Time never remains the same. A couple grows to form a family, the children in the family grow, stumble, and learn along the way.
In this life cycle, homes need to grow or at least change with the family.
After all, it is the house in which memories are made and life is lived. So, why not change the house to become a dream house?
For whatever reason you may decide to renovate your house, changing some mechanics that have been a part of the house’s blueprint might seem a tedious and sometimes impossible task.
Furnace is one of those things that are a part of the basic architecture of the house as it is incorporated in the house from the ground up.
While it is possible to move a furnace, it needs a reworking of the duct system in the house to make sure that the heating system remains intact.
In case of a poor job, some parts of the house may feel cold while some may feel too warm.
How Much Does It Cost To Move A Furnace?
If you want to move your furnace by three feet, the cost would come to around $3,000.
However, if the job does not require electrical modifications, wall reconstruction, a lot of modifications to the duct, and rerouting the plumbing, the job can be done for as low as $1,000.
If you are planning to move the furnace across the room, be prepared to pay even more, as the greater the distance of the new furnace from the initial point, the greater will be the modifications to the wall, plumbing, electrical rewiring, and duct modifications will be.
Who To Hire For A Furnace Relocation Job?
It is advised that you hire a professional, meaning a HVAC contractor who is insured and licensed, rather than handymen, so the ducting modification does not leave the temperature of the house unbalanced in some areas.
Also, a professional contractor will assure that the risks of rewiring the house and plumbing modifications are minimized.
Contractors that have insurance also assure that both the contractor and the house owner are legally covered in case of any mishaps during the process.
Furthermore, professional contractors know how to do their job and they will do it in a timely manner.
If you hire an inexperienced person to do the job, chances are that you’ll end up paying them more because of the ballooning costs when the time exceeds the stated time due to the handymen not having enough experience of the work.
5 Considerations Before Moving A Furnace
Now that you know that moving a furnace in the house is a possibility, it might still be very dangerous if electrical work is involved.
It might also be very costly and if you run out of money in between tasks, it will leave your furnace in an unworkable condition.
Here are five things you should consider before you make the decision to move your house’s furnace:
1. Location of the Pre-Existing Ducts
Installing new ducts in the house based on the location of the furnace in the basement will cost pretty high.
However, if you are choosing a location where the duct already pre-exists, it will take less time to complete the job since the contractor will only have to modify the duct system a little to accommodate the new location of the furnace.
Not to forget, you will be able to stay within budget!
2. Wall Repairs
Since the furnace is built up with the house, it is probably attached to a drywall that will have to be knocked down or repaired.
If the furnace is not wall mounted, you will have less trouble and pay less for the relocation job.
However, if you want to move the furnace despite it being wall-mounted, you will have to consider the amount of repairs needed in the surrounding areas including the walls or floors.
3. Location of the Heater
Even though plumbing work and electric rewiring costs less than adding a new system, you will still have to consider whether the heater is close to the electrical and water lines to gauge the number of days and amount of work needed to relocate the furnace.
Checking the wiring and the plumbing will allow you to plan the new location of the furnace where there is less electrical work and new plumbing required.
4. Your Stay in the House
Moving a furnace is a lot of work.
However, for whatever reason you may want to do so, it will only be worth the effort, time, and money if you plan to live in the house for a longer period of time.
If you plan to move to a new house as your family grows, you might want to reconsider your decision of investing in relocating a furnace.
5. Condition of the Original Location
Unless you want the ghost of the old furnace living in the basement forever, you would want to gauge what repairs and cleaning is needed to renew the place where the furnace was located originally.
The contractor might have to repair and clean the location of the last spot of the furnace.
The repair includes removing electrical lines no longer being used, old heating lines, and gas pipes.
Summing Up Moving a Furnace
While moving a furnace is possible in most cases, the job is dangerous, time consuming, and expensive.
If you are certain that you want to move the furnace, you might want to consider the number of repairs needed to the old spot, the new location of the furnace, and the duct work, plumbing work, and rewiring needed to assure that the job is well done.
All in all this is a job you would want to buckle up for, since it will be long before your house gets restored to its original form, or rather, the form that you have planned it to be.
