Rooftop package units
The default on most Austin one-story commercial. Sized for the actual layout — a 20-ton unit balanced for the shell may be undersized for a dense gym or an open-office reconfiguration.
Commercial HVAC in Austin
Austin Commercial HVAC Contractor
Bailey & Bear Construction is an Austin commercial HVAC contractor for hood and make-up air systems, medical-grade HVAC, VAV systems, RTU replacement, and full mechanical trades on Austin commercial spaces. We take standalone Austin commercial HVAC jobs and HVAC as part of a larger buildout. Full commercial GC with licensed mechanical crews.
What Austin commercial HVAC actually covers
Bailey & Bear works commercial HVAC scope inside buildouts and as replacement or upgrade work on occupied properties. Common Austin scope includes rooftop-unit replacement and upsizing to match new tenant occupancy, VRF and split-system installation for zoned office and hospitality, ductwork sizing and rebalancing after a layout changes, kitchen-exhaust hoods with Type-I or Type-II makeup-air pairing, dedicated outside-air ducting for gyms and assembly spaces, chilled-water and boiler work on larger buildings, control systems tied to occupancy sensors and daylighting, and preventative-maintenance programs. Every scope runs under TDLR contractor licensing and City of Austin mechanical permits.
Which system fits which Austin buildout
VRF and mini-split
Zoned control, quiet operation, and efficiency for office and hospitality. Higher installed cost, lower operating cost, more design flexibility.
Chilled-water systems
Larger buildings and multi-tenant properties. Central plant with chillers, cooling towers, and air handlers. Not the right answer for a 3,000-square-foot buildout.
Permits, TDLR, and Austin Energy
Commercial HVAC work in Austin runs under mechanical permits through Development Services, is performed by TDLR-licensed contractors, and often interacts with Austin Energy commercial rebate programs. New tenant HVAC or a rooftop replacement is a scoped permit; changing ductwork inside walls or adding zones can trigger review depending on the project's scope. Austin Energy runs rebate programs for high-efficiency equipment and controls upgrades — those rebates are worth thousands and require paperwork before install, not after. Bailey & Bear coordinates the permit path and the rebate paperwork so nothing is left on the table.
What matters most on Austin commercial HVAC
Load calculation
A real Manual N or equivalent commercial load calculation on the actual layout. Not a rule-of-thumb tonnage number.
Outside-air spec
Dedicated outside air CFM per occupant is a code minimum. Under-delivering it is the number-one cause of stuffy rooms.
Controls
Thermostat placement, zoning, occupancy sensors, and setback schedules. Cheap controls are the reason offices have angry Slack messages about temperature.
Reading a commercial HVAC bid
Ask for the load calculation. Confirm outside-air CFM at peak occupancy. Confirm the equipment SEER or IEER matches Austin Energy rebate thresholds if you plan to apply. Compare the ductwork scope carefully — a bid that assumes the shell ductwork is reused when it should be rebalanced is a bid that fails at commissioning. Confirm the controls package and thermostat locations against the actual layout. Ask for two Austin commercial HVAC references in a similar project type. Ask about the commissioning process — a mechanical system that is not commissioned is a system whose performance is a guess.
Building types where we run this scope
Bailey & Bear runs this trade inside larger buildouts across Austin. Common vertical combinations:
Office & TI Buildout
Conference rooms, HVAC zoning, cabling
Retail Buildout
Storefronts, lighting, fitting rooms, POS
Restaurant Buildout
Hood, grease, health, kitchen equipment
Medical Office Buildout
Exam, treatment, imaging, ADA
Gym & Studio Buildout
Rubber floors, HVAC sizing, showers, rig anchors
Coffee Shop Buildout
Bar, plumbing, hoods, ADA restrooms
Frequently asked questions
Do you install commercial kitchen hoods and make-up air?
Yes. Bailey & Bear installs commercial kitchen exhaust hoods and make-up air units for Austin restaurants, breweries, and commercial kitchens. Hood sizing, duct routing to the roof, and make-up air balancing are engineered up front — not left as a change order.
Can you replace an RTU on an occupied building?
Yes. Bailey & Bear replaces roof-top HVAC units on occupied Austin commercial buildings. Crane setup, structural review of the curb, electrical and gas hookup, and duct connection are planned around a single shutdown window so operations restart the same day.
Do you install medical-grade HVAC?
Yes. Bailey & Bear installs medical-grade HVAC for Austin medical, dental, veterinary, and med-spa buildouts. Filtration levels, pressurization between zones, and separate zoning for surgery, imaging, and public spaces are engineered to the medical scope.