Hi there
We are in the process of designing a new build house for the Hikuai region in Coromandel.
Something we are having trouble deciding on is whether we should have the pipework for underfloor heating installed when our concrete slab is poured.
We are fairly confident that it won't be part of our initial budget to have a heat source to actually run the underfloor heating so would be installing the pipe work only to kind of future proof ourselves if we needed and because its one of those things you just can't do later once the slab is set.
The house site is elevated, and the Hikuai region is known for its rainfall (such as the last few days), so we'll be in the clouds and colder / damper more often than those in coastal areas like Tairua nearby.
There are a few things to note about our house design that make the decision a wee bit trickier:
- At this stage we won't be installing a hot water tank. We are planning on using LPG + Infinity unit for hot water instead - any comments on this are also welcome :-)
- We will be having a fireplace in the main living/kitchen/dining space where the underfloor heating would be mostly placed
- Due to our lack of hot water tank we don't plan to install a wetback as we won't have anywhere to put the hot water - again any comments on this also welcome
- Our build budget is pretty tight so the extra cost for the pipework is definitely money we could use elsewhere to good effect
So I guess the main things I would be keen to hear about from people are:
- Any regrets or happy stories from people who did or didn't get underfloor heating in a new build slab
- Thoughts overall on an exposed slab with no underfloor heating
- Are we going overboard even considering underfloor heating in Hikuai? We currently live in Wellington so might have a colder outlook on things
Thanks heaps for any comments
Emma