The cost of moving your furnace is $3,000 on average, but it can cost between $1,100 and $12,500, depending on the scope of the work.
It’s a fairly rare job, but every so often someone will want to move a furnace unit. You'll pay $3,000 on average for this job. Perhaps you’d like to tuck your furnace away in the garage or basement, or something about your home has changed and it’s a good idea to set up the HVAC unit on the other side. Whatever the motivation, furnace relocation is a costly job that you should consider carefully. Moving your furnace is absolutely a task for an HVAC professional.
You’re almost always going to pay a premium cost for furnace relocation. However, some circumstances can drop the cost for you.
The cost of materials to move a furnace starts around $1,500 but may range from around $2,000 to $5,000. This covers materials to move utility lines and ducts, plus repair walls and ceilings after the work is done. If your furnace has old parts that need to be replaced, expect to spend another $130 to $500 per part for the cost of furnace repairs.
| Materials | Cost |
|---|---|
| Utility lines/ducts | $1,500–$5,000 |
| Drywall | $300–$950 |
| Replacement parts | $130–$500 |
Ductwork replacements cost about $25 to $55 per linear foot, so the further the furnace is from the ducts, the more you’ll need to spend to replace the ducts to connect when the furnace is relocated. Anything that runs alongside the main duct or has easy access to the main runs in the crawlspace or basement will cost less.
The furnace is typically connected to other utility lines, such as electricity, gas, or water. If you move the furnace, you’ll need to make adjustments to the other utility lines as well. This can cost about $1,500 to $5,000, but it will depend on how much adjusting your lines need. Sometimes, these won’t cost as much as extra duct lines, but they don’t come cheap. The less you need to run a new line, the better.
| Utility Line Type | Cost to Move per ft. |
|---|---|
| Electricity | $5–$15 |
| Gas | $15–$25 |
| Water | $50–$250 |
Wherever the heater was originally placed will require cleanup and proper disposal of the utility lines that run to that spot. The HVAC specialist will charge to haul away the old parts and lines, or you can pay for a garbage removal service. Junk removal costs about $60 to $600.
Moving an older furnace will cost more because they often require more replacement parts during the move. The life span of a furnace is about 15 to 20 years, so it may be more cost-effective to buy and relocate a new furnace than to relocate the old furnace nearing 15 years or more.
The cost of labor to move a furnace costs about $150 to $500 per hour. Even with minor adjustments to the ductwork or utility lines, this job can take one to two days to complete. Moving a furnace is a huge job, and it’s one that’s best left to the pros. Attempting to DIY puts you at risk of fire, gas leaks, or electrical shocks that can lead to property damage, injury, or even death.
Moving a furnace is expensive, no matter how you slice it. And labor accounts for the majority of the cost. The average cost of a furnace unit alone is $2,300 to $7,200, plus $150 to $500 per hour for installation. Most units last about 15 years. Unless your furnace is very new, it’s a good idea to think about replacing the furnace at the same time since your pros are already up to their necks in moving connections. The move itself is likely to cost half as much as a furnace install to begin with. And depending on how old your furnace is, you might see an increase in 20% to 30% efficiency with a new unit!
Next to verifying licensing, bonding, and insurance, the first and most important principle of any major job is to solicit multiple written bids from competing contractors. This gives you insight into the fair market value of the work. If any bid is significantly higher or lower than the others, ask why.
Whatever the case, the bids should give you vital insight into exactly what you need to know about your job. The detail they provide should give you enough knowledge to determine the best person to hire.
Different circumstances call for different responses, and bids are always a starting point. You don’t necessarily always want to take the middle or lowest bid. Study the bids and the details they provide, including exactly what they’re offering and why it costs that much. An excessively low bid may leave vital elements you’ll be on the hook for later; an excessively high bid may add extra elements you really don’t care about. Because moving a furnace can cost several thousand dollars, you want to take great care with this decision.
Paul F. P. Pogue contributed to this piece.
Your furnace rests at the center of one of the most complicated infrastructures in your home. Air intakes, ducts, water, electricity, and sometimes gas connect up to the system. Most of these lines were run to this point specifically to service the furnace, so they’ll need to be closed up and new ones established. A furnace is almost always connected to the air conditioner, so you’ll probably be moving those components as well.
Moving a furnace a few feet is probably no big deal. Moving it into a different part of the house is a different story.
If you’re building a new furnace room or relocating the furnace to a different part of your home, you’ll need to make sure the furnace is distanced far enough from the wall to meet building codes. Building code requirements will vary based on your city and state, but many codes require a furnace to be at least 30 inches away from any wall.
A furnace should last about 15 to 20 years with proper maintenance. Electric furnaces typically have the longest life span, reaching about 20 to 30 years. Wood furnaces don’t last quite as long, with life spans of around 10 to 20 years. If your furnace is over 10 years old, you may want to replace it and relocate the new furnace rather than spend money repairing and relocating an old furnace that doesn’t have much life left.
