Latest Discussions : HVAC


07:30AM | 11/23/02
Member Since: 11/22/02
13 lifetime posts
I am finishing my basement in my 2-story 50-year old home. Part of the job will involve replacing a load bearing wall with a post and expanding the living space into the old laundry room.

The problem is that there are massive ducts running underneth the joists in the laundry room, straight across the middle of the ceiling and splicing off into all directions. This results in the headroom in this area being severely restricted. Since the original space was a lanudry room, I'm assuming not much thought was given to the original placement of the ducts.

The questions I have are:

1. How difficult is it to re-route this ductwork so that it is flatter, runs along the edges of the room and/or runs between the joists?

2. How difficult a job is this?

3. If I hire someone else to do it, how expensive of a job might it be?

4. Who would I call to get estimates on such a job?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


Dave Anderson

02:38AM | 11/25/02
Member Since: 10/23/02
41 lifetime posts
We did the same thing you're talking about to our house. 50 years old. No thought was given in the basement to duct location. We went through and moved the ducts over to the edges of the basement since they tended to run right down the middle of the basement ceiling. This opened up the basement tremendously and made it WAY more usable. Not sure on cost since we had a friend who's in the business do the work. He was able to reuse much of the older duct work which was good.

Good luck!

Dave Anderson


05:10AM | 11/25/02
Member Since: 11/04/02
7 lifetime posts
You might also look at building some "dummy" walls and/or soffits which will allow for redirecting of ducting. I'm going through similar concerns in a new construction of a house.


06:52AM | 11/25/02
Member Since: 11/24/02
11 lifetime posts
If not done correctly, you could ruin your furnace or compressor. It could cost you more to run your system because of undersized ducts. It could be a comfort issue too.

Get a pro.


02:42PM | 11/25/02
Member Since: 11/22/02
13 lifetime posts
Thanks for the feedback. I don't know anyone personally who specializes in this area, so I guess I'll have to open up the yellow pages to find someone to do this work.

For anyone who has gone through this - about how many hours of work was involved? Is this a big job for a professional in the field or a minor side project?

Dave Anderson

12:55AM | 11/26/02
Member Since: 10/23/02
41 lifetime posts
Not a big job at all, at least for us. One evening, he came and made measurements to see what additional metal was needed. He then returned on another day and did the whole thing. It went rather quickly, but it really depends on your situation.

Dave Anderson

John Ford

10:21AM | 01/21/03
I'm sure this is an old story.

I would like to maximize the head room in my basement. Like most basements, the ductwork is a bit of a problem. Is there a system that can be run through the joists without compromising strenght of the joist? I imagine that a smaller cross section with higher velocity might be possible, as long as any joists crossed were re-enforced.

Is there such a system, or should I resign myself to ducking? :-)

Thanks in advance,


Post a reply as Anonymous


Reply choose button


Post new button or Login button