Great article here from finehomebuilding.com on thinking ahead when building your home and coordinating ductwork. If it’s done right, it can look amazing.

Personally, I think it’s great getting inside the mind of a builder/general contractor. Seeing things from their perspective can help you in the long run with your own build.

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One of the things we try to think about before we start building a house is how the mechanicals fit into the floor plan. Our HVAC system is a forced-air system, which means we’ve got supply and return trunk lines to route through the house. It’s important to work with our HVAC sub to find a path that makes aesthetic sense. Particularly in the basement, their default is likely to be the straightest, shortest run. But in a finished basement like ours, that would result in an odd-looking chase in the middle of the room. The approaches shown here are how we handle two common scenarios: horizontal ductwork along the basement ceiling and vertical ductwork that carries through the first floor to the second floor.

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