How expensive to install central heating in an Amish-built house that has none?
I have my eye on a nice 6 bedroom house in Pennsylvania that was built in 2002 by Amish and has no central heating. Any HVAC cognescenti have an opinion on the cost (and wisdom) of retrofitting it with central heating? One of the central issues is that banks don’t like to give mortgages (apparently) on houses that have no central heating.
I’m guessing that with six bedrooms, this must be a fairly large house. You do not give many details such as the overall square footage of living area, number of stories, type and R-value of any insulation, etc. Does the house have a basement, crawlspace, or is it built on a concrete slab? Do you know what fuel you want to use to heat the house? Electric, natural gas, and fuel oil are the most common fuels, although these days there are many other options. How hard will it be to retrofit the house to accomodate ductwork? I’m sure that you want a heating system, but what about cooling? How about a whole house humidifier/dehumidifier and or air purification?
I’m sure that you get the picture by now. It is all but impossible to give you any accurate number as to the cost. Rest assured that you will spend a significant amount of money. Best advice is to call a couple of reputable HVAC contractors in your area and let them prepare bids for you. They will measure all of the abovementioned criteria and design a modern energy efficient system. These estimates are usually free.
At the very least, a reputable heating contractor can give you a "ballpark" figure for a system that will help you make a home buying decision.
Good luck with your home purchase.