Can I install central air unit myself?

Question

I just bought my first home and am on a limited budget, not to mention I am I single mom, so a penny saved is a penny earned! I have forced air heat and my furnace and hot water heater are just inside my finished basement front door. I had an estimater come today that had weeks worth of work and seemed very uninterested to do the job. I'm wondering how hard it can really be to install with the right tools and instructions, since the duct work is there. I am the 2nd owner, house is end of row, about 1100sq ft. with 3 floors including finished basement. Also, about how much, in general, should I expect to spend w or w/o a professional installer???

Answer 1

I would leave this one to the professionals.  While it is certainly possible to DIY, I highly discourage it.  (Although your enthusiasm is wonderful).

Most companies are happy to give a free estimate, at which point you could ask a few questions regarding the complexity of the work.  In general, plan on:

Heavy lifting.

Cutting hose access through the external wall of your home.

Routing hoses through the finished interior to the furnace.

Cutting into the furnace.

Installing new circuit breakers.

...The ugly list goes on.