After drywall, before flooring: the mini split slot
A remodeler adding conditioned square footage needs a flat number and a crew that does not collide with drywall or trim. Standard single zone mini split install is $2,400 on weekdays, materials and labor; $2,600 on weekends. Jester Climate works Austin and the I-35 corridor; call (512) 297-7493.
| Standard single zone install, weekday | $2,400 materials and labor |
|---|---|
| Same install, Saturday or Sunday | $2,600 materials and labor |
| Joker day | One day each week priced under the weekday rate, day shown on the home page |
| Booking deposit | $400 toward materials |
| Balance | Due on completion |
| Non standard work | Quoted before any work begins |
| Bid line item | Single zone mini split, materials and labor: $2,400 weekday |
| Note | Standard cover: single zone indoor and outdoor set |
| Note | Size, routing, drain, and penetration: site walk |
| Note | GC contact: (512) 297-7493, Jester Climate |
| Scope confirmed | At the site walk |
| Contact | (512) 297-7493 |
Where it sits in the build
The indoor unit mounts on finished drywall, not on open studs. Rough electrical and a closed chase for line set, drain, and control wire happen first. Insulation and drywall follow that chase. Paint can wait until the wall plate is on, or the painter cuts around it.
Flooring and base happen after the indoor head is up so the crew is not working over finished plank. Outdoor unit sits after the exterior wall is sheathed and the landing is clear. Trim and walkthrough are last. Call (512) 297-7493 when the drywall date is known.
- Rough electrical: path and outdoor landing left open
- Insulation: chase not filled
- Drywall: mount wall finished and dry
- Paint: final cut after the wall plate
- Flooring: after the indoor head
- Trim and walkthrough: last
What breaks if you slot it too early
If the indoor unit goes on open framing, the drywall crew has to cut around a live head. Insulation gets stuffed behind a cabinet that was never meant to be buried. Texture and paint then have to match a wall plate that was set on raw board. That is a punch item at walkthrough.
Line set and drain left hanging in a bay get stepped on or covered by a later trade. Moving a mounted head after drywall means a new penetration and a patch in front of the client. Do not treat that as part of the $2,400 line. Get it quoted before any work begins.
- Head in a stud bay the drywall crew has to cut around
- Insulation stuffed behind a unit that should sit on finish
- Line set crushed in an open bay
- Wall plate set on raw board, texture never matches
What breaks if you slot it too late
If you wait until flooring and trim are in, the crew is cutting a finished wall and walking on finished floors. Exterior penetrations through painted siding leave a scar the client will see. Late electrical means fishing through finished space.
Drain routing that should have been a chase becomes surface pipe. Surface pipe and finished floor cuts are non standard. Those items get a price before any work begins. Drain routing and penetration location are confirmed at the site walk.
What each trade leaves for the crew
Electrician leaves a clear outdoor landing and a path back to the panel. Framing leaves a bay or chase that drywall can close. Insulation does not fill that chase. Mark the mount wall so drywall does not hide the plan.
Drywall finishes the mount wall flat and dry. Painter can prime; the clean cut around the wall plate happens after the head is up. Keep flooring stock and trim piles out of the room. Outdoor landing stays clear of scaffolding and mix tubs.
- Electrician: path and outdoor landing, not a buried box
- Framer: chase or bay that can close
- Insulation: chase left open
- Drywall: mount wall finished
- Painter: wall ready; final cut after the plate
- Flooring: room clear until the head is up
Number, deposit, and how the date works
$2,400 weekday, materials and labor, for a standard single zone. $2,600 on weekends. One JOKER DAY each week is priced lower than the weekday rate. The day changes week to week and is revealed on the home page.
$400 materials deposit books the job. Balance is due on completion. You pick the date, it gets confirmed, and if anything changes you get told. Non standard work is quoted before any work begins.
Walkthrough: what the client should see
The client should see a wall plate on a finished wall and an outdoor unit on a landing that looks planned. They should not see a hole cut through new paint. They should not see a drain taped to baseboard. They should not see a line set on the floor.
Permits, if any, sit with the owner or the general contractor. Requirements vary by jurisdiction. Jester Climate is not a permitting authority. Variables get confirmed at the site walk, not on the phone.
Included in the number
- One indoor unit and one outdoor unit, single zone
- Line set, condensate drain, and control wire
- Wall penetration and exterior close up
- Indoor mount on finished drywall
- Outdoor set as confirmed at the site walk
- Electrical connection as confirmed at the site walk
- Materials and labor for that standard scope
- Startup of the zone
Quoted before work begins
- Additional zones
- Electrical fishing through finished space
- Drain that will not run by gravity
- Cutting finished flooring, trim, or painted exterior
- Outdoor access equipment
- Relocation of a unit already mounted
Have these done before the install date and the day runs clean. Anything not on this list gets looked at during the site walk.
- Mount wall drywalled, jointed, and dry
- Chase insulated around, not filled
- Outdoor landing clear
- Electrical path left per the site walk
- Flooring not installed in the room
- Trim piles and mix tubs out of the room
- Access to the outdoor location open
- Site confirmIndoor location, outdoor location, drain routing, and penetration are checked against the site walk. Size is confirmed on site.
- Outdoor setOutdoor unit is set on the landing left by the builder. Electrical tie in follows the path the electrician left.
- PenetrationPenetration is made in the confirmed location. Line set, drain, and control wire run in the chase.
- Indoor mountIndoor unit mounts on the finished drywall. Wall plate sits on the finish.
- StartupThe zone is started. Balance is due on completion.
Phases run in this order on a standard job. Site conditions change the pace, so nothing here is a timeline commitment. If something on site is different from the walk, you get told before it turns into cost.
$400 materials deposit books the date and buys the equipment for your job. Balance due on completion, on the visit the system runs.
$2,400 weekday. $2,600 Saturday or Sunday. One Joker day each week is priced under the weekday rate. The day moves week to week and it is shown on the home page, so if your schedule has slack you can aim at it.
Non standard work is quoted before any work begins. Nothing gets added to the number without you approving it first.
Running the same install across more than one project? Call (512) 297-7493 to set up repeat scheduling.
- When do I put you on the schedule?
- After drywall is up on the mount wall, before flooring and trim. You pick the date. It gets confirmed. If anything changes, you get told.
- What line do I put in the bid?
- Put $2,400 in the bid for a weekday standard single zone, materials and labor. Use $2,600 if the date falls on a weekend. $400 materials deposit books it; balance is due on completion.
- Does electrical have to be roughed first?
- Outdoor landing and the path back to the panel should be in before the crew arrives. Circuit size is confirmed at the site walk. Fishing finished walls is non standard and gets quoted before work begins.
- How do you size a casita or a closed porch?
- A casita reads smaller than it loads. West glass and a hot attic push the size up. The size gets confirmed on site.
- I have more than one of these this year. How do I run you?
- Call (512) 297-7493 to set up repeat scheduling. Put the same line item in each estimate. $400 materials deposit books the date. Weekend work is $2,600.
One number, one call, one line item along the Austin and I-35 corridor. Standard single zone mini split install is $2,400 on a weekday and $2,600 on a weekend, materials and labor, $400 deposit to book, balance due on completion.