Heating and Cooling - Adding ducted air-conditioning to a 2 Story renovation
One of the first things we noticed when we looked at our current home was the lack of heating and cooling. With big beautiful northern facing windows we knew that summers in Perth would be a killer without adequate cooling. What we didn’t prepare for was when we moved in was how incredibly cold the house would be without heating and insulation. We also knew that being a two-story renovation that we would be limited when it came to ducted heating and cooling. Anyone who has ever renovated a 2 story without ducting would know this.
You see when you put ducting in a 2-story this is usually done at the time of the build so that can build hidden shafts for the ducting to go through the floor down into the second story. This of course cannot be done (well potentially could be but costs would be insane) with a concrete floor upstairs. However we were lucky that we had timber floors so with careful planning we were able to design each room upstairs around where we would need to hide ducting and creating bulkheads where needed downstairs. Yes it may of cost a small fortune, BUT for us, it was more than worth it. You just cannot put a price on being comfortable on those hot summer days or nice and warm on those winter days. We did it for years at our old place and as I always say, sometimes you don’t know how valuable something is to you until you have it.
So the entire second story was planned around the new ducting. This wouldn’t of been possible adding it later so just a little insight to how important planning is and I really wanted them to be hidden so no one would look twice wondering why we put strange walls in. So I got creative with disguising them in the new room plans.
So where were the ducts?
There are two ducts in our parents bedroom hidden in that beautiful new curve and arched wall. Servicing the kitchen and living area below.
A duct in the corner of the ensuite which is servicing the bedrooms below.
Ducting is hidden in the corner of our new walk-in robe to service the void living area.
More is hidden within the walls of the new studio, one in the wall where the built in bar is, another in the corner of the room & a few more behind that new faux fireplace.
And the last is hidden in the landing area in the new storage cupboard.
A few of the ducts after being installed before they were hidden
After - Can you see where they are hidden?
So yes, you can put ducted air/heating in a 2 story renovation. You will need to be incredibly handy or have a good sized budget. But all renovations come with their own restrictions and road blocks so you always need to plan ahead and work out what the best option is for your home. Where budget isn’t an issue, I would ALWAYS go for ducted over split systems. Being able to adjust temperatures in each room of the house, switching areas off when they aren’t in use, is always a no brainer in my home and is always worth it in the long run. Saving on electricity costs, being better for the environment and being able to sleep during those heat waves is 100% worth it!
Kristy :)