# Mini Split Installation in Felida, WA

> Mini split installation in Felida, WA for backyard studios, shops and the hot upstairs of a gas-heated house, with Clark County and Washington L&I permits.

URL: https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/service-areas/felida-wa/

Service area, Washington

Mini split installation in Felida, WA for backyard studios, shops and the hot upstairs of a gas-heated house, with Clark County and Washington L&I permits.

(971) 458-4515

Last Updated: November 12, 2026

97%

of Felida homes are single-family detached houses (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year)

57%

heat with utility gas (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year)

Permits

Clark County Community Development (mechanical); Washington L&I (electrical)

Electric utility

Clark Public Utilities

## Rooms that need help in Felida

### A studio or shop out back

Almost every Felida home is a detached house. Where there's a studio, office or shop out back, the house system can't reach it.

### Gas furnace, hot upstairs

Most Felida houses heat with gas. A head or two upstairs adds cooling without replacing a furnace that still works.

### County and state permits

Felida is unincorporated, so Clark County issues the mechanical permit and Washington L&I the electrical one.

## A room out back the house can’t reach

Felida is almost all detached houses. If yours has a building behind it, such as a studio, office, shop or guest room running on a space heater and a fan, that’s the room this page is about.

The house’s furnace can’t reach it, and running ducts across the yard isn’t practical. [Firlands Portland Mini Splits](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/) puts a small head in the outbuilding with its outdoor unit right beside it, and works out the power from what’s already there.

Project

## What a Felida backyard studio install looks like

### The problem

The detached studio used as an office has a plug-in space heater in winter and a box fan in summer, and the space heater keeps tripping the studio's only circuit.

### The house

The studio has insulated walls, two windows and a 30-amp feeder from the house panel buried in conduit. It sits 60 feet from the house, behind a lawn the owner doesn't want trenched again.

### What we decide, and why

A 9,000 BTU head is plenty for 280 square feet. We power it from a small subpanel in the studio fed by the existing feeder, after a load check shows the feeder has room once the space heater is gone. The outdoor unit sits behind the studio, so the line set is six feet long instead of 60.

### The work

A new subpanel in the studio, one 15-amp, 240-volt circuit to a disconnect, one three-inch hole, a short line set and gravity drain to the outdoor unit on a pad. No trench. Pressure test, vacuum below 500 microns, drain water test, startup.

Clark County issues the mechanical permit for an accessory building like this one; Washington L&I issues the electrical permit for the subpanel and circuit.

### What it changes

The studio works as an office twelve months a year, the space heater goes to the garage, and the lawn stays as it is.

Location

Felida, unincorporated Clark County

House

1998 two-story with a detached 14 by 20 foot backyard studio

Equipment

One 9,000 BTU cold-climate wall head and its outdoor unit

Price

$6,400, permit fees included

Time on site

1 day, then the final inspections

## Powering a head in an outbuilding

The power is the main question for a detached studio. The head itself is simple; what feeds it decides the cost.

### Using the feeder you have

Many outbuildings already have a buried feeder from the house panel. With the space heater gone, a small head often fits on it through a subpanel in the studio. We do a load check before promising that.

### When it needs more

If the feeder is too small or in poor condition, the estimate shows a new one, with the trench route and any lawn or patio that has to come up. That’s where an outbuilding job can climb toward the top of the range.

[Mini split electrical requirements](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-electrical-requirements/) explains circuit sizes and subpanels.

## Sizing a small building

A studio is small but exposed on every side, so we size it from its walls, windows and insulation, not just its floor area.

| Studio feature | What it does to the size |
| --- | --- |
| Insulated walls and ceiling | A 9,000 BTU head often covers up to about 300 square feet |
| Uninsulated walls or a big window wall | Bump up a size, or insulate first |
| A slab floor | More heating in January; a head runs longer |
| Used daily vs a few times a week | Same size, different settings |

If the studio becomes a guest room or rental later, [ADU and addition installs](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/adu-mini-split-installation/) covers the bigger version.

## The gas house with a hot upstairs

Most Felida houses heat with gas, and many of the two-stories from the 1980s and 1990s get hot upstairs in summer.

### Why it happens

The upstairs bedrooms sit at the end of the duct runs, under the roof, and a furnace without air conditioning does nothing for them in July.

### What we do

A head in the primary bedroom, or two or three bedrooms on one [multi-zone outdoor unit](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/multi-zone-mini-split-installation/), cools them directly. Because they’re heat pumps, they also heat those rooms in spring and fall without starting the furnace. [Single-zone vs multi-zone](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/single-zone-vs-multi-zone-mini-split/) helps you choose.

## Permits for a Felida job

Felida is unincorporated Clark County: the county issues the mechanical permit and Washington L&I the electrical one.

| Permit | Covers | Issued by |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mechanical | Head, outdoor unit, line set, drain | Clark County Community Development |
| Electrical | Subpanel, circuit, disconnect | Washington L&I |

Permit fees are in our price. An outbuilding with a new subpanel gets its own L&I electrical inspection. Under Washington’s rules, the branch circuit from a panel is electrical-contractor work, and the estimate names who does it.

## Where the outdoor unit sits

For a studio, the outdoor unit goes right next to it; for the house, on the side that keeps it quiet and clear of ice.

- beside or behind the studio, on a pad, with a line set a few feet long
- at least a foot off the wall, with open air in front of the coil
- out of the roof’s drip line, and away from a neighbor’s bedroom window

[Mini split placement](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-placement/) covers clearances.

## Is a window unit enough?

For a studio used a few hours a week in summer only, a window unit can do. For year-round use, it can’t.

A window unit cools and blocks the window. It doesn’t heat, so the space heater stays, and the noisy compressor sits in the room with you. A head heats and cools quietly, frees the window, and runs on less power than the space heater it replaces. [Mini split vs window AC](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-vs-window-ac/) compares the two.

## How a studio job runs

A backyard studio with a usable feeder is usually a one-day install.

1. **The visit.** We measure the studio, open the house panel and the studio’s existing box, and trace where the feeder runs.
2. **The written estimate.** Head size, outdoor unit location, the power plan, the drain, permits, price and exclusions.
3. **Install day.** Subpanel and circuit first, then the head, one wall hole, the short line set and the drain. The line set holds a nitrogen pressure test and a vacuum below 500 microns before the refrigerant goes in.
4. **Close-out.** The drain gets a water test, the county and L&I finals follow, and you get the readings on paper.

## Sizing for a Clark County winter and summer

We size heads for 28°F, the county’s winter design low at Pearson Field, and for the 88°F summer design figure, then check each outdoor unit’s output in the teens.

A small studio loses heat fast on a cold night, but a cold-climate head keeps up with it. Because the building is used by day, a head set back at night recovers quickly in the morning. [Do mini splits work in cold weather?](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/do-mini-splits-work-in-cold-weather/) explains the low-temperature ratings.

## Rebates in Felida

Clark Public Utilities pays $900 toward a ductless heat pump that replaces permanently installed electric heat in a home you own and live in.

A gas-heated Felida house usually doesn’t qualify, and a space heater in a studio doesn’t count as installed heat. A house that heats with baseboards, wall heaters or an electric furnace can. We check before the estimate is final.

## Felida prices

Firlands’ typical range for a studio, ADU or addition is $5,000 to $12,000 and up; a single head runs $4,000 to $8,500, and two heads on one outdoor unit $6,500 to $12,000.

The written estimate lists the head and its capacity, the outdoor unit, the power plan, drains, permits and exclusions. The [cost estimator](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/tools/mini-split-cost-estimator/) gives a first range.

## Services in Felida

- [Service**ADUs and additions** A mini split for an ADU, an addition or a sunroom, planned with the build instead of after it.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/adu-mini-split-installation/)
- [Service**Single-zone installation** Single zone mini split installation: one indoor head and one outdoor unit for the room the furnace never reaches, sized to that room.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/single-zone-mini-split-installation/)
- [Service**Multi-zone installation** Multi zone mini split installation: two to five rooms on one outdoor unit, each head sized to its own room and set to its own temperature.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/multi-zone-mini-split-installation/)
- [Service**Garage and workshop** Garage mini split installation for a workshop, home gym or studio, sized for the insulation the building really has.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/garage-mini-split-installation/)
- [Service**Cleaning and maintenance** Mini split cleaning in Portland: deep cleans for musty or weak heads, and a yearly visit that keeps filters, coils and drains clear.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/mini-split-cleaning-maintenance/)

## How a job usually runs in Felida

### The call

You tell us the rooms and send a few photos; we give a rough range.

### The visit

We measure each room, look at the walls, the panel and where the outdoor unit can go.

### The estimate

A written estimate: each head, the line-set route, drains, circuit, permits and price.

### Install and handover

Pressure test, vacuum, startup, a walk-through, and the permits closed out.

## Neighborhoods, landmarks and routes

- Felida
- Lake Shore
- Salmon Creek
- NW 36th Avenue corridor
- Felida Moorage

### Landmarks

- Lake River
- Vancouver Lake to the south
- Salmon Creek where it meets Lake River
- Felida Moorage

### Getting around

- NW 36th Avenue
- NW 119th Street
- NW Lakeshore Avenue
- I-5 to the east

[Open Felida, Washington in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Felida%2C%20Washington)

## Felida: questions

### What does it cost to heat and cool a backyard studio in Felida?

Firlands' typical range for an ADU, addition or detached studio with one or two heads is $5,000 to $12,000 and up. A simple single head runs $4,000 to $8,500. Permit fees are included, and the visit and written estimate set the price.

### Can a studio mini split run off the feeder that's already there?

Often, if the feeder has the capacity. We do a load check: with a space heater gone, a 30-amp feeder can usually carry a small head through a subpanel in the studio. If it can't, the estimate shows a new feeder.

### Do I need a permit to put a mini split in a Felida outbuilding?

Yes. Clark County issues the mechanical permit for the heat pump, and Washington L&I issues the electrical permit for the subpanel or circuit, since the county doesn't issue electrical permits. We file both.

### Should I add central air or mini splits to a gas-heated Felida house?

If the ducts reach the upstairs well and the furnace is young, central air on the furnace can work. If the upstairs is hot because of long duct runs, heads in those rooms cool them better and add efficient heat in spring and fall.

### Where does the outdoor unit go for a backyard studio?

Right behind or beside the studio, on a pad, so the line set is a few feet long instead of a run back to the house. We keep it out of the roof drip line and away from the neighbor's fence and windows.

## Nearby service areas

- [Washington**Salmon Creek** Mini split installation and replacement in Salmon Creek, WA: repair or replace an aging ductless system, reuse a line set that tests sound, county permits.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/service-areas/salmon-creek-wa/)
- [Washington**Hazel Dell** Mini split installation in Hazel Dell, WA: split-entry and two-level houses on baseboards, rentals and duplexes, county and L&I permits, the $900 rebate.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/service-areas/hazel-dell-wa/)
- [Washington**Mount Vista** Mini split installation in Mount Vista, WA for townhouses and newer homes on baseboards: shared walls, small patios, HOA review, Clark County and L&I permits.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/service-areas/mount-vista-wa/)

## Guides for houses in Felida

- [Learn**What are the electrical requirements for a mini split?** The circuit, the disconnect, the panel and the permit, and what changes in an older Portland house.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-electrical-requirements/)
- [Decision Guide**Window AC vs mini split: which is right for your room?** A summer stopgap or a permanent system that also heats. What each one does to the room, the bill and the window.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-vs-window-ac/)
- [Decision Guide**Single zone vs multi zone mini split: which should you choose?** One outdoor unit per room, or one outdoor unit for several rooms, and why the answer isn't always the cheaper one.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/single-zone-vs-multi-zone-mini-split/)
- [Learn**Where should a mini split go?** Head placement inside, the outdoor unit outside, and the Portland rules and weather that decide both.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-placement/)

## Get an estimate in Felida

Tell us which rooms aren't working and where the house is in Felida.

(971) 458-4515