The garage apartment gets its own heat pump, at a posted price
A converted garage apartment sits off the house, and the central system stops at the last supply register. In Waco that means a separate living space facing the same brutal Central Texas summer as the rest of the I-35 north corridor. Window units and space heaters are a common stopgap. They are also loud, leaky, and a poor match for a space you mean to rent or keep family in.
Old West Minisplits installs ductless mini splits as new work only, never repairs or service calls. The price is posted up front, no standoffs. One zone is $2,000, two zones $3,700, three zones $5,400. Four or more zones are quoted individually.
The house system was never built for the garage
A garage apartment, casita, or accessory unit usually has no ducts, or a few leftover flex runs that cannot keep up. Extending the main house equipment means cutting into the attic, sharing a thermostat, and arguing over the bill. A mini split is a heat pump that cools through summer and handles a mild McLennan County winter without a furnace.
Licensed contractors hang the indoor head in the living area and set the outdoor unit on a pad or wall bracket. The line set, standard electrical, refrigerant, testing, and cleanup sit inside the flat price, even a Home Depot run for touch-up paint. You arrange any extra trade work separately, including insulation, plumbing, or a panel upgrade a licensed electrician handles.
Most accessory units take one zone
A typical one-bedroom over the garage in a smaller Central Texas city is a single zone job. Studio layouts and open lofts often are too. Two zones at $3,700 make sense when a sleeping loft and a living room both need their own heads.
These figures are for new installs only. If you need a repair or a service call on existing equipment, this page is not that price. A very long line set, a panel upgrade the building already needed, or unusually difficult mounting on an older Waco garage are the honest exceptions, stated up front never buried.
Posted price, no visit-first standoff
Ductless installs in Central Texas commonly run $3,000 to $6,000 per zone on a custom quote from other contractors, most of whom require an in-home visit before quoting. Old West Minisplits posts 1 zone at $2,000, 2 zones at $3,700, and 3 zones at $5,400, with no trip fees or upcharges on the included work. Use the form at /#quote. The number on the site is the number for a new install.
Mini splits do not replace roofing, insulation, solar, generators, or duct demolition, and the homeowner arranges those trades separately. We do not publish rebate dollar amounts or tax credit figures. Verify current numbers with your utility provider, a licensed electrician, or the IRS. Waco heat still arrives on schedule whether the paperwork is done or not.
How we compare
| Factor | Old West Minisplits | The usual contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront Cost | 1 zone $2,000, 2 zones $3,700, 3 zones $5,400. New installs only. | Ductless installs in Central Texas commonly run $3,000-$6,000 per zone after an in-home visit. |
| Quote before the visit | The price is posted up front, no standoffs. Use /#quote. | Most contractors will not name a number until they walk the garage apartment. |
| What is included | Equipment, labor, line set, standard electrical, refrigerant, testing, cleanup, touch-up paint. No trip fees. | Line items and trip fees often appear after the walkthrough. |
| Fit for an accessory unit | Independent of the house thermostat. One head often covers the whole apartment. | Ducts pulled across a breezeway, or the tenant left on a window unit until a change order. |
Straight answers
Does the $2,000 one-zone price apply to a Waco garage apartment?
Yes, when the job is a new install of one indoor head and one outdoor unit with a standard line set and standard electrical. The flat price includes equipment, labor, refrigerant, testing, cleanup, and a Home Depot run for touch-up paint. It does not cover a repair or a service call. Start at /#quote.
My garage apartment already has a window unit. Is this a replacement price?
This page is for new mini split installs only, never repairs or service calls. Taking out a window unit and hanging a ductless head is still a new install of our equipment. If you only need the window unit serviced, this is not that quote. If you want a heat pump put in, use /#quote.
Will a mini split heat the apartment in winter without a furnace?
Yes. Mini splits are heat pumps. They cool through brutal Central Texas summers and handle mild winters without a furnace. McLennan County does not live in freeze-for-months country, and a properly sized head is built for that climate.
What if the garage subpanel cannot take a new circuit?
Standard electrical is inside the flat price. A panel upgrade the building already needed is an honest exception, stated up front. A licensed electrician handles that work, and you arrange it separately. Describe the panel on the form at /#quote.
Related guides
Get the number today
No walkthrough, no sales pitch. Tell us the rooms and we'll tell you the price.
Get My Flat Price