I am looking to purchase my first home and have found a foreclosure I am interested in that has a boiler heating system. Since there are no ducts in the house, I was wondering how much it would cost to add an air conditioning system in the future. The home is 1500 sq ft and was built in 1979.
Not enough info. Is it on a slab or is it a raised foundation. Crawl space or basement. It will run between 5 and 10 grand. I would suggest you get a few estimates before you buy.
10K easy. You need to add all the duct work, supply and return. Power needs to be ran for the outside unit as well as the inside unit. Basically you need everything installed like it was a new construction. And boiler heat esp if the boiler is much older can be very, very expensive. If your going the ac route and live in a mild climate zone I would look into a heat pump. That way you get the best of both worlds AC and Heat. Harsher winters go with a gas furnace, if your winter temps average lower than 30 degress on a consistant basis as a heat pump is not ideal for a region where sub to low teens is the norm
What you have now is the cheapest in terms of installation, and the most expensive to operate. You need to consider if you want/need A/C. If you want A/C a gas or propane forced air system would make the most sense and would likely be the least up front cost. In a two story home the duct work could be an issue. Your other choice would be radiant heat, with a gas fired boiler. All of these are a major expense. You need to have a qualified HVAC contractor inspect your home to determine the feasibility an cost of retro fit installation.
