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I am working on opening up space between my lobby (on the right side of the wall) and the dining room area (on the left side of the wall).

The section of the wall that is used as cold air return ducts are is 3 studs wide.

The zeroeth (we'll call it) stud space (closest in the photos) has light switches and wiring running on one side and outlets on both sides of it. Part of this section also has a column (a bunch of 2x4s) that supports an LVL beam, so routing ducts there is likely out of the question.

Initially, I was only aware of one return air vent in joist space labeled #1, but once I opened the wall, I saw that the subfloor is actually has a cut-out below both, #1 and #2 stud spaces to split the return-air route. While #1 is taking the air from this space, the #2 route is fed by at least two return grills on the second level of the house. The air intake under the subfloor is an actual duct, maybe 6-8" diameter running from the basement and it is "cracked open" at the joist below to suck in air from two stud spaces.

So, my question is, what is the best way to tackle this and remove the stud spaces #1 and #2? I thought of the following options:

  1. Rip subfloors (tile is going away anyway, so not a huge deal), along this wall to see how far that duct goes and then add a single stud-space to the furthest wall, where I will route both #1 (opening in the wall for the first floor), and #2 (opening in the joist space in the ceiling to get back to the other returns). Once I remove that 2x4 that is supporting that "header" with short 2x4s hanging down, I should be able to see how far that joist space opening goes to feed the upstairs and route accordingly.

  2. Add to the thickness of the #0 stud space, basically, add another wall (shown with purple line) right behind that supporting column, delete that electrical outlet (I'll see if I can terminate it properly in the outlet on the other side, or even somehow bring it out in the new wall in it's own tiny stud space.), then split that additional column into two smaller joist spaces and route the return air that way.

What does everyone think? Any other ideas/options? Any concerns about the above options?

Thanks so much! David

Pre-demo Demo 1 Demo 2 Demo 3

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    Are there any closets close by, my last home had an entry way closet that I ran my main trunk up and return line in the back it made a narrow closet in that case but allowed me to install proper trunk lines from the basement to the attic you may be able to do similar using a foot of 1 end of a closet for the return.
    – Ed Beal
    Commented Jul 9, 2020 at 13:33
  • @EdBeal Thanks, Ed. There is an entryway closet across the room, yes, and it even has a planned laundry shoot (guess people built those), meaning there is a void inside the wall for it. The problem is, I’d have to rip up basement soffits in order to get to it, and because all levels are finished, I don’t even know how the ductwork is routed on level 2. Everything would have to be done by opening the ceiling as well as floors upstairs are all finished. A great idea and a thought but I think it complicates things for me.
    – David
    Commented Jul 9, 2020 at 13:49
  • I had a finished basement but added the central heat and air, was hopeful that idea could help.
    – Ed Beal
    Commented Jul 9, 2020 at 13:54
  • Combining the cold air returns from 2 floors to save space sounds like a great idea, but you may not get enough air flow returning to the heat exchanger. Even if you do all the work yourself, it may be worthwhile to pay an HVAC company to do the analysis work for you.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jul 9, 2020 at 14:57
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    I honestly haven't a clue, I was just thinking out loud with that comment. I'd 2nd Ed's suggestion of using a closet. That's what they did when we had a new furnace/AC installed.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jul 9, 2020 at 15:21

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