Custom Ductwork

We fabricate our own ductwork to fit the needs of each individual customer, ensuring optimal performance of your HVAC system. Keep Buffington Brothers in mind for your next replacement or new construction project.

Having a sheet metal shop in-house is less common than it used to be. Here is why we have kept ours.

What an in-house shop changes

Most contractors assemble a duct system from stock fittings. That works when the building cooperates. When it does not — and buildings frequently do not — the usual answers are to force a stock part into a space it was not made for, or to substitute flex duct and accept the performance loss.

Fabricating on site means the fitting gets built to the dimension in front of us. Practically:

• Transitions get built to the actual opening, not the nearest catalog size, so airflow is not choked at the connection.
• Plenums match the equipment rather than being adapted with tape and improvisation.
• Tight spaces get a real solution. Low crawl spaces, shallow joist bays, and finished basements with limited headroom need custom work, not a crushed flex run.
• Lead time stays short. When something unexpected turns up mid-install, we build the part rather than stopping the job while a supplier ships one.

Why this matters most on a replacement

Replacing equipment is the moment duct problems surface. New systems often move air differently than the equipment they replace, and older ductwork was sized for whatever was installed decades ago.

Connect a new, higher-efficiency system to ducts that cannot deliver its designed airflow and the result is predictable: the system underperforms, the blower works against high static pressure, and the efficiency you paid for never shows up. Custom transitions at the equipment connections are usually what closes that gap.

This is worth raising with any contractor quoting you a replacement. Ask what happens to the existing ductwork. If the answer is "we will hook up to what is there," ask whether what is there can handle the new equipment.

New construction is the opportunity

On new construction you get something a retrofit never offers: the ductwork can be designed for the building instead of squeezed into it after the fact.

That means runs routed inside conditioned space where possible rather than through a hot attic, returns sized properly instead of undersized, supply placement based on the room's actual load, and a layout that keeps runs short and direct. Duct design done right at framing costs very little extra and determines how the house feels for its entire life.

Commercial work too

Commercial buildings almost never accommodate stock parts. Rooftop unit curbs and transitions, larger trunk lines, and buildings that have been reconfigured over the decades all need fabrication. We have been doing commercial installations for years alongside our residential work.

Talk to us about your project

Whether you are replacing a system, building new, or trying to fix a room that has never been comfortable, the ductwork deserves as much attention as the equipment.

Buffington Brothers has served Poplar Bluff and the surrounding Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas area since 1951. Our technicians and installers are NATE and EPA certified, and we are a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer. Call (573) 785-6768 for a free estimate.