A Cold Climate Construction and Energy Blog
In-floor radiant heating systems are popular in my very cold climate. Many new homes are being constructed as slab on grade with only one level, a perfect place to use an in-floor heating system. (I’m a fan of pairing radiant in-floor heat with an air source heat pump. The heat pump will supply any needed cooling along with the heating load during spring and fall, more on that in a bit.)
Continue reading “What you need to Know About Radiant Heating”
Best Choices and What Should Be Avoided
One of the first jobs I had when I started my career in the construction industry, back when I was working as an electrician, was installing electric resistance heating cables for a basement heating system. It took two people, one person pulled (me) while a second person pushed (my brother) and guided a small manual plow which installed electric heat cabling just under the surface of a sand layer. Concrete would then be poured over the sand; the result would be a heated floor. As it turned out, there was a high percentage of cable failures with this system, which resulted in many people having to install a new heating system.
Continue reading “Construction Design-Heated Floors and Floor Coverings”
What needs to be under a slab? Well, it kind of depends. Is the slab for a home or an accessory building? Is there heat in the slab? Is there a radon requirement? This quick post is all about what I like to see included under a slab and the reasoning behind the sequencing.
At the time of this writing, construction on the code minimum house is coming to an end. This has been a fun and rewarding project for me because not only was I able to design much of the home, I was also directly involved in the construction. Continue reading “Construction Design-Code Minimum House-Mechanicals”
In-floor heat has been a very popular choice for heating systems in my area for the past couple decades. One of my first jobs as an apprentice electrician 25 years ago was plowing electrical heating cable for a basement slab heating system. (I was the mule pulling the plow.) Continue reading “Construction Design-Floor Covering and In-floor Heat”
The design at the Code Minimum House calls for a frost protected shallow foundation. I have built several homes using this type of foundation and found it works well for a budget friendly build. Continue reading “Construction Design-Code Minimum House-Foundation”