We're looking to build a barndominium style house out on some land in the Hill Country in the near future. Anyone have experience with ductless mini split systems?

We used them on a set of prototype modular homes in Houston. More expensive up front, but positives are they typically are more energy efficient and allow you to control zones better or potentially expand the system in the future. Mitsubishi is the biggest brand in the category.

They also offer options now that basically mimic a central air system but with the efficiency and control of the minisplits.

I have lived much of my life overseas in many different countries. Europe, UK, Middle East, Far East, etc.
Most of them do NOT have central air - in fact some don't even need A/C at all...
But, to resolve the comfort issue, and being "westernized" the split units are very, very common all over the world IMO.
And, are becoming much more popular here in the U.S.
It is often expensive and impractical to add another central air unit with ductwork requirements, etc.
The splits are really useful and work well - especially in say, minor additions/alterations, zones that are inefficient in current system(s), etc. and generally single space applications.
Even in workshops, garages, etc., these are typically better options than the "older style window units".
They may or may not take up space and be "unsightly" depending on selection and location.
But they are very handy!
I am presently adding one in a new Master Bedroom Suite we are adding to our home and did not want to reduct, resize and relocate existing central unit. It was much more economical to just put a split unit in for the new area.

We put one in an addition room that didn't have any AC. It has worked well to solve our specific problem. It looks much better than a window unit and is much more permanent.

Following this thread - we may end up going with multiple split mini systems at our place.

The only drawback that I'm aware of is that as far as I know they don't work well with an Ecobee even though third party modules are available. You'll end up needing to go with Mitsubishi's control which would give greater functionality at least.

living in south america, they are everywhere and i agree they are handy to control individual rooms. i'm not sure how the power usage/costs compares to a central system, but i like that i can crank the bedroom down to 18C at night and not freeze the whole apartment.

They get used a lot up here in the northeast in older homes that didn't have any central a/c. The ones I've been around have been very quiet.

They are great, but they limit the value of the space on resale. If you can install a mini split for $1800 and a 2.5 ton for $2300, I would got with the conventional A/C. There are times that a mini split may be the only option, but I can tell you that on resale when a person walks in a sees the minisplit the price per square foot for that space drops immediately.

dallasiteinsa02 said:

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They are great, but they limit the value of the space on resale. If you can install a mini split for $1800 and a 2.5 ton for $2300, I would got with the conventional A/C. There are times that a mini split may be the only option, but I can tell you that on resale when a person walks in a sees the minisplit the price per square foot for that space drops immediately.

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I'd think this would be less of a concern on a barndominium setup. In rural settings, i would say they may even add value, as you don't have to worry as much about dust or vermin building up in the ductwork.