Check with the local HOA (if applicable) and the city/county codes to see if they would allow a 1,000 sqft home. Some areas have covenants that only allow a 1,500 minimum square foot home.

Lbear: I'm living in the middle of nowhere in a rural area, there are no HOAs.

When I installed my minis, I did all of the work, and then paid an HVAC contractor to do the actual hook-up and commissioning. I paid $3400 for two complete Mitsubishi HyperHeat units with refrigeration lines and wall brackets for the outside unit. I paid the contractor $600 for about 2 hours work. They are not only extremely efficient, but they are nearly silent, both indoors and out. They are much quieter than any central system I've had.

jdebree: wow I wish I had your skill. If I had the knowledge and knew I could save money doing it, I would do so. Congrats on 420 posts, by the way.

Not really much to it. They come with pretty comprehensive instructions. A plate mounts to the wall, and the indoor unit hangs on that. Drill holes, and string the wiring, drain tube, and refrigeration lines. Hang a bracket on the wall outside and bolt the compressor on (It only weighs 80 lbs.) The wiring is very clear-cut on the instructions. At this point, I called the HVAC guy to connect the refrigeration lines and do his thing. The BIG mistake I made was not planning adequately! I wasn't sure where the units were going to go, so I didn't have a hole through the ICF for the lines to go outside. Drilling a 3" hole through ICF is NOT fun! This is a good time to remind you that if you go ICF, or any concrete wall, make sure you have enough penetrations (put in a few extras) before pouring concrete.

That definitely sounds like a lot of work. Yeah, the designer knows what sort of cooling system that I desire, so I am sure (and will make sure if he doesn't) that he will have the appropriate holes drawn in the wall area. How do you have the drain line ran? Does it go directly to the ground outside? or is it just a hole? My only worry is that it would leave one of those wet mineral lines on the side of the structure.

Mine came with a short, flexible drain line, which then converts to PVC pipe outside. I cut a channel through the foam so it would all be flush with the wall, then covered it with a screwed-on trim board rather than siding so that it could be replaced or serviced without tearing off the siding. The PVC pipe runs down to a foot above the ground, then an elbow turns it out so it drips well clear of the wall.

Couldn't it be plumbed into the sewer or greywater drain?

Still no response from the designer. He did tell me that he was on a tight schedule and had to finish some other projects, but it has been a couple of weeks, and I am getting the sense that he might not want to design such a small home. Do you think I should start looking for other designers who might not be as busy as he is? I was kind of hoping he would be able to get started right away. I should have asked him when he would be able to begin working on it.

Sabotender, you said it's like a 1000 square feet? Is it a simple rectangle shape? Lean-to roof?

Jelly: Yeah, its a very very simple design. I thought he would have been able to throw something together in no-time. Its almost a perfect square, actually. I didn't want it to look like a rectangular manufactured home, as those are ugly. They remind me of those shipping containers that you see trains and barges pulling. A lean to wouldn't work since this is a two storey loft. It would have to look something like this:


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with a flat top, or


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Then again, I don't know a lot about roofs, but I don't want to feel claustrophobic on the upper level. I want at least 9ft high ceilings on both levels.

A loft doesn't preclude a lean-to roof (also called shed roof). And if you're not in a hurricane zone (pretty sure Texas hill country is not) then the pitch can be whatever you want it to be.

The reason I'm asking is because a shed style roof over a simple rectangle/square shape, depending on the span, would be a perfect condition for a steel SIP roof with no extra support, nor even a secondary cosmetic finish. You could achieve structure, insulation, finish, all in one step.