About two years ago, my husband and I put an addition onto our home.
Our family of five had outgrown the original structure, and we needed another two bedrooms and bathroom.
Construction of the addition was not overly difficult. We were able to handle most of the work ourselves. My husband is quite handy and was able to run electric and plumbing lines. Our biggest challenge was figuring out how to manage heating and cooling. Because of the severe weather in our local area, we require some type of temperature control for the majority of the year. We were reluctant to sacrifice a great deal of space to bulky ductwork. We doubted our existing furnace and air conditioner would be capable of handling the extra square footage. We started looking into different options, hoping to find a compact and inexpensive HVAC system that we could install ourselves. After a whole bunch of discouraging research, I finally came across ductless multi-splits. This type of system is actually a heat pump and combines heating and cooling capacity. It’s comprised of an outdoor compressor that’s linked to multiple indoor air handlers. Installation requires little more than small holes in exterior walls for the conduit and access to electricity. The air handlers are wonderfully compact and lightweight and can be mounted up high on the wall. Because of the independent air handlers, a ductless multi-split system provides zone control. Each room can be set to a customized temperature. Plus, these ductless systems are exceptionally quiet and energy efficient. Although the installation process was a bit more difficult than we first assumed, we are totally happy with the system performance.