through wall air conditioner

a few thousand per

however, it may be worthwhile evaluating whether it's worth the trouble.

thanks. appreciate it. we have window air conditioners now and i find they block a lot of light and are pretty drafty in the winter (no matter what we do to seal them) - and i cant deal with taking them in and out every winter. why do you think it may be too much trouble?

have you considered attaching them to the top of the window, if the windows are large. this way you get light and they are out of the way. since heat rises, they will not bother you in the winter as much either.

yes, thanks. we thought about it also. for me its really a question of cost - if i can get it done for something reasonable (by NYC standards of course), I'm willing to bite the bullet and just have them installed through the wall. i can probably deal with $3k or so per window but if its more than that then i might be attaching them to the top. any info appreciated.

if it's a house, you can do it. if it's a coop/condo, that may become a problem. the AC itself is $400-800. dealing with the board may not be worth it for contractors for such a small amount.

it seems to be an expense and trouble for little reward but this is subjective

i contemplated it then decided to use savings elsewhere...it will one day be a dying trend just like open kitchens

It depends what way you do it and what type of building you are in.
To answer your question why it may be too much trouble, we need more info to be helpful, however here is a possible range.

If it is a landmark building, and you are at the front of the building and there is decorative work existing, I would guess an expediter ($2000), architect drawings ($600) plus 6 months of back and forth with Landmarks and not a definite "yes"
Simplified down to 1 month to get permission if it is in the side of the building or the back of a landmark building, plus a definite "yes"..
Then add the cost of the unit and the installation.
I have not used PC Richards for this purpose, however I have attached their link so you can get an idea of cost, as I believe they sell and install thru wall AC's

The other end is if you have a much more relaxed building , ask your super, then you don't even have to file with the department of Building and your building keeps an eye on the job and or does it in which case just a bit of dust for a day and a plumber and carpenter visit depending on how you are finishing it or concealing it into the wall.

Good luck
Gabrielle

http://www.pcrichard.com/custserv/content.jsp?pageName=InstallationInfo

yes, its a coop. i know painful. many other apartments have it so i assume it doable.

Sounds like your building allows thru-wall, which is a good start (not all building do). Next thing to check on, though, is whether there is any decorative facade outside your apartment. If so, the co-op may not allow you to break through.

If the big concern is the draftiness in winter, why don't you have your ACs removed for the colder months? Talk to the super--some buildings will store ACs in the basement for tenants.

Depend with your building and apartment. (Which floor etc.)

Roughly
Masonry opening $10K with (Scaffold if you are above 4th floor)
Unit installed $5,000
Electric $1500
Patchwork $3000

Shoot me an email if you need details.

estimatorr at msn com

thanks estimator. thats a fair amount over my budget. appreciate your response though.

Satsu,

Its way above your budget because it should cost around6-7K in total.

Satsu,

It is worth ringing Hamiltion Air for a quote.
If it is at the side of the building or the back, then you don't need scaffolding and the last 2 jobs I saw them price was $2500 12 months ago and $2600, last month. The reason they can keep the price down, is it is pretty much all they do, so there guys do the lot.

ok, thanks. i appreciate all the advice. 2 units are in front and one in the back. 2nd floor. my neighborhoods on 3 sides have them so I suspect my building will approve (but i'm sure they'll be painful about it). i have a call into my managment company to see if they have a preferred contractor (figure that may make things easier) but if not will reach out to hamiltion air and primer05 (if you do something this small?) btw - great posts primer - if i ever get to fulfill my renovation dream, i'll be calling.

I contact Hamilton Air about a year ago when I was in contract on an apartment that needed to have this done and I think I found out that to have 3 units put through the wall it was going to cost me around $10K. So now I know why the sellers didn't do it before putting the apartment on the market because they would not have gotten that $ back. Definitely somethign to do the instant you close and know you're going to be living there for 5+ years.