Upgrading to Central Heat and Air
My parents have decided to sell the old family home and move into a senior retirement community. Even though I knew something like this was bound to happen at some point, the news still came as a bit of a shock. After all, this is the house I grew up in, the house that is irrevocably tied to all of my childhood memories. It will be sad to see it pass on to someone else after being our place for more than four decades.
Of course with a home that old, there’s quite a bit of work to be done before we can even think of listing it. Mom and Dad have asked me to help get everything taken care of, so I fully expect this project to occupy all of my free time for the foreseeable future. I’ve started out by making a list of things that need to be done. It includes such things as painting the interior and exterior, replacing the carpets, repaving the driveway, and installing central heat and air throughout the house.
The only job I’m worried about is getting central heat and air put in. The others are fairly common, and I know enough about the material and labor charges to recognize whether or not I’m getting a good deal from the contractor. But I have absolutely zero knowledge when it comes to central heat and air, so I don’t know what kind of prices to expect at all. Nor do I know how complicated the job will be or how long it will take, which means I’m going to have to do some research before calling any local companies to come out for an estimate.
It’s hard to believe that there are any homes left these days that don’t have central heat and air, but my parents were always pretty frugal with their money. They were perfectly comfortable using electric blankets during the winter and ceiling fans during the summer, even though the house became positively stifling in August. Even now it took a lot of talking for me to finally convince them that the place will be easier to sell if they install central heat and air first. They’re sure that the buyer will turn out to be someone just like them, someone who doesn’t need modern conveniences and a controlled climate in their home. Yeah, right!
At any rate, some of the painting work has already begun, and the carpeting is coming out next week. The old house is transforming right before my eyes. Once all the other stuff gets done and we install a new central heat and air system, it’ll be time to call a real estate agent and put it on the market. Though that day will be bittersweet for sure, I’m glad my parents will be moving to a full-service community where they can enjoy their retirement with each other.
