Furnace Or Wall Heaters?

As we have been slowly working on our lake house we’ve been faced with more than a few options on what we should install.  Originally we had planned on just putting in wall heaters and baseboards for heat.  There is no “in ground” gas available out there and we really didn’t want to have a large tank on the property to hold gas for a gas furance so electric space heaters seemed like a logical choice.  The main reason that we thought space heaters would be a good idea is that they are FAR cheaper than an electric furnace.  After much debating though, we decided to go with an electric furnace and heat pump.  Here was our reasoning:

-We wanted even heat throughout the house

-We think that a full furnace will help with resale value later

-We wanted a heat pump to keep the energy costs lower and the side benefit of a heat pump is that it gives you air conditioning in the summer

-I was able to negotiate a lower price for the complete package

That’s the short list of why we ended up getting a furnace and heat pump.  The furnace has been installed and we have just about got it all wired up.  Once we finish the ground work outside, we’ll have the heat pump installed.  We haven’t regretted the decision to go with the furnace and heat pump, although I think our bank account may have regretted it a bit.

Here’s what it cost:

-Furnace, ducting, thermostat, installation: $3500

-Heat pump and installation: $1500

Originally the quote I received was for $5750 but I was able to negotiate a lower cost on the heat pump and installation.  It’s amazing what a company can do for you when you sound very interested but “fret” about the cost while negotiating.  I told him that I really wanted to get a heat pump installed at the same time as the furnace but just couldn’t afford it with all of the other construction costs.  I think he really wanted to sell the complete unit so I asked him if he could give me a better price and that’s when he came back with the second, lower price.  I also was able to negotiate only paying 75% at rough in.  (Rough in means the furnace and ducting is all installed and then they come back to put in the thermostat and heat registers etc once you have flooring in place.)

So, the furnace is just about complete and we are just about done with all the wiring in the house.  Very soon, we should be ready to insulate.  Our new goal is to get the sheetrock in place by the end of summer so that we have heat, power and a nice warm place to work during the winter months.  There will be plenty to do inside once the sheetrock is done.  We’ll need to paint, install the kitchen cabinets and countertops, install the wood floors and complete the bathroom.  Did I mention that I’ll never do this again?  :)