Multi-Split vs High Velocity vs Conventional

[William Kenley]

Well Im in the process of rehabbing my first home. The House is a 2000 sq ft row house that is roughly 100 years old. I was told quoted at 9k, 10k and 12k for a conventional (ducted) central air system. None of the installers sound to sure about how the ducts would run and given the fact that it is a retrofit it's understandable. Now I was quoted at 16k and 20k for a High Velocity system, but I have heard a lot of bad things about efficiency and maintenance with these systems. Then you have the multi-split units. They would cost me roughly 10k to get installed, but these can be eye sores and also can have reliability issues. Has anybody had any dealing with ductless systems and whats your opinion on them? Also whats your take on or do you have any tips on retrofitting a old house with a ducted system?