I wanted to update this post since I used the recommendations listed from everyone to get quotes for our new build.

Back story...we have a new build Barndominium just outside of CS that is heavy spray foamed and not what I would call a "traditional" build. It's a very, very open concept (2000 sq ft with only 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom and a mudroom with shower, sink, W/D). It has a second story loft that extends the entire width of the building and we wanted to do exposed, spiral insulated ductwork.

We've always used Marco with Aire Cool for our house in College Station. We've had nothing but great things to say about him so naturally, that's who we had come out first and take a look at the setup. He said he was familiar with spray foam houses and the HVAC considerations that go along with that (variable speed compressors and fans, fresh air intake, humidity control, etc). I think the mix of a big, open space with more commercial style ducting might have thrown him off though. First, he was grossly over sizing the unit (4 ton Carrier Infinity). I mentioned the sizing to our spray foam installer (Rock-Crete Insulators...top notch work by their crew as well) and he immediately waved a red flag and said we needed to contact some other companies to get other sizing and quotes. Secondly, the quotes we got from him were jaw dropping to say the least. When I mentioned to him that a couple of other folks had said the unit was oversized, he said that's all he would do and wouldn't warranty anything else.

After that, we called a few other companies from the recommendations above. Air Solutions wouldn't work with the spiral exposed ductwork. We called EcoZapp and requested someone to come out. The installer never contacted us so we took that as a sign and moved on. Our final call was to RM Mullinix.

Keith came out to our build the same day and spent a good 1 hour+ talking to us about what we were trying to accomplish, what some of our options were, best placement of the ducting, considerations for the spray foam. He also understood we were trying to do an efficient system since that's why we did the spray foam. The quote for an 18.5 seer, variable speed American Standard Platinum system + exposed spiral ducting + Aprilaire air purifying system came in about $10K less than the comparable Carrier Infinity quote from Marco. They also ran a manual heat load calculation and the tonnage came out to 2.4 tons...making the decision to install a 3 ton system. The American Standard Platinum is a "communicating" system that is using sensors to monitor humidity levels inside and outside to determine how much fresh air should be brought into the house, controls to alert and shut off the system if there is a water backup issue from drainage, etc.

After accepting the quote, Keith brought out their main commercial person and they spent another 1.5 hours going over everything and determining optimal placement of the exposed duct, loft airflow, etc etc. Since the exposed duct isn't something you traditionally see in residential houses, I appreciated them bringing in the commercial side to review everything and make sure we had the best setup.

The install is now done and we could not have been happier with the entire process. The customer service from the entire team (schedulers, Keith and the sales team, and the actual installers) is second to none. To say we were blown away would be an understatement. To end the entire process, we were surprised with a "thank you" box from RM Mullinix complete with coffee mugs, a thank you note and some incredible home made cookie brownies ">.

Very long story short, we've always had great experience with Marco for our typical house maintenance and repairs. For a new install experience free of headaches and worry, give RM Mullinix a call.