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minneapolisite

Heat vent location conflicts with furniture placement

minneapolisite
11 years ago

Our house is currently framed and dry-walled. We just did a walk-through to check the placement of heat vents and noticed that the vents in Bedroom 2 and Bedroom 3 conflict with our planned furniture placement.

Blue = furniture placement

Red = vent placement

Bedroom 2 isn't a HUGE deal, but Bedroom 3 has me very concerned, as that is the only location to place a queen bed in the room. I just got off the phone with the builder, who agreed that this was the only logical location for a bed, but suggested that we just "float" the bed 6 inches away from the wall. Do you think this is an acceptable solution?

I did find some pictures of beds that are not flush with the wall, but (1) they all look very modern and (2) they are all in rooms that are at least twice the size of our Bedroom 3.

The builder is going to (1) provide some suggestions for after-market products I can use to deflect the air out from under the bed and (2) quote me a price to split the vents (one under each window on either side of the bed) but I feel like this vent placement is a mistake on their part and I shouldn't have to eat the cost for poor planning.

I know this community consists of a wide variety of both homeowners and home builders, so I'd appreciate your candid thoughts and suggestions.

Comments (16)

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago

    I don't think I'd split it... I'd just ask them to move it, on their dime, to under the window of the bathroom wall.

  • athensmomof3
    11 years ago

    We have a set up like you have but our vents are split. It looks like a big room to have only one vent. . . Are these coming through the floor or the ceiling? It looks like second floor so ceiling would be a possibility (but you would put ducts in attic which can be a problem.

  • minneapolisite
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The vents are on the floor, which is why they conflicts with the furniture placement.

  • minneapolisite
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The builder wants to charge us $600 per room to move the vent out from under the furniture placement. They admit that there is no where else to put a bed in Bedroom 3, but insists that we can just put the bed in the middle of the room (6 inches away from the wall) so the heat can blow up behind the headboard.

    My husband is going to call them and suggest that they rectify the mistake on their dime. Ugh.

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago

    It seems unlikely that 6" is enough room given that vents usually aren't RIGHT up against the wall... It would probably need a vent deflector even then. This was a design flaw, and they are lucky you caught it early.

  • minneapolisite
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    kirkhall, the builder is refusing to fix the issue, unless we pay a $600 fee. They insist that placing the bed in the middle of the room (instead of flush against the wall) is an acceptable solution, and our reluctance to do so makes this "our" problem, not "their" problem.

    In your professional opinion, how would you advise we proceed?

  • palimpsest
    11 years ago

    The builder is an idiot if he thinks that is a solution, but on the other hand I wouldn't let $600 stop me from putting it in a better place. Just don't be nice about anything else from now on.

  • minneapolisite
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I asked the builder to send us our options in writing (via their online project management system). An hour later, the builder called my husband and said that they would cover the cost to relocate the vent in Bedroom 3. I'm guessing that when he started typing up the options, he realized how silly it sounded to advise us to put a bed in the middle of a bedroom that size.

    I think we'll let the Bedroom 2 vent stay where it is, since I can probably figure out another way to arrange the furniture in that space (and besides, it's a nursery, so the furniture layout will be changing within a few years anyway).

    Whew! Thank you all for reassuring me that I wasn't being crazy to want that vent moved!

  • gbsim1
    11 years ago

    Who created the plans? Are these plans that your builder supplied and were you ever provided with a layout of the HVAC plans prior to building?

  • minneapolisite
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    gbsim, the builder created the plans, but we were never provided with an HVAC layout. Fortunately the builder has agreed to relocate the most problematic of the vents.

  • gbsim1
    11 years ago

    As well he should! Don't allow yourself to feel sorry or grateful to him for doing this as it's his problem and oversight.
    I'd take this opportunity to realize that there may be many other things like this ahead if you haven't gotten detailed plans for other aspects of the house.
    Have you seen the HVAC plans yet. Are you satisfied with the size and brand of system that he's installing? Has an HVAC professional done an analysis of the number of vents, registers and size of system?
    I'd ask for a meeting with the HVAC contractor and go over your concerns. Depending on the size of your unit, one vent per room might be skimply.

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago

    And/or, he realized that you just posted his company name on a public forum and what a ridiculous change order he was requiring and thought better of the situation...

  • Shades_of_idaho
    11 years ago

    "And/or, he realized that you just posted his company name on a public forum and what a ridiculous change order he was requiring and thought better of the situation..."

    LOL @ Kirkhall

    And that is EXACTLY what I did when Fleetwood made a huge mistake on our manufactured home. My post was not at GW but at a site that shows how many times my posts were read daily. Believe me they were right on repairing the problems.

  • minneapolisite
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    @shades, what forum is that? Maybe I should be posting future issues there. :P

  • Shades_of_idaho
    11 years ago

    City Data. I have not been there for a long time and just looked. My posts are still being viewed by a few hundred people a day. Not sure if this link will work for you. It shook Fleetwood up.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Posts being read

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