[ 01 ] Architect & GC coordination
3rdGen supports HVAC for remodels and major renovations where mechanical decisions should happen early enough to coordinate with framing, ceilings, finishes, equipment access, duct routing, and electrical work — for residential GCs, architects, and high-end homeowners.
Approach
Remodel HVAC is where comfort problems are created or solved. We integrate supply and return paths with new architecture, plan equipment locations that respect finishes, coordinate with builders and architects from design development, and size systems for the post-remodel envelope.
What's included
Real work
Selected Bay Area field work across residential, commercial, and multifamily scopes — outdoor equipment, distribution systems, remodel rough-ins, and finished commissioning.
Commercial Berkeley, CA
Commercial HVAC upgrade for an institutional religious facility in Berkeley, delivered in coordination with VRGC Inc. and the project team around existing building conditions, access limitations, and closeout requirements.
Institutional Upgrade
Residential Berkeley, CA
GC-led residential remodel in Berkeley with a six-zone Fujitsu ductless heat pump system and two outdoor units, coordinated around an older existing home being prepared for sale.
High-End Residential Remodel
Commercial Berkeley, CA
GC-led Berkeley retail tenant improvement with a Mitsubishi four-zone ductless system, fresh air supply, exhaust ventilation, and louver coordination in an active commercial space.
Commercial Tenant Improvement
Process
01
Share location, timeline, plans if you have them, and what is not working today — or what your builder has scoped.
02
We use Manual J, S, and D where the project needs it to match equipment, ducts, and zoning to the actual house.
03
Principal-led field work with your GC or architect around access, finishes, sequencing, and clean rough-in.
04
System startup, basic orientation, and documentation so you know how the new system is meant to run.
Related
Some high-end remodels use sophisticated multi-zone refrigerant systems. For VRF system details, see commercial VRF & multi-zone systems .
FAQ
Yes — whole-home gas-to-electric conversions are a core part of our work. We size heat pumps for calculated heating and cooling loads, plan electrical capacity, and coordinate distribution — not a same-size swap based on your old furnace label.
Modern cold-climate heat pumps perform well in Bay Area winters and summers when sized with Manual J and installed with proper distribution. Coastal microclimates and inland heat spikes are why we engineer each home — not assume one product fits all.
We are Mitsubishi Electric specialists and design around the best technology for your home — ducted, ductless, or mixed layouts sized with Manual J/S/D, not rule-of-thumb equipment swaps.
Manual J is the ACCA standard for calculating heating and cooling loads room by room based on your home’s envelope, windows, orientation, and local climate — not square footage rules of thumb. We use it to size equipment and duct systems so your system performs in real Bay Area conditions.
Square-footage rules ignore insulation quality, window area, shading, air leakage, and how your home actually gains and loses heat. Oversized equipment short-cycles, wastes energy, and struggles with comfort and humidity. Manual J matches capacity to measured loads.
Manual S selects HVAC equipment that matches Manual J loads without oversizing. Manual D sizes and lays out duct systems for proper airflow and static pressure. Together with Manual J, they form the engineering backbone of our design-build installs.
Yes. Permit, Title 24, and inspection coordination are part of our design-build scope — not a surprise add-on at the end. We retain load calc and equipment documentation your jurisdiction and rebate programs commonly require.
No. We focus on project-based residential HVAC — heat pump installations, full-system replacements, remodels, retrofits, new construction, and ADUs. We do not provide emergency repair, routine maintenance, tune-ups, filter changes, or small service calls.
Contact
Share your city, timeline, and a short description of the scope. If it looks like a fit, a principal will follow up within one business day.
Best-fit residential scopes include heat pump installations, all-electric conversions, full-system HVAC replacements, retrofits, remodels, new construction, ADUs, and Manual J/S/D-supported design-build work. 3rdGen is not structured around emergency repair, routine maintenance, tune-ups, filter changes, or small service calls.