Do you own a heritage, character, or classic period home? Firstly, lucky you!
And secondly, have you spent countless summers sweltering through the heat because your home has no aircon?
Get with the times: even homeowners like you are now getting air conditioning installed in their home.
You’ve likely been putting it off for a while so as to not clash with the vintage overlay or prestigious indoor and outdoor aesthetic of your home.
But you’re not sure you can bear another summer – is there a way to get air conditioning in your home?
We’re glad you’ve asked!
Get air conditioning installed without ruining your home’s architectural design with Tri-Tech!
What are character or heritage homes?
Character homes
A property is considered a ‘character’ house if it’s built before 1946 and has contemporary traditional building overlay.
Generally character homes are built in the 1930s or 1940s, but Queensland law states 1946 as the benchmark.
Character homes can include Victorian-era homes, Californian bungalows, workers cottages, pre-federation homes, and traditional “Queenslanders”.
Heritage listed homes
If a home or building is heritage listed, it means that there are different things you can and can’t do to the home, even if you are the sole owner.
The council will list a building as heritage due to its history, its beauty, its reflection to the neighbourhood, or some significance it has to the street or suburb.
You will need the Council’s permission before getting an AC installation in your heritage home.
Air conditioning installation in Ascot, for example, requires careful planning and execution. The area has many “Queenslanders” as well as a number of heritage listed buildings including:
- Musket Villa on Lancaster Road
- Chateau Nous on Rupert Terrace
- Ascot State School
Can you install AC in an old house?
Most historical homes can still get air conditioning installation in Brisbane.
However, there are a number of boundaries that period homes have that regular homes don’t when it comes to most types of renovations and installations.
A lot of older homes don’t have internal ceiling space large enough to fit ducts or indoor air compressors inside them. Walls can also often be too thin for cables to fit.
Another thing to consider is that older homes often have a lot of invisible cracks, loose windows and doors, while older buildings also often have poor, outdated insulation inside the roofs and walls of your home.
What this means is that the AC might have run longer and harder to get the results you want.
You can fix these flaws so that it can work more efficiently and so that the cool air won’t just come into your home, but stay there.
Many vintage homes also often have no side yards, with the walls and the fence meeting each other or walls meeting walls of other homes, which is typically where the outdoor compressor unit would be installed.
Can I get air conditioning installed in my home without changing its look?
The main thing on a classic homeowner’s mind when considering air conditioning is aesthetics.
A clash of your home’s renowned aesthetics can often be the deal breaker for getting aircon installation in your home.
It can be jarring when you’re walking in a nice neighbourhood looking at beautiful period homes, when your view is suddenly interrupted by a clunky unit.
Both split and ducted air conditioning in Brisbane use an outdoor compressor unit.
If you have the outdoor space for this compressor and want to hide it but don’t have a side yard, you might consider mounting the compressor on an outside wall of the home that is least visible.
Inside your home, air vents and large indoor units can often be difficult to place because of decorative features like wallpaper and ceiling design.
You might want to consider grill placement on the ground or whether you want to get ducted or split system air conditioning, as both look very different.
Retro homes are also often in highly populated areas, like inner city suburbs.
One issue with this is the sound or surrounding similar homes disapproving of the sound and look of the system.
If you live in an old apartment building, you will need to get approval from your Body Corporate company before installing any HVAC system as well.
Does installing central air increase the value of a home?
Yes!
We recommend speaking with our air conditioning experts to determine the best solution for your older home. We’ll help you reach the perfect balance of a system that can increase a home’s value, as well as a solution that honours the heritage of your property.
Is installing central air a good investment?
Yes! So invest on it now! Tri-Tech puts in extreme care and caution when carrying out any air conditioning installation job, whether it’s a ducted aircon system (also known as central air), a single split system, or multi split systems throughout.
We are a team of qualified, experienced air conditioning experts who work across numerous brands, systems, and homes.
We work with the world’s most reputable brands, so if you’re tossing up between Daikin vs Mitsubishi or want more information on a specific Mitsubishi electric air conditioner or Daikin split system, then we can discuss the different benefits.
Call Tri-Tech today on (07) 3394 0222 or fill out this form – and if you’d like, send through any images or floorplans, too!
We look forward to helping you.
