Hot and Cold

So the bank wised up and said they wouldn't lend me more money unless I proved that the work was going to be done in the next three months.  I have to turn in signed contracts to have the roof and the heater issue resolved.  That makes sense.  I agree that is a reasonable and intelligent request.  Except that I'm not signing the contract for the estimate that I have for the heating and cooling--it is way too high.  What to do?

So I called another contractor (number six if anyone is counting) to review the issue.  The very experienced guy walks into the house and says, why are you considering ductless heat and air--why not simply put in central heat and air.  I'd love to, I say, except that I've been told that I can't.  Oh, yes you can, he says with complete authority.  [Been here before--all six before him have told me the same thing coming in the front door and all six have eventually determined--can't be done.  But I'm humoring him--he's the expert, not me.]

Jack walks around the front room looking at all the walls, then we go through the kitchen and he sees the back part of the house going on and on and on, until we are at the back.  He's getting pretty quiet.  Next we go outside and he starts frowning big time.  You are too close to your neighbor on this side, he says.  A little while later (on the other side) he says, you share a driveway with your neighbor--that's not good.  We walk around on the inside some more and I show him the three places I've been told a ductless unit can be put.  He points out why it will not work in one of the spots.  Next we go back to the front room--the main event--the bank wants a heater in the front room at a minimum.  Jack starts to postulate maybe we can put the unit on one side of the room (to get the most heating and cooling for the largest area) and then run the pipes through the crawl space above the house.  He's shaking his head and pretty soon he says, you are between a rock and a hard place here. 

He's going to give me an estimate to put the bare minimum heater in the front room.  He did say that I'm going to make him think all day to try to come up with a solution, but he doesn't think that there is one.  Another one bites the dust.