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Heating & Air Conditioning Home Disasters Design Dilemma

Exposed ductwork gone WAY wrong.

Alecia Mickelsen

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

When we built our house several years ago we had the HVAC company design the ductwork to be exposed for our mountain modern home. To make a long story short, the owner who designed the layout, died during the build. The company was sold, and the new crew was without a clue and had no access to the design. The exposed ducts turned out terrible, but especially bad in my loft. Fast forward five years, and I'm ready to see what my options are to make them aesthetically pleasing.

The metal trim you see was used to hide gaps the sheet rockers couldn't get close enough finish. I've had since learned that the HVAC company should have used straps to suspend the ducts to prevent this from being a problem. In the bathroom, there is a big hole in the corner that leads to the inside of the walls. In the fall, the bathroom fills up with boxelder bugs. ARGH!!! I wish HGTV could rescue me!

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Beth H. :

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

lol. I like what you have. I think industrial vibe w/a bit of boho would be perfect.

You could opt for a reclaimed wood on the wall w/the duct, or any of the others.

For sure I'd hang some plants, or put up some wood shelving and put the plants on those.

Art. don't know what you like, but you need something!

lots of ideas for the wall.

have you seen the slat walls? prenty simple to diy. you rip 1x1 or 1x2 strips from plywood, stain, and mount.

https://www.makingmanzanita.com/diy-slat-wall/

Here are a few links on how to do it (or just google image search "wood slat wall")

https://simplyalignedhome.com/affordable-slat-wall/

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-build-a-diy-wood-slat-wall-5182269

I like this black one too

https://lovecreatecelebrate.com/how-to-make-a-diy-wood-slat-accent-wall/

so many ways to do it. you can stain, paint it, leave a gap/shelf like this...

if you did it this way, you could actually work these around your duct

the shelf would be a cool insert behind the sofa (put plants and books on it) and then do the slat around the duct and all down the wall.

for this look below, you paint the wall black first, then put up the slats. you don't have to do the ceiling, unless you want to bring it partially out there. but you see how cool it looks w/the black wall

imagine your duct in between the wood portion.

this is wood art. end cut pieces of 1x1's stained and glued to a wood board, and framed. I've made one of these for my sons room

Here's mine. he has an acid etched cement floor in his room (turquoise) so that's why I have the turquoise accents in the wood.

These were all scrap pieces of wood I used. (do you know how much Etsy gets for one of these, this size??!! I couldn't believe it)

find some cool pendants to hang, pillows, and some green plants in the wood base planters.

Hanging some would also work. this is a bit more boho. the textures are nice

industrial/boho would look something like these

You could do a brick veneer just around your window on that entire wall. that might look cool

diff kind of wood wall off to the left here. notice the gray wall which would work w/the silver duct.

the metal pendant, but look at all the greenery to soften up all the hard angles and surfaces.

something else you could do on one of those walls, a roman clay, venetian plaster, skim coat, whatever you want to call it. Portola is one.

check out what she did here on this feature wall (you can do any color) I think it's cool looking.

tutorial

https://designconfetti.com/new-blog/one-room-challenge-week-five-amp-six-textured-walls

any of these float your boat?

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Comments (20)

PRO
Beth H. :
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I don't even have words for this.

The first thing I would do is get a HVAC inspector out to the home and find out exactly what needs to be fixed.

If the new crew had 'no clue', then you can probably assume a lot was done incorrectly. After you get a written report of what needs to happen, call in a HVAC company to redo the ducts, support, whatever else the inspector deems necessary.

That duct in the bathroom seems entirely too large and out of proportion. If there is anyway to get those pushed up into the ceiling or hidden somehow? it just doesn't look right.

as for design, the white walls do not work w/the industrial look. is that what you want?

you need some warmth. Some kind of wood, textured rugs, accessories, plants, etc.

any of these to your liking?

what's your furniture look like? are you wanting to keep this look?

If you could plank those ceilings (or even some walls) w/wood, it would make a huge difference

the beams are nice too.

similar duct w/white walls, but look at the other elements and how it works

cement floors w/sage green walls.

decor-wise, I'd prob go w/something like shown in these photos.

I like this one. the wood on the ceiling, ducts sprayed in black, and the netural textures in the rug and sofas. you can apply a brick veneer to any wall. bring in some artwork

This type of furniture would also work

See all of the neutral tones w/the white walls? blacks and whites, plants, leather, diff textures, you need a cool pendant light though.

White walls, black windows, dark floors, sofa, leather and wood

Have you thought about doing the ducts in black? maybe adding some beams or wood to the ceiling, or doing that black too?
Alecia Mickelsen thanked Beth H. :
Alecia Mickelsen
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you Beth for taking the time to respond, especially with such brilliant ideas. I want to create an industrial vibe for sure. I haven't decorated the space because I wanted to deal with the ducts first. (I have a company coming over next week to look at it) As far as the furniture goes, what I have is fairly new so I'm going to have to make it work. I love the idea of adding more wood elements and brick to the space. Whatever we decide is going to have to be a DIY project though since we don't have the funds to hire anyone. Anyway, I've attached a better picture of my furniture so you can see what I'm working with. What wall would you add the brick veneer to? I'm not sure they will be able to do anything about that duct you see in the middle of the wall. ARGH!!!!

My son wasn't thrilled. Can you tell? HEHE
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olychick
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
How many sq ft is your home? Those ducts seem way oversized for the space. If nothing else works for some of them, I might see about having them removed and adding a mini split in some area(s) to get rid of the most egregious ones. If/when funds allow. In the bathroom, you might be able to just get rid of everything and get a ceiling or wall heater for minimal cost.
Alecia Mickelsen thanked olychick
Kendrah
2 years ago
All I can say is I'm so sorry. Yes, I question why they are so huge.
Alecia Mickelsen thanked Kendrah
Alecia Mickelsen
Original Author
2 years ago
My home is 3200 sq ft. The duct you see is the main duct that runs through the majority of the house. It starts out on the main level hall then runs through the kitchen up into the loft bathroom through the loft family room out the wall from the loft that opens up to the living room on the main level that has 21 ft ceilings. It doesn't look near as bad in that room since the size is appropriate for the space. The one in the kitchen is ugly too. SIGH
Alecia Mickelsen
Original Author
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
@Beth H. : I really love all your wall treatment ideas. I especially like the wood slat wall with the built-in shelf. I'm not sure how I would pull that off though since that particular wall (behind the couch with the ugly- ductling) spans all the way to the end of the stairwell, which is visible from the main level kitchen area.

It's funny you mentioned wood art. I have been stalking a few on Etsy for a couple of months now but I can't justify the price. I was looking at this one since I live in the mountains https://www.etsy.com/listing/802738118/mountains-wooden-wall-art-set-large?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=wood+art+mountains&ref=sc_gallery-1-6&pro=1&frs=1&listing_id=802738118&listing_slug=mountains-wooden-wall-art-set-large&plkey=dfa563dcc122e651b3803672a46a5fcdbfb84774%3A802738118&variation0=2469028977 but I like the style you found even better.

View from kitchen
PRO
Beth H. :
2 years ago
yeah, those are pricey. wood has quadrupled in the last year or so.

The one that I made for my sons room runs about the same price on etsy.

Like I said, if you can DIY a bit, you can make one. or just do the slat walls. those are not difficult and would give you the same result. get the boy to help you!
Linda Dornan
2 years ago
Those ducts are beyond hideous and would be an affront to my eyes every single day. The sheer size, which is overwhelming, completely dominates each space. They will always be the elephant in the room. I would save up my pennies and fix this properly as soon as I could. No amount of lipstick is gonna make this pig pretty.
Alecia Mickelsen
2 years ago
@Linda Dornan. I know they are an atrocity. I'm so sad about it.
rnonwheels
2 years ago
Yep agree they are so big, can't imagine they need to be that large, but only a pro hvac person will be able to rework your plan, if you can shrink them and maybe even paint them white after that, it would keep an industrial vibe but tone it down a bit.
Wendy
2 years ago
So sorry for your problems. We have exposed ducting in our car workshop. I went out and looked and they are all suspended with hangers, not flush to ceiling. I snapped a pic for you to see. If you could find a way to tuck the large wall duct into the wall, or create a soffit for it then hang and suspend the ceiling ones, it would go a long ways. I am curious about the location of that duct in the middle of the wall. What’s behind that wall?

I love your staircase and vibe you have going. Good luck!
Alecia Mickelsen thanked Wendy
Aphaea
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Alecia, I am sorry for what you are dealing with. Seeing this made me wonder if there are home designers or websites that might help with creating an industrial design without those huge tubes and I found some resources you might want to read before deciding how to proceed:

House Beautiful: https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/a23422510/what-is-industrial-design/

Vevano: https://vevano.com/resource-center/home-interior-styles-industrial-design/

Home Designing: http://www.home-designing.com/warm-industrial-style-house-with-layout

Home Stratosphere: http://www.home-designing.com/warm-industrial-style-house-with-layout

Apartment Therapy: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/industrial-style-36771433

Decoist: https://www.decoist.com/2014-01-20/industrial-interior-designs/?chrome=1&D2c=1&A1c=1

Curated Interior: https://curatedinterior.com/industrial-decor/

Decoholic: https://decoholic.org/category/interior-design-homes/industrial-houses/

Nexxt Luxury: https://nextluxury.com/home-design/best-industrial-interior-design-ideas/

Houzz: https://www.houzz.com/photos/industrial-home-design-ideas-phbr1-bp~s_2113

DecorAid: https://www.decoraid.com/blog/interior-design-styles-definition/industrial-style/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judypelletier75/industrial-design-homes/

And if you want to look further, this are the results I got from Google using the phrase "industrial designer homes".
Alecia Mickelsen thanked Aphaea
Alecia Mickelsen
Original Author
2 years ago
@Wendy Thank you for sharing your photo of your amazing workshop and for your thoughts on my problem. I'm meeting with two HVAC companies this week and I will certainly talk to them about hangers. I agree with you in that I think it would help considerably with the aesthetics. I've attached a picture of what is behind the duct in the middle of the wall. (This duct open up into my living room and runs across the ceiling into the fireplace area.)
Alecia Mickelsen
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you @Aphaea for taking the time to share some ideas with me. I will certainly look through them all. Much appreciated.
3onthetree
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Make sure your HVAC companies are contractors that do new installs (calculations of sizes/cfm), not just service technicians (replace or repair equipment).

Note that these spiral ducts appear to just have air passing through the spaces to another area. There doesn't appear to be any registers directly mounted to this duct, which is the common way to use these big, spiral ducts for aesthetics, otherwise why would you pay a premium to use them as a trunk duct. And you can see that there is a register in the ceiling of the loft and downstairs clerestory, and in the loft I do see a 4"/6" takeoff going up through the roof, so that may be a branch duct that runs from the ridge down between the rafters to get to over the exterior wall windows. Kind of a strange way to mix the methods like that.

Also, the returns are not what you like to see in a nice 3200sf house, where I see a transfer grille over the door in the loft (hopefully not for supply and just a one-off for return in that particular room).

Also also your tub/shower looks to not meet code by having the duct interfere with ceiling height.

To do the spiral ductwork right in how they are purposed for, I would estimate a start at about $25K of work.

@Wendy very nice occupants, hopefully your husband has the drip pan accessory for the 4 post lift!
Alecia Mickelsen thanked 3onthetree
Wendy
2 years ago
3onthetree, yes we have it handled. Wouldn’t risk dripping on tenants below. We keep it clean. You even have to drive through another garage to even get in there so no dirt is dragged in. All the dirt goes in my garage. And If I’m lucky I get to park my ebike in the workshop for the winter…. Lol.

Alicia, if you want to DIY some wood you could check out Stikwood. I sent away for some samples myself and am considering trying it on a wall.
Alecia Mickelsen thanked Wendy
Alecia Mickelsen
Original Author
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
@Wendy Great idea. I have looked at them in the past but totally forgot about them.
PRO
Business_Name_Placeholder
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
My apologies...I can't stop lol! What the heck!? I really like some of the ideas put forward by others on your post. The thing with the industrial look is you have to commit and make it look like you did it on purpose and that it was not a huge accident, so the decor would need to be updated. I think Beth H provided some really good images. Also, exposed duct work is nice when you have really high ceilings. I do not know what they were thinking in your bathroom. If there is a way to shrink the size of that one especially, I would consider it.

For now, a way to instantly make it look better is to make it a little less subtle. Source the wall paint colour and paint them out in the exact same colour. This will make them look sculptural and not stand out like a sore thumb. It will also make them less imposing. You will not loose your industrial effect and desired look, it just will not be as imposing and accidental looking. Regardless of what you decide, can you post some after pictures when you have tackled this. I would be really curious to see what solutions you went with.

My two cents worth.
Alecia Mickelsen thanked Business_Name_Placeholder
Alecia Mickelsen
Original Author
2 years ago
@Business_Name_Placeholder Trust me...I have laughed and cried over this situation more times than I can count. I just had an HVAC guy drop by this afternoon and unfortunately, there is no real solution for my bathroom. He will remove the ducts so we can sheetrock the area in the shower where all the boxelder bugs come but as far as changing the size, it's not possible. I asked him about switching to a box-style duct so we could frame something around them but he feels it would affect the airflow and we will not be as happy with the performance of our system. In regards to the loft, he suggested we take it all down, sheetrock behind the areas the guys couldn't get to, ( which would get rid of that hideous metal trim) suspend it with straps so it's not hugging the ceiling, and straighten the line that ties into the middle of the wall. He said he would need very little supplies but the man-hours will be a lot. I have another crew coming tomorrow that does commercial works to get a second opinion. I do like the idea of painting them to blend in with the walls though and it may just simply come down to that depending on what the bids come in at.

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