ᐅ Installing and Connecting Underfloor Heating Retrofitted into a Screed Floor
Created on: 7 Sep 2016 11:39
T
thesit27Hello,
We have the opportunity to buy a house built in 1997.
I find it very interesting. What bothers us is that it does not have underfloor heating.
Now my question: approximately how much would it cost to retrofit this?
Here are the details: the ground floor is about 65 m² (700 sq ft), and the bathroom upstairs is about 12 m² (130 sq ft).
We wanted to renovate the bathroom and guest toilet anyway. On the ground floor, I would probably remove the laminate flooring and tiles myself. I don’t have enough experience for more DIY work.
I would appreciate a few answers!
We have the opportunity to buy a house built in 1997.
I find it very interesting. What bothers us is that it does not have underfloor heating.
Now my question: approximately how much would it cost to retrofit this?
Here are the details: the ground floor is about 65 m² (700 sq ft), and the bathroom upstairs is about 12 m² (130 sq ft).
We wanted to renovate the bathroom and guest toilet anyway. On the ground floor, I would probably remove the laminate flooring and tiles myself. I don’t have enough experience for more DIY work.
I would appreciate a few answers!
I think no one here can give you a reliable answer because nobody knows the building structure or how the floor is constructed.
Is there screed installed? Are there floorboards? Is there insulation under the screed?
Only a professional company would be able to tell you that.
With screed floors, it is possible to mill out the areas for the underfloor heating pipes. However, this is usually not cheap.
Also, what supply temperatures does the current heating system operate at? Can it be modified? Would it need to be replaced? There is quite a long list of considerations to take into account.
Is there screed installed? Are there floorboards? Is there insulation under the screed?
Only a professional company would be able to tell you that.
With screed floors, it is possible to mill out the areas for the underfloor heating pipes. However, this is usually not cheap.
Also, what supply temperatures does the current heating system operate at? Can it be modified? Would it need to be replaced? There is quite a long list of considerations to take into account.
Built in 1997, the property is relatively modern. You can assume that underfloor sound insulation and screed are already in place. The easiest solution is to remove the old screed, which is not a big issue (unless it is a timber frame house).
Install the underfloor heating pipes and then lay a new cement screed. The cost for the screed is about €15 per square meter (including materials and installation) based on a recent quote. The heating system itself is straightforward; installing a mixing valve would cost around €500 for parts and labor. It becomes more complex with underfloor heating because it’s uncertain how to route the pipes vertically and where to place distributors.
An alternative is to reuse the pipes from the old radiators on each floor, connect a heat exchanger, and then connect a compact control unit to the heat exchanger. The cost for this system is about €450. This way, you only need one system per floor and do not have to change anything at the original boiler.
You could even keep the other radiators in place.
Based on the prices I have for underfloor heating currently, I estimate roughly €50 per square meter for a fully installed system.
Of course, this is all an estimate since the actual situation is unknown. The prices mentioned come from a current project but vary depending on the region. Use this only as a guideline and consult a local tradesperson for accurate information.
Install the underfloor heating pipes and then lay a new cement screed. The cost for the screed is about €15 per square meter (including materials and installation) based on a recent quote. The heating system itself is straightforward; installing a mixing valve would cost around €500 for parts and labor. It becomes more complex with underfloor heating because it’s uncertain how to route the pipes vertically and where to place distributors.
An alternative is to reuse the pipes from the old radiators on each floor, connect a heat exchanger, and then connect a compact control unit to the heat exchanger. The cost for this system is about €450. This way, you only need one system per floor and do not have to change anything at the original boiler.
You could even keep the other radiators in place.
Based on the prices I have for underfloor heating currently, I estimate roughly €50 per square meter for a fully installed system.
Of course, this is all an estimate since the actual situation is unknown. The prices mentioned come from a current project but vary depending on the region. Use this only as a guideline and consult a local tradesperson for accurate information.
Even with timber frame construction, it’s quite easy to remove the screed, as long as it’s a floating screed. It worked fairly well for our poured asphalt screed on perlite. Once you make a hole, you can easily lever out the rest; the screed was only 40 mm (1.6 inches) thick, and it breaks like fresh bread.
The question is whether you can even find a tradesperson for such a small number of square meters. In our case, they refused to come for less than 100 m² (1,076 sq ft), even if we had paid for 100 m², they still didn’t want to do it.
The question is whether you can even find a tradesperson for such a small number of square meters. In our case, they refused to come for less than 100 m² (1,076 sq ft), even if we had paid for 100 m², they still didn’t want to do it.
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