ᐅ Older Building: Adding Underfloor Heating on the Upper Floor?
Created on: 12 Feb 2023 16:28
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wirsanieren202
Hello everyone,
We are renovating a house built in 1986 and plan to install a new air-source heat pump. There is already underfloor heating on the ground floor, which will be connected to the new heating system. On the upper floor, there are currently panel radiators; however, for efficiency reasons, we were advised to retrofit underfloor heating upstairs, which we would like to proceed with.
Is there anything special we need to consider? Would it be advisable to hire a structural engineer for an assessment? The ceiling is made of concrete, with an insulation layer (?) on top, followed by a wooden covering. PVC flooring was then installed over that.
Are there any structural risks involved in adding underfloor heating on the upper floor?
We are renovating a house built in 1986 and plan to install a new air-source heat pump. There is already underfloor heating on the ground floor, which will be connected to the new heating system. On the upper floor, there are currently panel radiators; however, for efficiency reasons, we were advised to retrofit underfloor heating upstairs, which we would like to proceed with.
Is there anything special we need to consider? Would it be advisable to hire a structural engineer for an assessment? The ceiling is made of concrete, with an insulation layer (?) on top, followed by a wooden covering. PVC flooring was then installed over that.
Are there any structural risks involved in adding underfloor heating on the upper floor?
Winniefred13 Feb 2023 19:01They charge around €60-80 (about $65-87) per hour. In our case, he billed 1.5 hours for a simple clarification of the situation, at an hourly rate of €62 (about $67).
By wood installation, do you mean OSB boards as a base for the flooring? Or planks? I can’t quite picture what you mean.
By wood installation, do you mean OSB boards as a base for the flooring? Or planks? I can’t quite picture what you mean.
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wirsanieren20213 Feb 2023 19:07Winniefred schrieb:
They charge about 60-80€ per hour. In our case, he billed 1.5 hours for a simple clarification of the situation, at 62€ hourly rate.
By wood installation, do you mean OSB boards used as a substrate for the flooring? Or floorboards? I can’t really picture what you mean. Thank you, that is actually less than I feared!
Exactly, we were told that these are basically chipboards made of wood, which are screwed or nailed down. That’s why the floor squeaks when you walk over it.
Winniefred13 Feb 2023 19:30Oh yes, we also received this nonsense from the previous owner. But for your construction year, this is somehow a strange design (we have wooden beam ceilings, and this was often retrofitted later on). Are you sure there is no screed? Somehow, I just can’t imagine that.
Winniefred13 Feb 2023 19:38I looked into it and apparently this is not that uncommon, especially on the upper floors of prefabricated houses.
If the structural engineer still has concerns, I would probably install underfloor heating and then pour screed on top. That way, there’s no need to mill into the concrete ceiling.
And maybe someone else will chime in here with some input.
If the structural engineer still has concerns, I would probably install underfloor heating and then pour screed on top. That way, there’s no need to mill into the concrete ceiling.
And maybe someone else will chime in here with some input.
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wirsanieren20213 Feb 2023 19:46Winniefred schrieb:
Are you sure there is no screed? I somehow can’t imagine that. So far, we only have a statement from a specialist company that would install the underfloor heating. And relatives who think they remember (the house is from the family). Unfortunately, we don’t really know what is under the PVC. Maybe we will have to open a spot and check which layers the subfloor has.
Winniefred13 Feb 2023 19:52That’s definitely something you should do. With older houses, you often only really know what you have once you open things up. Then you can assess. You also need to make sure the new height still works with the doors, stairs, and so on. All of this needs to be considered. For that, you first need to clearly understand what is there and how thick each layer is. Only then can you plan how to rebuild.
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