Which San Antonio Home Is Yours?
Pre-war cottage, mid-century ranch, two-story family home, custom estate, or barndominium — tap the rooms in your house type and see exactly how ductless fixes them, with real published price ranges.
Diagrams by house type
Which San Antonio home is yours?
Every house type in this metro fails comfort in its own way — and ductless fixes each one differently. Pick your house, tap a room, and see the honest answer with real published price ranges.
Homes of this era were built without duct chases: lath-and-plaster walls, high ceilings, and millwork nobody wants to cut open. Retrofitting central air means soffits, lost closets, and invasive carpentry — which is why so many owners live with window units instead. Ductless conditions the whole house through a three-inch wall penetration per zone and leaves the architecture alone.
Pre-War Cottage & Bungalow · 1890s–1950s
Living & dining
The formal front rooms predate central air entirely — a window unit or nothing, with plaster walls nobody wants opened.
A wall-mounted head serves the living areas as part of a whole-home multi-zone layout — no chases, no soffits, one small penetration.
Typical installed range
$9,000–$18,000
Same published anchors as our pricing page — a free in-home estimate turns the range into a fixed written quote.
Where we install these
Most pre-war homes: a whole-home multi-zone system — published planning range $9,000–$18,000 installed (window units retired for good). Call (210) 291-7834 or book a free estimate.
Every house type, honestly read
1890s–1950s
Pre-War Cottage & Bungalow
No ductwork, original plaster — the classic Monte Vista and Alamo Heights house.
Most pre-war homes: a whole-home multi-zone system — published planning range $9,000–$18,000 installed (window units retired for good).
1950s–1970s
Mid-Century Ranch
Long single-story footprints on big lots — Castle Hills, Hollywood Park, Windcrest.
Most ranches: keep what works, fix what doesn't — single zones for the far wing and add-on spaces, $3,000–$5,500 each, staged as the old system ages out.
1990s–2010s
Two-Story Production Home
Master-planned family homes — Stone Oak, Helotes subdivisions, the far-north growth belt.
Most two-story homes: a dedicated bonus-room or upstairs zone, $3,000–$5,500 — the single highest-impact fix we install.
1970s–today
Custom Estate with Casita
Multi-wing custom homes with guest casitas — Shavano Park, The Dominion, estate lots metro-wide.
Most estates: a casita system ($3,500–$6,500) plus single zones for the specialty rooms that need tight control.
Hill Country corridor
Barndominium & Metal Building
Steel skins, high ceilings, and a shop that deserves its own zone — New Braunfels to Bulverde.
Most barndominiums: living-side multi-zone ($6,000–$14,000) plus a dedicated shop zone ($3,000–$5,500).
House-type questions, answered
Can you air-condition a pre-war home without adding ducts?
Yes — that's the core ductless use case. Each room or zone gets a wall-mounted head fed by a small refrigerant line through a three-inch penetration. No duct chases, soffits, or plaster removal required.
Will the equipment look out of place on an older home?
We plan placement carefully: indoor heads sit high on the wall, line sets run along rear elevations in paintable line-hide, and the compact outdoor unit stays out of street view. In historic districts we provide the drawings and spec sheets review may require.
Our 1960s ranch has hot rooms at one end — can ductless help?
That's the most common ranch project we do. The far rooms sit at the end of the longest duct runs; a dedicated ductless zone serves them directly instead of pushing a tired duct system harder.
Is it worth replacing our old central system with ductless?
Often, yes — especially in stages. Start with the highest-pain zones, then retire the central system when it fails. If a central replacement is the better answer for your house, we'll say so — that's what a specialist is for.
Can a mini split fix the hot bonus room over my garage?
That's the most common project we do in master-planned neighborhoods. A dedicated single-zone head conditions the bonus room independently — typically installed in a single day.
Will my HOA allow an outdoor mini-split unit?
Ductless condensers are small and quiet compared to central units, and we plan placement for minimal visibility. We provide equipment spec sheets and placement drawings you can submit for approval before install day.
Our home already has multiple central systems — why add ductless?
Because the problem spaces — the casita, the gym, the glassed-in study — usually sit at the edge of what those systems were designed to carry. A dedicated zone fixes the specific space at a fraction of the disruption of re-engineering the central plant.
Will the equipment pass architectural review?
Ductless condensers are compact and quiet, and we plan placement, screening, and line-hide routing for minimal visibility. We provide spec sheets and placement drawings you can submit for approval before install day.
Can a mini split keep a metal shop cool in a Texas summer?
Yes — with two conditions: the shop is insulated, and the head is sized from the real load including roll-up door area and ceiling height. Done right, a dedicated shop zone holds working temperature through August afternoons.
How many zones does a typical barndominium need?
Most land between three and five: great room, bedrooms, a loft if there is one, and the shop on its own zone. The floor plan and a Manual J load calculation settle it — not a formula.
Not sure which house you are?
A free in-home estimate settles it — real load calculation, honest recommendation, fixed written price. The Mini Split Company installs ductless and nothing else.