Suggestions for a house with radiant floor heating?

[Edith TenBroek]

We are looking at purchasing a 1200 sq foot ranch, 3/1, basic rectangle.  It looks like it has broken radiant floor heating.  There is water damage in the basement NOT under the plumbing, so I'm guessing its the radiant heat.  Would it be most efficient to replace with forced air furnace and air conditioner?  Would there be any issues with the pipes in the floor and duct work etc?

[Mark Langdon]

You need to research it a little more first to verify it's broken. Bring someone in to look at it with you. You must test it during the inspection. It may be alot cheaper to fix than a brand new system. Forced air is usually the cheapest for combo heat/AC but you need to make sure how they will run the ductwork as you need room. Test it; see if you can fix it; and then as a last resort install new a new system as that will be $$$$.