Your historic house never had ducts. Keep it that way.
Updated September 2026
Plenty of houses from Killeen through Temple, Belton, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Waco, Salado, and Jarrell were finished before anyone ran a trunk in the attic. They have plaster, tight joist bays, original millwork, and no return path waiting behind a hallway soffit. Opening those walls to hang sheet metal is invasive work, and it is a separate trade a homeowner would arrange on their own.
Old West Minisplits posts the price up front, no standoffs. One zone is $2,000, two zones are $3,700, and three zones are $5,400, with four or more zones quoted individually. The flat figure is for new installs only, never repairs or service calls, and it includes equipment, labor, line set, standard electrical, refrigerant, testing, cleanup, and a Home Depot run for touch-up paint. Put the house details in the form at /#quote.
Why a duct retrofit fights a pre-air-conditioning house
A duct system wants straight runs, big returns, and room to hide. A historic floor plan often gives you none of that. You would be boxing beams, dropping ceilings in parlors, and cutting registers into floors that still show their original boards.
That demolition is not what Old West Minisplits does. Licensed contractors here set a mini split so the house keeps its surfaces. The line set is narrow. The indoor head occupies a high wall, not a gutted chase.
A heat pump that cools summer and covers a mild winter
Mini splits are heat pumps. They take the brutal Central Texas summer without asking for attic metal, and they handle a mild winter without a furnace. Closed-off bedrooms in an old plan can be their own zones so unused rooms are not paying for air they never received through missing registers.
Window units chew sashes and leave a winter hole in glass you meant to keep. A mini split does not sit in the window. That is the whole argument for a house you are trying not to scar.
Posted prices, open exceptions, no buried surprises
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 is $2,000 for one zone, $3,700 for two, and $5,400 for three on a new install. There are no trip fees and no upcharges hiding behind the visit.
Honest exceptions are stated up front, never buried: a very long line set, a panel upgrade the house already needed, or unusually difficult mounting. A panel upgrade is electrician work you arrange separately if the service was already short. Start with the form at /#quote rather than waiting on a site visit to hear a number.
How we compare
| Factor | Old West Minisplits | Cutting in ducts |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront Cost | New install only: 1 zone $2,000, 2 zones $3,700, 3 zones $5,400, posted before anyone sets a ladder | Ductless quotes elsewhere commonly $3,000-$6,000 per zone after an in-home visit. A full duct retrofit is a separate, open-ended bid. |
| Walls, plaster, and floors | A high wall head and a narrow line-set penetration, plus touch-up paint from a Home Depot run | Ceilings opened, chases boxed, registers cut into original boards |
| Quote process | Price posted up front, no standoffs. Use /#quote. | Most require an in-home visit before naming a number |
| Comfort in an old plan | Heat pump cooling for brutal summers and heating for mild winters, room by room, with no furnace | Whole-house metal in a layout that never had it, or a window unit in the sash |
Straight answers
Is the $2,000 one-zone price for an old house with no ducts, or is that a repair?
That figure is a new install only. It is not a repair or service-call price. The same rule holds for $3,700 for two zones and $5,400 for three zones. Four or more zones are quoted individually.
Will you tear out plaster to run ducts if we decide we want both?
No. Old West Minisplits does not perform duct demolition or duct installation. A mini split is the path that leaves the plaster. If you still want ducts, that is a separate contractor you hire.
What if the line set has to travel the long eaves of a farmhouse?
A very long line set is an honest exception, stated up front. Unusually difficult mounting is treated the same way. Standard line set, equipment, labor, refrigerant, testing, cleanup, and touch-up paint stay inside the posted new-install price.
Do these systems need a furnace in a Temple or Waco winter?
Mini splits are heat pumps. They handle mild Central Texas winters without a furnace. If you are weighing rebates or tax credits, verify current numbers with your utility provider, a licensed electrician, or the IRS.
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