House hacking Central AC/Individual AC

[Sean Krause]

Hello BP! 

Here is the dilemma. I have a 5 bed 3 bath house hack  in Colorado that I just got done renovating and I am renting it out to tenants next month. The unit has a nice Goodman HVAC unit in the basement but does not have the outdoor AC Fan.

I am debating installing a central AC unit for the 4/5 months it gets hot in Colorado, but was wondering if it would be better to have mobile AC units in each bedroom instead. It would cost around $1000 for mobile AC compared to $1500-$2000 for a 13 seer central unit. It is so cheap because I have everything I need (ducts, blower, and HVAC) except for the outdoor fan. I like the option for mobile AC so that tenants can control the temperature of their room and remain comfortable when they want. But the downside is that the common areas wouldn’t be cooled and I wouldn’t be able to control when they have their Ac on or off.

Does anyone have any experience or advice for this? Anything helps thank you! 

[Aaron K.]

Get the real AC as that adds value to the house where the other is just a temporary and imperfect solution.  If/ when you sell the buyer may ask for you to make the AC fully functional.  This is assuming everyone is roommates in one single unit.