IcyHomes installs air conditioning in Chigwell, mostly in larger detached houses where several rooms need cooling and the finish has to be right. This page covers the systems that suit those properties and what the work involves.
Bigger houses, different problem
Chigwell work looks different from most of our other areas. The typical enquiry is not one hot bedroom but a whole house that is uncomfortable in summer: a large open-plan kitchen and family room, a first floor with four or five bedrooms, and often a converted loft above that. Add a gym, a home office or a cinema room and you have a building with very different cooling needs in different parts of it.
Fitting a wall unit in each room would work, technically. It would also mean a lot of visible equipment, a lot of outdoor condensers, and no way of running the house as one system. On properties of this size there is usually a better answer.
Multi-zone systems
A multi-zone system runs several indoor units from one or two outdoor condensers, with each room controlled independently. The bedroom that someone sleeps in can be cooled while the empty guest room is not, and the whole thing runs from one system rather than six.
The design work matters more than the equipment. Getting the capacity right per room, and putting the condensers somewhere they are neither seen nor heard, is what separates a system you forget about from one that irritates you. We size this at survey, room by room, rather than applying a rule of thumb to the floor area.
Ducted installations
Where ceiling voids allow it, a ducted system is usually the right choice in a house of this standard. The indoor units sit out of sight and all that shows in the room is a slim linear grille. In practice this is far easier to achieve if the property is already having work done, because the ductwork needs a route. If you are planning a renovation or an extension, that is the moment to design cooling in rather than add it later.
Glazing, roof lights and garden rooms
Large glazed rear elevations are common in Chigwell and are usually where the heat arrives. South and west-facing bifolds, lantern roof lights over a kitchen island, and double-height spaces all gain heat quickly and hold it. Detached garden offices and pool or gym buildings have the same issue in a smaller package, and are covered on our garden rooms and home offices page.
Where the outdoor units go
Larger plots make this considerably easier. There is normally a side elevation, a flat roof or a screened area where condensers can sit well away from bedroom windows and from the boundary. On properties with close neighbours we pay attention to where the unit discharges and how it sounds at night, because that is the complaint that is difficult to fix afterwards.
Some Chigwell properties sit in conservation areas or are set back behind a frontage where appearance from the road matters. We will raise anything relevant at survey, and if your property is listed it is worth confirming the position with Epping Forest District Council before work is booked.
Lofts and top floors
Even in a well-built house the converted loft is usually the warmest room. It sits under the roof covering with the least ventilation and is often used as a main bedroom or an office. See our loft conversion page for how we handle these.
What it costs
Single-room installations start from GBP 1,500 to GBP 1,800 including VAT, subject to survey. Multi-zone and ducted systems for a whole house are quoted individually, because the price depends almost entirely on the room count, the routes available and the standard of finish required. Our cost page explains what is included.
Book a survey in Chigwell
For a house of any size the survey is the important part, and it is free. We will walk the property, size each room, agree where units and condensers go, and put it in writing. Get in touch or call 020 3488 4657.
We cover the surrounding areas across west Essex and north east London.
