Absolutely. You can do anything with time and money. You might need to insulate the whole attic so the hvac unit is in conditioned space. Hard to say with no pictures. Get a local professional in for a consultation

How much of the house does this unit service for heating and cooling? Are the ducts in the attic?

This serves the second floor only. There’s a separate furnace in the basement. The ducts vent up through the attic. The attic is only accessible via a pull down latter so not ideal. Our other option is to move the HVAC to the laundry area behind it (remove the laundry entirely) on the second floor.

Are considering moving the HVAC equipment because you want to increase the closet space or is it for some other reason?

I am not a fan of having HVAC equipment and duct work in an unconditioned attic. This is popular in the warmer regions of the US to save costs. It is less popular in cold climates like Chicago. The equipment can be moved to the attic. You will have to open the ceiling sufficiently large enough to allow the equipment to pass through and install it in a place so it is easily accessible for servicing. I would recommend you replace the furnace at the same time. This may also mean having to replace the outdoor condenser. You should get two quotes on how much all of this is going to cost before putting down a deposit on this house. Don't rely on a real estate agent for advice on this.

Moving the furnace to what is now the laundry room is a good solution. This would become the new HVAC closet. The question is can you move the laundry room to the first floor?

Do the current washer and dryer sit on the floor next to each other? Then a possible solution is to buy front loading washer and dryer set and stack them. Then you may have enough room to install the furnace. It probably means no utility sink and counter to fold clothes. You could change the swinging door in the laundry room to sliding type. It may have to be a custom size to fit the less than 6 foot width.

Another possibility is to move the furnace to the first floor or the basement. A main vent would then need to come up from below and connect to the existing duct work in the ceiling. This is an option if you are willing to build a small chase in the bedroom closet for the main duct to travel up to the attic. You will need an HVAC contractor to see if this is feasible and how much it will cost.

Thanks, I really appreciate the feedback. The reason for moving the hvac is because we do need that closet space (eventually two kids will be sharing that room) and I personally don’t like the idea of an hvac unit in a kids bedroom. We realized yesterday we could move it to the laundry room as an option. The washer dryer is side by side so we could potentially do the front loading stackable and put the furnace in there. We are also finishing the basement in a year and can install a laundry room the basement. It seems like this is a better option for the long term than putting it in the attic and dealing with future repairs and filter changing. Appreciate the feedback!

Moving HVAC equipment is not like moving a piece of furniture. Expect to incur substantial cost and perhaps having to face the question - is it worth relocating old equipment, or better to buy new equipment?

Hi, Designlover36,

The bedroom is large. Did you consider options for adding closet space in the room as an alternative to relocating the air handler?

Charles Ross makes a good suggestion. One option is to make the other closet deeper and wider so two kids can share it. The wall the door way to closet housing the furance could be closed off with sound proofing insulation. You would then stack the washer and dryer in the laundry room so a new doorway for entry into the furnace closet. The door could be a pocket type to save space. You may be able to add a fold down counter to hold clothers when they come out of the dryer. Some plumbing may have to be rerouted, but ithat s easier and less expensive then moving HVAC equpment.

To move the furnace /air handler into the attic, you'll need to:

1. Move the return duct(s) into the attic.

2. Move the supply duct(s) into the attic.

3. Move the electrical into the attic.

4. Move gas lines into the attic.

5. Move the refrigerant lines into the attic

6. Move the thermostat wiring into the attic.

I suspect leaving well alone and building a second closet will be less expensive and, most likely, more efficient.