Bay heat pump conversion?

$18K–$35K. BayREN + PG&E rebates net $4K–$10K.

Will a heat pump work in SF?

Yes — mild climate is ideal. COP 3.5–4.5 year-round.

California HVAC & Heat Pumps.

LA HVAC — central AC upgrades, heat pump conversions, ductless mini-splits for ADUs. Title 24, HERS testing, SCE/SoCalGas rebates.

Bay HVAC — heat pump conversions for gas furnace + AC retirement, mini-splits for radiant-only homes. BayREN, PG&E rebates.

Los Angeles

$8K – $28K

Mini-split bottom; full ducted heat pump top.

Timeline — 2–4 days mini-split; 1–2 weeks ducted system.

Los Angeles HVAC & Heat Pumps →

San Francisco Bay Area

$10K – $35K

Older Bay homes need duct + insulation rebuild.

Timeline — 3–5 days mini-split; 2–3 weeks ducted.

San Francisco Bay Area HVAC & Heat Pumps →

Scope — what we deliver.

Manual J load calc
Permit
Equipment install
Ductwork + register
HERS test + commission

Permits look different in LA vs the Bay.

Los Angeles — permit notes

LADBS mech permit.
Title 24 + HERS.
SCE/SoCalGas rebate up to $4K.

Bay Area — permit notes

City mech permit.
Title 24 + HERS.
BayREN/PG&E rebates up to $6K.

How we think about hvac & heat pumps.

Structural work is the most expensive thing you can do badly and the cheapest thing you can do right. A correctly engineered shear wall, hold-down, or beam costs a few hundred dollars more than the wrong one and protects the building for its remaining life. We refuse to deviate from a stamped engineer's calc — the engineer's stamp is what protects the homeowner in a claim, not the contractor's experience.

California's seismic code has changed dramatically since 2010 and again since 2020 — most homes built before 1980 carry latent risk we can correct in a single retrofit pass. We treat foundation, framing, and shear as one system, never as separate trades.

The schedule, written out.

Week 0
Engineering site visit
Licensed structural engineer reviews existing, soils, slope, snake-camera at foundation cracks.
Week 1–4
Engineering + plans
Stamped calcs, framing plan, hold-down + shear schedule, foundation detail.
Week 4–8
Permit
City structural review — usually faster than full ADU plan check.
Week 8–10
Foundation + shear access
Selective demo, crawlspace prep, excavation if underpinning.
Week 10–14
Install
Anchor bolts, hold-downs, shear panels, cripple-wall bracing, structural framing, beam install.
Week 14–15
Inspection
Inspector verifies every hold-down and shear-nail pattern — common rejection point if subs cut corners.

Materials & assemblies.

Component	Default spec	Why
Anchor bolts	5/8" Simpson Titen HD or equivalent epoxy-set, 7" embed minimum	Old square-washer ½" bolts are not enough; full retrofit upsizes them.
Hold-downs	Simpson HDU or PHD with stamped placement at all shear-wall ends	Placement is the failure mode — wrong stud or wrong end = no hold-down at all.
Shear panels	15/32" structural-1 sheathing, 8d common nails @ 4"/12" or per calc	Air nails at the wrong PSI under-drive — every nail must be flush, not over.
Beams (LVL / PSL)	Engineered lumber per calc, with stamped connection hardware	Field-fabricated steel saddles are a frequent failure point — only use stamped connectors.
Foundation repair	Helical piles, push piers, or wide footings depending on soil + load	Choice is geotech-driven, not contractor-preference.

Hidden costs we flag up front.

Line item	Range	When it hits
Soils / geotech report	$4K–$12K	hillside, expansive clay, or new addition load
Excavation + shoring	$8K–$40K	underpinning a settled foundation
Plumbing + electrical re-route	$2K–$10K	foundation work cuts through existing services
Temporary support	$2K–$8K	interior shoring for beam install

cheaper alternatives

What we'd consider — and what we wouldn't.

Brace-only retrofit (no bolt-down)
Half the cost but only addresses cripple-wall, not sill movement — incomplete protection.
Carbon-fiber wall repair
Works for crack stabilization but doesn't add capacity for new load.
Owner-permit structural work
Not legal in most CA jurisdictions for residential — requires licensed contractor + engineer.

pitfalls — takeover-job patterns

Mistakes to avoid.

Pulling a permit without an engineer's stamp — almost every city now requires it for shear / beam / foundation
Cutting a notch in a joist or beam to fit plumbing — single most common code failure on rough inspection
Skipping the cripple-wall bracing on a pre-1980 raised foundation — biggest cost-to-benefit retrofit available
Believing 'the inspector will catch it' — the inspector verifies what's exposed, not what's already buried

HVAC & Heat Pumps — Los Angeles.

HVAC & Heat Pumps — Bay Area.

In short.

LA heat pump cost?: $15K–$28K full ducted system. Rebates net $4K–$8K.
Mini-split for ADU?: $5K–$8K installed. One head per room.
Bay heat pump conversion?: $18K–$35K. BayREN + PG&E rebates net $4K–$10K.
Will a heat pump work in SF?: Yes — mild climate is ideal. COP 3.5–4.5 year-round.

More we build.

Got a hvac & heat pumps project in mind?

Send us the address. We'll pull local zoning, setbacks, and hvac & heat pumps feasibility before you spend on drawings.

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