ᐅ Underfloor heating with wall heating in a timber and clay house

Hello everyone,

I have been searching for a long time (I hope no one immediately sends me a referenced post now ), so I decided to start my own thread.

• We have decided on a solid wood house
• Clay plaster will be used on the interior walls
• Our construction company strongly recommends wall heating integrated in the clay plaster and no underfloor heating
• We are building without a basement
• Both of us are used to underfloor heating and tiles from our parents’ houses

We want to manage without slippers and carpets, preferring to have direct wooden floors or tiles in wet areas of the house. Naturally, we have some concerns...

Of course, the wall heating emits radiant heat, but the tiles will always remain "cold" because of it, right?
I am less worried about the wooden floor since it does not feel as cold at the same temperature as, for example, a tiled floor.

• Can anyone share their experience?
• Is it uncomfortable in winter to walk on tiles without underfloor heating + without shoes + without a carpet?
• Or is the radiant heat from the wall heating also sufficient for the tiles?

This would be very interesting for us.

A modern underfloor heating system operates at such low temperatures that the tiles don’t actually get very warm, so it doesn’t feel much different from being cool. During the warmer months, the heating is usually turned off anyway. With wooden floors, I actually think it’s better not to have underfloor heating. The heat output is lower through wood, and you are limited in your choices, having to use thin parquet flooring that can only be sanded once at most. Also, you can lay rugs without feeling guilty because the heat output is not reduced by them.

Unfortunately, I don’t have experience with wall heating systems; these are just my thoughts in response to your questions...

ownakasimon schrieb:

I have been searching for a long time now (I hope no one immediately sends me a referenced post ), and that is why I decided to start my own thread.

Secondly, even internal links currently do not work reliably, and first, I do not recall any “duplicate” or even more extensive discussion on this topic. I don’t “know” everything either, but you are probably quite unique with this question here.

ownakasimon schrieb:

Our construction company swears by wall heating embedded in clay plaster and not underfloor heating.

Especially the solid wood builders tend to be quite thorough and not prone to trends—so I consider this preference likely thoughtful and/or based on experience. Can the provider not support you with customer feedback regarding your question?

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:

Especially solid timber builders tend to take a well-founded approach and rarely follow fads — so I think this preference is likely thoughtful and/or based on experience. Can the provider not offer customer feedback regarding your question?

First of all, thank you very much for taking the time. We have already interviewed three families living in completed houses; all were happy but had not really focused on this point... That is exactly our problem. Everyone trusts the finished product "solid wood house" and pays less attention to "What makes sense, what doesn’t?" I’m not saying the families are any less satisfied because of that.

ownakasimon schrieb:

We have already interviewed three families living in completed houses; all were happy but did not really pay attention to this aspect...

But surely not all of them had previously lived in timber houses with heated clay wall plaster and can now report how the indoor climate has changed for them.

ownakasimon schrieb:

Everyone trusts the finished product "solid wood house."

Such houses do exist, but having three of this kind is quite an extraordinary "coincidence." The typical timber house customer is often well above average in terms of awareness of building biology. Of course, timber house suppliers also have customers who simply wanted a home, but they are rather a minority. By the way, "solid wood" is generally not considered eco-friendly or sustainable; "massive wood" often does not mean solid wood and is increasingly referred to as "massive timber house" rather than "solid wood house."

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

Why is solid wood not sustainable? And what is the difference between solid wood and engineered wood?