The Most Expensive Things to Replace in Your Home (And Where Your Furnace and AC Really Rank)
Roofs, windows and kitchens now cost more than a new furnace and AC. How Chicago projects rank, and why HVAC touches every room.
learn more
For most of the last century, the furnace was the biggest check a homeowner ever wrote for the house. That isn't true anymore.
In the Chicago area, a new asphalt roof now averages about $28,000. A set of replacement windows runs about $22,000. A mid-range kitchen remodel tops $84,000. A complete furnace and air conditioner from us typically lands around $11,000.
So HVAC has quietly dropped from the top of the list to the middle. And it is still the only one of these you use every hour of every day, in every room of the house. Here is how the big-ticket items compare, and why we think about comfort the way we do.
How the big projects compare in the Chicago area
Typical installed cost in the Chicago area, with the share of that cost recovered when you sell:
- Major kitchen remodel (mid-range): $84,237 — 44% recovered at resale
- Basement remodel: $49,576 — 80%
- Roof replacement (asphalt): $28,454 — 67%
- Minor kitchen remodel: $27,187 — 94%
- Siding (fiber-cement): $24,642 — 105%
- Bathroom remodel (mid-range): $24,072 — 66%
- Window replacement (vinyl): $21,941 — 82%
- Heat pump conversion: $18,657 — 66%
- Backup generator: $13,120 — 90%
- New furnace + AC: about $11,000 — about 85%*
- Garage door: $4,308 — 303%
Of the major projects on this list, only a garage door costs less than a new furnace and AC. One note on the numbers: the Cost vs. Value report doesn't price a standard furnace-and-AC swap. Its only HVAC project is a full heat pump conversion, so we've used our typical installed price instead. *The furnace + AC resale figure is the National Association of Realtors' national estimate.
A kitchen remodel improves one room. Your furnace and AC improve all ten.
Here's the way I've always explained it to homeowners. Say your house is worth $1 million and it has 10 rooms. Each room is worth about $100,000 of that value. Nobody would leave a $100,000 room too hot to sleep in or too cold to sit in.
Now look at what each project actually touches:
- Mid-range kitchen remodel: about $84,000 in the Chicago area, and it improves one room.
- Minor kitchen refresh: about $27,000, still one room.
- Mid-range bathroom remodel: about $24,000, one room.
- New furnace and AC: about $11,000, and it improves every room in the house, upstairs bedrooms and finished basement included.
Spread across 10 rooms, that's roughly $1,100 a room. The kitchen costs $27,000 to $84,000 for one. The math works the same on a $400,000 house: each room is still worth $40,000, and the system that keeps all ten livable is still the cheapest of the big projects.
A kitchen is where you spend an hour a day. Your heating and cooling is working on every room, all day, all year.
About $2 a day, or 20 cents a room
A properly installed furnace and AC system lasts about 15 years in the Chicago suburbs. At $11,000, that works out to:
- $733 a year
- About $2.00 a day
- About 20 cents per room, per day, in a 10-room home
That's before counting what a new system takes off your gas and electric bills, or the repair calls an aging one keeps generating. No roof or window package gets you every-room comfort for $2 a day.
What it's worth when you sell
In the National Association of Realtors' 2019 Remodeling Impact Report, remodelers put an HVAC replacement at about $8,200 and realtors estimated it recovers about $7,000 at sale, roughly 85% of the cost. That put it alongside new roofing and wood floors, and ahead of a complete kitchen renovation.
The bigger effect is what an old system does to a sale:
- The inspection flags it. A 15- to 20-year-old furnace shows up in every buyer's inspection report.
- The buyer asks for money. Old equipment becomes a price reduction or a closing credit, often for close to the full replacement cost.
- A new system is a selling point. "New furnace and AC" in a listing tells buyers the most-used system in the house is handled.
A kitchen remodel can raise your asking price. Old HVAC is more likely to pull it down. For more on the resale numbers, see our post on furnace and AC financing and home value.
When something else should come first
We're an HVAC company, but we'd rather you spend your money in the right order:
- A leaking roof comes first. Water damage gets worse every week, and no furnace fixes a wet attic.
- Drafty windows and poor insulation can come before a new system. A tighter house may need a smaller, less expensive furnace and AC. Tell us if you're planning windows, and we'll size the system for the house you'll have.
- A working system under 12 years old usually doesn't need replacing. Repair it and put the money elsewhere. Our repair-or-replace guide walks through the math.
- A 15-year-old system facing a big repair is a different story. That's when replacement usually beats pouring money into old equipment, especially before you list the house.
See your price in two minutes
Always Ready Repair has been keeping Chicagoland's southwest suburbs comfortable since 1935. Our Instant Pricing shows the full installed price of a new system up front, with no salesperson required. Want a second opinion on repair versus replace?
Book a free replacement estimate or call (708) 671-0813.
FAQ
What is the most expensive thing to replace in a house?
In the Chicago area, a major kitchen remodel (about $84,000 mid-range) and a basement finish (about $50,000) top the list. Among replacements, a roof (about $28,000) and windows (about $22,000) cost more than a furnace and AC (about $11,000).
Is a new furnace and AC worth it for resale?
Realtors estimate an HVAC replacement recovers roughly 85% of its cost at sale. It also prevents the inspection credit buyers ask for when the system is old.
How long does a furnace and AC last in Chicago?
About 15 years with regular maintenance. Furnaces often run longer; air conditioners often less.
Should I replace my roof or my furnace first?
A leaking roof first, every time. Otherwise, start with whichever is closer to failure, and tell your HVAC contractor about planned window or insulation work so the system is sized correctly.
Chicago project costs and resale figures: ©2025 Zonda Media, a Delaware corporation. Complete data from the 2025 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at www.costvsvalue.com. Furnace + AC resale estimate: NAR 2019 Remodeling Impact Report.
