Best Heating and Cooling options for new Cabin

[npsmokefan]

I am just starting to build a new lake cabin this winter and was wonder if anyone has any suggestions on what's the best heating and cooling source with out spending a fortune. Our plans are to use forced air furance with AC unit, but looking for any input. The cabin is a 28x36, 4 bedroom, 2 on main level and 2 upstair with loft. I am building it with a crawl space. Thanks in advance!

[Roofer]

If it was me, I would skip the crawl space and heat a slab. Nothing better than that. It would be cooler in summer also. This way, you could have the central air ducted in the ceiling. This makes the cool air come down to you.

Having a loft kind of defeats the purpose of heating, but it's nice and cabin-like.

Just my opinions.

[Walleye Guy]

We built a new cabin 5 years ago. Its just a little bigger and has a loft like yours. I debated a long time and ended up putting a full basement under the cabin with poured walls. It added some to the cost but it has been worth it. Extra storage and all the utilities are in the basement. Eventually we will finish the basement.

I went with a high efficiency propane furnace that is vented out the side of the house with PVC pipe. No need for a chimney. I went this route because I didn't want any sort of chimney going through the loft or the open great room.

We also have central A/C and an air exchanger. It the winter I set the thermostat at 50 degress.

We went with a 105 gallon Marathon electric water heater that I got from the coop for next to nothing. I run it on off-peak power.

All have been great choices so far.

[sparcebag]

WalleyeGuy has a good system,I'd install a ceiling fan or two at highest points and direct heat back down.

[fishinpapa]

My parents have a cabin with a loft and we HATE IT!! The noise from down below echoes like no tomorrow! If the kids are sleeping upstairs, you almost have to sit 5 feet from a tv to hear it and plan on sitting outside to talk if you want to have a large group conversation. Also It seems like it adds a large expense in the framing process just for that "open" unusable space in front of the loft. Also I would reccommend a slab with infloor and skip the full basement, you may not be able to recoup the money from it anymore...remember it's not 4 years ago...

[Walleye Guy]

"You may not be able to recoup the money from it anymore"

If he had a full basement under the cabin he would be adding 1008 square feet of usable space, basically adding roughly 40% to the size of the cabin. The space the basement adds will add way more value in the long run than it will cost to put in it. As basement will not increase the cost of the cabin that size by 40%.

I realize that everybody has a budget. However if you can afford it and the earth is relatively easy to work (not solid rock) a basement is a very wise investment.

Noise in the loft is a function of a few things including the type of floor coverings, amount of insulation and materials used for the ceilings and wall. My loft is split into an open side and a room. The room in the loft is the quietest room in the house and is unaffected by noise on the main level. When I have guys up for fishing weekends there is a race to secure that bedroom due to the quietness of it.

On the open side of the loft you can hear some noise from the main level. However its not unbearable by any means.

The view from the loft out the large trapezoid windows in our cabin is unbelievable. Nothing better than watching a lightning storm work its way across the lake.

[Slothin'02]

Our plans started with a crawl space, then it was eliminated. It didn't make sense to do it...either a full basement or nothing. We have slab heat and a mini-split in the "loft" (great room and bedroom). We also put a ceiling fan on each floor to draw warm air from the wood stove up, or draw cool air from the mini-split down. We've had a few people over on occasion and the loft noise is not an issue. As was stated before, it depends on your flooring, insulation etc. We have a 50 gallon Marathon water heater, excellent unit and an air-exchanger. So far, so good.

[whaler]

When putting in your heating, make sure to consider a Deluxe FreezeAlarm (I think that the company name is QA Supplies or QA Industries in Chanhassen). We have this at our cabin and not only will it contact several phone numbers if the temperature reaches a desired temperature, but it also allow you call up there and heat the place up before you get there. This requires two thermostats -- one set with the "away" temperature and one with the "warm-up" temp. This has been a fantastic investment already has saved us from problems.

[wooly1]

The best way to heat and cool a home or cabin is geothermal. It cost more in the beginning but the pay back is awesome and heating and cooling bills will be in the low 100's of dollars for the whole year.

Payback in less than ten years.

Very minimal heating/cooling the rest of your ownership and re-coup your investment if you ever sell.

[Ryan Berger]

 Originally Posted By: npsmokefan

I am just starting to build a new lake cabin this winter and was wonder if anyone has any suggestions on what's the best heating and cooling source with out spending a fortune. Our plans are to use forced air furance with AC unit, but looking for any input. The cabin is a 28x36, 4 bedroom, 2 on main level and 2 upstair with loft. I am building it with a crawl space. Thanks in advance!

Look into what your local electric company has for Off peak or cut rate, rates.

In McLeod and Meeker county we do alot of Heat Pumps and Plenum Heater combos with 92% furnaces doing the blower-backup work. In McLeod county they will give you 1/2 price electricity on your heat pump and plenum heater and you also get a nice rebate for each. If you are going to have an a/c unit you might as well go with a Heat Pump as they are not that much more money and will save you a ton in the long run. I had a customer call the other day wondering at what temperature her LP furnace would kick in instead of her heat pump and plenum heater.. her furnace has not run all winter on propane and she was concerned,,, about what I don't know maybe saving too much money......