It is difficult to comment on the quoted price without know the equipment you are purchasing. Multistage and variable speed heat pumps can be expensive. If that is what you are buying then the quote is reasonable for a new installation and the ductwork materials.

A heat pump is basically an AC running in reverse. The amount of cooling it provides will be about the same as the equivalent AC model. Is the plan to use heat pumps for heating?

Will the HVAC company do the design of the duct work and give the drawings to your husband for the installation? Has the location of the two air handlers been determined? My recommendation would be to not install equipment in an unconditioned attic space. In a house of your size you should be able to design a small room to house the HVAC equipment and the hot water heater.

3500 sq ft home is going to cost some money for HVAC, no way around that.

2 zones -- at that size of home that most likely means 2 HVAC systems at least.

You didn't note the volume of air... which is important. (How tall are the ceilings, walls of glass?)

I would not recommend doing the ductwork yourselves as this will likely give the builder / GC in charge of the HVAC a way out if something goes wrong and usually if it does it's during extreme weather (hot or cold). Air flow of the HVAC systems in a house this size any size really... is very important. Lack of air flow -- problems will be in the realm of improper air distribution -- hot and / or cold spots and in some cases worse than that.

I don't view Oregon as some extreme climate destination, but air flow problems can lead to bigger problems later with premature failure of equipment.

To me $26,000 for a house this size sounds reasonable and that is without me knowing truly the finer details. Since about 2021, prices for HVAC have done nothing but go up, up, up.

Pricing will continue to do so most likely over the next few years due to Refrigerant phase outs and bans incoming.

I service the Katy, Texas area. ( I don't do new construction, I usually come a few years after the house was built to pick up the pieces.)

Seems high unless you getting the absolutely, positively most expensive and sophisticated system out there! Please post the equipment details.

Seems high unless you getting the absolutely, positively most expensive and sophisticated system out there!

Nope, higher end equipment can easily hit $20k per system and higher.

It's not just equipment prices that have gone up. Labor? Everyone thought it was a good idea to pay general burger flippers and such $15-20 or more an hour, so now skilled labor costs more too.

I know you're not going to like the stark reality I put here. I'd rather be known for telling the truth as I see it than get clicks by strangers I'm likely to never meet.

at 26,000 total for a house err a mansion of 3500 sq ft --- a job requiring 2 systems that's $13k per system. Line sets, electrical, gas connections if any if gas is even allowed there? / Or heat pump system in place of gas with electric back up heat.

Heat pumps cost more than traditional AC. This is completely different than a replacement at an existing home that is just merely getting equipment replaced. In that regard 13K per system is quite reasonable even if it's just entry level equipment.

Getting higher cost equipment now with new R410a refrigerant bans around the corner is at best going to help you escape a generation of equipment if you're a little lucky.

2035/ 2036 we begin again with a new phase out and ban cycle. All because 50 percent of the population wanted to feel good about reducing CO2 emmissions while they breathe heavy sitting on a couch. Prices for everything goes up and people like to think prices for HVAC are stagnant no matter what happens in the world around them.

I hate high prices just as much as anyone else.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

I greatly appreciate everyones comments. It hardly gets below freezing in the winter here and the summer averages 80-90. We asked for a quote on an AC unit but the HVAC company seems to think the heat pump is more cost effective and said it's not that much more then AC. We can use the heat pump for heating if needed but we would mainly use it for AC but won't need to run it all the time in the summer. The quote included a Rudd two stage gas furnace 40 to 115 kBTU. 96% AFUE. with a 4 Ton Bosch 18.5 SEER Heat Pump Inverter System. The HVAC will do the ductwork design and calculations and provide the material and then give that info to my husband to install the ductwork only. Besides not doing the ductwork, the HVAC company will do the rest of the work and supply all parts. Hopefully this helps.

Hi, HU,

A heat pump is a good candidate in climate zones where both heating and air conditioning are required and winters are short and mild. Where winters aren't short or aren't mild, hybrid (dual -fuel) systems consisting of heat pump with a gas furnace for back-up should be considered. Hybrid systems give you the option of using the heat pump when it makes economic sense, and switching over to gas heat when it's too cold for the heat pump to meet the home's heating needs. I had one in my former home and I miss it.

Installing duct work isn't rocket science, but it needs to be done correctly for the system to perform as designed. Keep in mind that the installation labor is a fraction of the overall installed system cost. I'd recommend getting a turnkey system from the mechanical contractor to avoid any potential for finger pointing if the system doesn't work as intended.

The quote included a Rudd two stage gas furnace 40 to 115 kBTU. 96% AFUE. with a 4 Ton Bosch 18.5 SEER Heat Pump Inverter System.

That's pretty good equipment for $26 grand assuming you're getting two HVAC systems like this.

Bosch Inverter only comes as a heat pump, so no way around that. Inverter isn't the norm on new construction usually entry level only unless you're paying extra. The Bosch Inverter comes at a premium. In my opinion it's worth it, but if your budget is constrained makes it difficult.

I had a customer recently who wanted the Bosch but simply could not afford the premium attached to it. I've had my Bosch at my house since October of 2019. Very reliable so far and thru two super hot summers as well. (2022/2023)

If the HVAC plan is for only a single furnace and heat pump then the $26K quote is high. Has the HVAC contractor done a heating and cooling load calculation to determine this sizes? A 115K BTU furnace in a new construction house in a climate like Oregon seems over sized. The Bosch heat pump is nice but is not necessary if you are spending money on a gas furnace in my opinion.

If your goal is to control the temperature of each floor and save energy, then a two story 3500 sq. foot house should really have two separate heating and cooling systems. That is the most foolproof way to accomplish the zoning of two floors. Trying to do two floors of zoning with a single system can be made to work, but it requires skills most HVAC installers do not have.

@Mike,

As detective Friday frequently requested, "just the facts, ma'me."

Oregon includes two different IECC climate zones--4 and 5-- just like your home state of NJ, some of which are in coastal environments. The EPA Energy Star 1% cooling design temperature for the (aptly named, in my opinion) Malheur County, OR is 95F and the 99% heating design temperature is 16F. That cooling design temperature is higher those listed by the EPA for any county in NJ and the heating design temperature is cold enough to warrant a gas furnace, in my opinion.

"Trying to do two floors of zoning with a single system can be made to work, but it requires skills most HVAC installers do not have." This comment speaks to the core problem with zoning systems. Zoning systems add cost and complexity to a HVAC system. They need to be designed by competent design professionals. Installation contractors are not designers, but that's who homeowners, and a lot of general contractors, typically hire to deliver a turnkey HVAC system. And the results make for lots of material here on houzz.com.

If the designers aren't the ones actually doing the work, I doubt it would make much difference Charles.

I am the designer, I am the one doing the work. Translation doesn't get lost when there's less people involved. The other bigger often over looked problem is the myriad of garbage made when it comes to zone systems. Cheaply made garbarge. You know how this works... if you don't like the price get another estimate, the cheaper solves one problem and creates a dozen more.

I've rewired two of these gems recently to reduce the system(s) back to single zone operation. Budgets to do it right couldn't do what needed to be done (for new zone system that will do nothing but work).

As an example I have a zone system I put in at my rental in 2008 (back when I lived there). Never had a problem with the zone system over there. Where most zone systems installed by others are lucky to last 5-6 years. Some last longer than that but that is extremely rare.

I got a zone system at my house as well since about 2016, never had a problem with this one over here either. Parts knowlege / knowing these kinds of systems and the functionality of such is more than half the battle.

It can be done, but just saying that doesn't mean it will be. Trade offs are made all the time over cost. Just having a designer on staff isn't a cure for workers who don't understand the principles of what should be done.

...the heating design temperature is cold enough to warrant a gas furnace, in my opinion.

@Charles Home

I agree the winters in Oregon are cold enough to warrant a gas furnace. What I was questioning was this discussion between the HVAC contractor to the original author:

We asked for a quote on an AC unit but the HVAC company seems to think the heat pump is more cost effective and said it's not that much more then AC. We can use the heat pump for heating if needed but we would mainly use it for AC but won't need to run it all the time in the summer.

The HVAC contractor is proposing a dual fuel system with a Bosch heat pump. It is being promoted as a more cost effective system then an AC only equipment. I am skeptical this is true. So far I am not getting a good feeling from this HVAC contractor. I recommend getting proposals from additional HVAC contractors.

A hybrid system-- which is what the contractor is proposing-- is indeed more expensive that an air conditioner and gas-fired furnace. The incremental investment in a hybrid system would enable the OP to utilize the heat pump to heat their home except when outdoor conditions are too cold and supplemental heat is required. Having both heating options is also a hedge against a potential carbon tax or something similar that increases the price of natural gas.

"Dehumidification aspects versus temperature often confound people. As you can have low temps and high humidity, just as much as you can have low humidity and high temps and vice versa." A self-supporting claim if there ever was one.

An explanation that an autistic child of two can understand without down speaking and unnecesary chemical engineering double talk. If you live at the nexus of the universe like Charles the builder, I have nothing for you.

Charles is here for credit, clicks and who knows what other agenda he has besides referring to me in degenerate terms. I pray he makes some wiser choices in 2024.

Ray,

I didn't jump on your "There are protections with in the equipment that will prevent it from running in a nefarious condition." statement,which is also entertaining. However, the statement about humidity was simply too good to pass up. If Roy Blount, Jr. had written it, it would be more evidence of his genius as a humor writer.

Charles, Yeah because you would need understanding of how the equipment operates. Of which I know you don't. Pretend and speak with big words, throw out an chemical engineering degree that you don't need, don't use for your current occupation --other than the ability to pull a permit, for a crew that you likely keep squarely under your thumb.

30 years in HVAC also provides me the experience of bosses like you. Plenty of humor on your side of the fence.