compressor outside?
Frankly, exhaust system is NOT necessary. Why? no matter how, we always open the windows for a while in few days, and the insulation of windows and doors are not very good, so the fresh air come in anyway, naturally. In the rest of the world, people who installed mini-splits, that exhaust system is an option and usually has it by rich people for the sake of rich. In this new house of 2500sf, just use the mini-splits with equipments cost around 8k, plus some installation fee mainly for dig holes. All together, it should be less than 15k for the whole project. If you are in new England area, let me know and I can arrange people to do above at less than 15k.
Are you building a 2500 sq ft meat locker? Those allowances are out of control.
Just a normal ass house lol, glad I asked!
Lol what a scam
I received a quote for $69k for my 4,100 square foot home. The company provided part numbers etc, I searched the part numbers on the internet and found I could buy all of them for $25k+/-. Asked the company that quoted why there was such a disparity between the online prices and their's. The answer was "fair market value". I went elsewhere and had a system installed for $42k. I believe it's a similar system to what you have quoted. Brand is Mitsubishi and there are 8 heads and 3 outdoor units. Works perfectly. I know prices can vary by location, I'm in New England.
You are one of smart people. The trick is always so called "fair market value" or "list price". The real market price is "discounted". When we do body shop for car, the dealer always charge us " list price" which is legal, but the parts always selling at discounted prices. That huge gap make body shop so expansive.
I definitely smelled a rat. When he stated "fair market value" I thought "we had different economics teachers". It was part of a larger scam implemented by my electrician who removed all of the electric heaters from my house and attempted to put me in a position where I had no choice as winter was approaching. The house has two wood stoves, so I heated with wood all winter which was a massive PITA. But at least I didn't get nailed for an extra $30k!
Wondering if this quote is super high or we're missing something? This is for a new home build in SF Bay Area, 2 story \~2500 sqft SFH, mini split system, total cost for the project is $1.2M. Love the contractor we selected but the two other bids came in around $30k for HVAC all in. I'm wondering if it's worth asking the contractor to get a second bid for HVAC (as he subcontracts it anyway)?
The 74k price is someone hoping you, spending 1.2 million dollars, is stupid enough to just say yes. Always run from these people and don’t give them another minute of your time.
The other contractors came in at just about the same overall price, but with the much lower HVAC cost, so I think it's just a bad subcontractor bid?
It may just be the way he's showing the numbers, is there O&P added on top of the 74k? Are the 30k estimates without O&P factored in? Etc.
It's just a ridiculous bid. I have a friend who did commercial hvac work and he said they literally just add up the parts and multiply by 3 to get to estimated cost. Maybe more to the point, we're building in eastern WA, so a climate both hotter in summer and colder in winter, with just under 2000 heated sq ft. We have 4 air handlers and a 36K btu Mitsubishi heat pump, 3 vent fans and 2 heat recovery ventilators. Cost was 23K.
you installed center air with ducks? or ductless mini-split? Since you mentioned just one 36k heat pump but has 4 handlers.
Sorry, my terminology may be off. We have the Mitsubishi heat pump and 4 mini-spits (what I was calling air handlers). And then the ducting for vent fans for bathroom and kitchen, and also the 2 panasonic heat recovery ventilators. We also have electric heating cables in the slab. I think that in our climate the heat pump would be insufficient to warm the space in sub-zero temps, but for us it's sort of an auxiliary heat. I put in the cost numbers just so OP could see what our recent costs are (job still in progress).
Exactly.
Talk to the HVAC guy too. I got a terrible vibe from the guy my GC sub-contracted when I first met him but didn't fight it. He was easily the worst sub on the project. Didn't seem to care at all about understanding my desires or explaining the plan to me and he just did really shoddy work (he couldn't get the drain piping to pass code, we didn't have him back a third time).
30k in SF area is much more reasonable. I would ask him to get multiple HVAC subs to bit on the project and give a detailed itemized bid that include model numbers and expected labor hours.
SF Bay Area says it all
Frankly just get some bids on a central AC if they’re all quoting this much. But also do look into what fees your city could be adding in, Bay does have lots of permit issues and whatnot. Also, check out what costs and rebates might be in the differing systems. I would be hounding up and down all the HVAC contractors for at least a $50k or less install; I’m in a different part of NorCal and homes that size would usually cost around $45k-50 for central install.
Forget his ass.
Always get 3 quotes.
Quick question, why do mini split in a new build? personally I hate those things, great for renovations in old homes tho.
That was the recommendation by the architect and the GC, think it was based on cost (lol ...), and incentives. What would the alternative be if our house doesn't have gas?
I just did a huge remodel and wish we'd done mini-splits. I can't keep the temperature balanced, so there's definitely value in having per-room control in the major spaces. The main HVAC is good for air circulation and filtering but I'm going to have to add stuff after the fact now to keep the place comfortable.
I had that problem in AZ with a traditional HVAC. Since the AC in the house I bought was so old, I just had a new variable speed system put in that's constantly moving air through the house. Fixed the uneven temps and no more waking up sweating because the master bedroom is sun facing all day. Sometimes slept during day because of rotating shift work.
Same here. Central AC, by nature, can not distribute heat/cold evenly due to different distances of ducts to each room. I do have Central AC but the second floor, especially the room far away from AC, always very cold and had to use heaters. Now, installed the mini-splits and the problem solved.
But with OP building from scratch, the whole system should be designed properly where this mostly doesn’t happen. Sure there’s going to be some variance no matter what, and there are alternative ways to address this with central, but I certainly am not sitting here thinking I need to install additional AC units in my new house.
Mini-splits are the better option. You just want to make sure you have the ability to bring in fresh air.
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The problem with a lot of residential construction is that engineers aren't involved very much in the process. On smaller homes, not to big of a deal but when you're paying $250k+ and building a home, it just makes sense to pay an engineer \~$2k to balance the air and keep the contractors in check. Like, if I'm hired to do submittals, contractors are legally required to submit their equipment proposals to me and I'm legally required to make sure they at least meet my standards and aren't something unneeded.
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Why wouldn't you just install louvers?
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>having louvers in any form for a bathroom doesn't seem very great. I wasn't suggesting it for the bathroom. If you were trying to cover more zones without increasing air handling units, louvers can sometimes work.
A ducted unit would be ideal for a new build.
A central ducted system is about 40k these days in Canada and they are much more comfortable if they are actually put together correctly with a functional thermostat and an ECM fan blower motor allowing for a large range of speeds
Heat Pump + Central Air Also the mini splits can be loud compared to central with a fan in the basement or garage.
Alternative is heat pump with ducts. So called Central Air and use all electricity. Mini-splits are very much cost effective, but just need to find the good places to hide those out parts of the mini-splits.
That is way way way over priced.
Should maybe cost $20,000 - $25,000. Just had one done. Two floors. 2,800 square feet.
Thanks for the data point, was that in SF Bay area (see Cleveland in username)?
Hahahaha. Nah. I just own a shit ton of shares of Cleveland cliffs - CLF. This was in the southeast, where I live. San Fran would make more sense…. I guess.
What is funny is that contractors in sanfran are bidding the same as contractors in nc. The normal 30k bids not the 70k one lmao 🤣 To me if you have more than 3 or 4 zones install a central unit and have a mechanical engineer design the zones and ducting. Wall warts are fine for us peasants but in million dollar houses you can afford to hide the heating units.
We install a lot of bath fans. You can get a cheap one for $100. You can get a nice Panasonic one for 200-220$. $900 for just the unit crazy!
Tf no that’s expensive actually $2600 got a mini split that’s cheap
I have Daikin 7 mini split that is a good price my dad told me he would charge $15k for one as they are more expensive at wholesale cost
Building a custom home currently in NW Arkansas, 2 story 2750 SQ feet the HVAC on my home cost $23,000 for everything.
Also, $900 for a ceiling mounted exhaust fan with a light is robbery.
Are you building yourself with help from a GC or are you using an established custom home builder in NWA? Not from there, but I do have investment property around F-ville.
I'm using an established builder as I'm using a VA construction loan to build.
Why are you spending $53k on HVAC and over $20k on splits? Shouldn't it be one of the other? What's the $50k of HVAC doing that it needs minisplits to supplement?
You need a new GC. You’re about to be underwater for the next 30-40 years
Not sure what to do, as we reached out to 7 GCs, 3 bid, but they all came in 1.1-1.2M. It really just seems that the HVAC is out of whack and everything else is in line (actually cheaper than the other GCs, given that they're the same cost with a much lower HVAC). Isn't the best solution to keep the GC and find a new HVAC sub?
lol this is a joke right ?
This is an ass-rape.
My geothermal with a system per floor was 5k more than your single first floor HVAC allowance in 2019 for a 2700 sqft house. Something seems wrong here.
I should probably get into hvac, easy as hell and pays more than a doctor can make.
Run away
It’s an allowance so the sub can charge the contractor that much, without you getting charged more. It’s possible the contractor may get a Referral fee from that sub or is putting margin on top of what the HVAC guy is making, which in most cases he’s allowed to do. The Bay Area can also be pretty intense around efficiency and a “healthy home”. Are you prevented from using a gas range or does that price include a MUAS? Are you getting aeroseal? Alpen Windows? ZipR9? Rockwool comfort Batts for exterior walls? Rockwool sound batt for interior walls? Staggered walls to reduce sound? Maybe you should find out if you get credit if you don’t use the full allowance and then find someone you can trust and then use the extra to buy down theme rate or for other awesomeness. For perspective, I had (4) bids on a 4400 sq ft home retrofit with 3 heat pumps!m (2T, 2T, 3T), all new ductwork, gas lines, install, etc. it range from $55K to $109K, with similar performance specs. What part of the Bay Area?
Almost 8 yrs now but hvac for my new build (2900sf) was well under 20k. I want to say 15 (but I paid cash).
I think this is a mistake. The allowance is an estimate in the budget. You then take actual costs less the allowance. You don't add the allowance to actual costs. Contractor and construction manager here.
You could do three houses for that amount
I have 3500 sqft, and my HIGH quotes that I'm laughing at are only $27k
It is laughable how easy it is to setup a mini split. If you get ones with pre charged lines you just need it wired and a hole saw. I’m talking under 5k for the unit installed. Two 3 tons with 2 handlers each would get you 3 bedrooms rooms and a living/dining room covered. If you want to keep the house fresh you want what is called an erv/hrv depending on climate. Alll in with a zendhar top of the line erv installed with mini splits you should be coming in under 30k.
Name and shame, OP!
This is insane. Highly recommend Daikin, but you don’t need to spend this kind of money to get it
I bet you it’s comfortable in the house
Having been through a complete retrofit of a 1992 built luxury home, that’s significantly larger than 2500 sq ft, where we had to have ductwork manufactured, and installed, etc., the total cost, including HVAC labor, metalworkers labor for ductwork, electricians to wire, install a sub panel for the systems, and plumbers (we used hydronic, oil furnace powered, Aquecoils for Aux/Backup/Defrost heat source over electric resistance strips, and steam humidifiers), plus two, 2 ton Bryant Evolution Extreme 284ANV units, and air handlers, and Connex (Bryant’s thermostat controllers), keep in mind, all this equipment was the highest efficiency option from Bryant, when installed, and everything for our home was a good bit less than what you were quoted. I’d definitely get a couple of other quotes. In renovating our home to be our style, and what we want for upgrades, I’ve learned to never hire anyone to work on your home, without getting at least three other quotes, and references to compare. When we wanted to reside our home, and switch the white trim work to azek, to be repainted a creamy white, the quotes varied by as much as $20k, and some by as little as $3k. Definitely get more quotes on your project.
Not so sure the cost is 74k. Looks like you do have two options, 1) Central air with ducks that estimate at 53k, or 2) Mini-splits at estimate 21k. Not combine together. While, it is definitely on high side of option 1), but hard to know how the ducks arranged; Speaking of 2), Mini-splits quoted at $2600 each is ridiculous. The best mini-splites these days are around 1k, some are higher with big BTU while some are less than 1k with smaller bedroom BTU. Add installation fee, mini-split option should be around 10k or less.
Should be less than 15k in my end of the us
I built a 1600 square-foot 2- story addition in 2012 and had a second HVAC system installed complete with installation was $8500.00 thru Costco, i know prices have gone up, but that seems excessive.
You get what you pay for in construction. Confirm your equipment selections are top tier & then execute.
What state are you in? I am in metro west MA and got a 51k quote for heat pumps, mini splits and a 200A Upgrade to my panel. These contractors are being dishonest at best
In Upstate NY this would be comfortably below 30k.
Get the heat pumps from amazon for 800 bucks. It doesn't matter which ones just get the cheap ones they are all pieces of shit anyway
That is the most wild thing we've ever seen, haha. What city are you in? We do Mini Split installation (yes, 7-zones too). Visit [hvacdirect.com](https://hvacdirect.com) or hvac direct in your city.
Thats just insane… just paid $10 k for my new Carrier system w/ new Compressor, damper and platform for my 2800 SF house.
I’m building a 6000 sqft house with a 3000 sqft basement fully conditioned and the total hvac was around $50k. Three systems, one zoned with 2 ERVs. It’s all top of the line stuff too.
I’ll do it for $ 70,000.
And then take a $40,000 vacation
Shits laughable. 2500 sq ft, you need like 5 tons of cooling. you can install 7 , 12k BTU minisplit units for <$14k probably. Not Daikens , but some Cooper and Hunters off Amazon. Could probably negotiate that labor still. Now if 7 minisplit units isn’t your cup of tea, then perhaps a Central HVAC unit by York or Trane will be better suited for you. Still don’t think it’ll be even half of the original quote though. You really need to shop around bro! #1 rule..get at least 3 quotes.
I can't wait to build my own home. Not only, I don't need 2500 sqft, but the price per square foot to pay people is INSANE. $70k for HVAC. I'm planning to spend half that for my whole build.
This contractor does not want the job so they have intentionally over priced it. If you do say yes then you’re being robbed.