ᐅ Installing a Mechanical Ventilation System with Heat Recovery Yourself: Timeline and Costs?
Created on: 12 Jan 2016 12:57
A
andimann
Hi everyone,
We will be building in a few months. The building permit / planning permission was submitted last year to take advantage of the previous energy-saving regulations. So far, so good.
Originally, we planned to build without a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. Based on our experience in our current house, we considered such a system unnecessary.
However, for various reasons, we are now reconsidering. A mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery will never really pay for itself, but as a comfort upgrade and to improve marketability in case of a future sale, it might be worthwhile after all.
We are talking about a central system with heat recovery for nearly 180 sqm (approximately 1,940 sq ft) of living space over two floors plus basement.
The general contractor is quoting completely insane prices. I’m still waiting for the detailed offer, but initial estimates were between 15,000 and 18,000 Euros (around 10,000 to 12,000 USD, depending on exchange rate) for a system from Helios, and even more with the basement. So, a classic deterrent offer...
In a thread here, I came across a supplier who designs, plans, and assembles the materials for these systems, delivering everything ready for installation. The installation itself would then be done by us. According to the advisor, it’s truly no rocket science and for a house of this size, two people could easily do it in 4-5 working days (which equals 8-10 man-days).
It would also be a Helios system (specific model to be confirmed) with about 6-7 supply air and 6-7 exhaust air ducts. Installation is done within the impact sound insulation layer, that is, on top of the finished concrete ceiling. The supplier also provides plans for the necessary ceiling penetrations etc., so these can be incorporated directly during the concrete pour.
What caught my attention was his initial rough price estimate for the materials, which was about one-third of the general contractor’s price. So for around 10,000 Euros (about 11,000 USD), I might just take a week off work...!
But is it really that simple? This is a trade that happens right in the middle of construction, so our own work must be absolutely punctual, otherwise the overall schedule collapses...
My question is: How realistic is it to install such a system yourself within one week?
Has anyone done this before and could share some of their experiences?
Best regards,
Andreas
We will be building in a few months. The building permit / planning permission was submitted last year to take advantage of the previous energy-saving regulations. So far, so good.
Originally, we planned to build without a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. Based on our experience in our current house, we considered such a system unnecessary.
However, for various reasons, we are now reconsidering. A mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery will never really pay for itself, but as a comfort upgrade and to improve marketability in case of a future sale, it might be worthwhile after all.
We are talking about a central system with heat recovery for nearly 180 sqm (approximately 1,940 sq ft) of living space over two floors plus basement.
The general contractor is quoting completely insane prices. I’m still waiting for the detailed offer, but initial estimates were between 15,000 and 18,000 Euros (around 10,000 to 12,000 USD, depending on exchange rate) for a system from Helios, and even more with the basement. So, a classic deterrent offer...
In a thread here, I came across a supplier who designs, plans, and assembles the materials for these systems, delivering everything ready for installation. The installation itself would then be done by us. According to the advisor, it’s truly no rocket science and for a house of this size, two people could easily do it in 4-5 working days (which equals 8-10 man-days).
It would also be a Helios system (specific model to be confirmed) with about 6-7 supply air and 6-7 exhaust air ducts. Installation is done within the impact sound insulation layer, that is, on top of the finished concrete ceiling. The supplier also provides plans for the necessary ceiling penetrations etc., so these can be incorporated directly during the concrete pour.
What caught my attention was his initial rough price estimate for the materials, which was about one-third of the general contractor’s price. So for around 10,000 Euros (about 11,000 USD), I might just take a week off work...!
But is it really that simple? This is a trade that happens right in the middle of construction, so our own work must be absolutely punctual, otherwise the overall schedule collapses...
My question is: How realistic is it to install such a system yourself within one week?
Has anyone done this before and could share some of their experiences?
Best regards,
Andreas
@jochi79: I’ll send you a link to the blog shortly, which includes pictures.
We did this with the help of two plumbing specialists, so we were somewhat advantaged. But in principle, it should be doable. The biggest challenge is planning the pipes, as you’re often surprised by how much space they actually take up. The connections in the utility room aren’t finished yet; it’s going to be a tight fit for us.
We did this with the help of two plumbing specialists, so we were somewhat advantaged. But in principle, it should be doable. The biggest challenge is planning the pipes, as you’re often surprised by how much space they actually take up. The connections in the utility room aren’t finished yet; it’s going to be a tight fit for us.
Similar topics