Underfloor heating, Yay or Nay?

I am looking to start from scratch with a 2 bedroom terraced house. Thinking no radiators would allow better space use. I will probably go combi boiler for hot water supply and a few radiators where space isn't a problem. But if you have to dig out 6" of concrete i don't think i will bother. I was kind of hoping it was just a case of double insulating a roll out mat with a plug(Or fused spur) controlled off a stat. (150w/m square @ 8m giving about a 6/7A current drawn so no need for a contactor although i do have some 18A contactors spare). It's a bit expensive but if you are only in one room then it does make more sense. I have installed miles of heat tracing in work which with lots of insulation does work well.

if you are using a wet system then i would say 6'' if you are thinking a electric mat then that may be less,but of course the thinner the insulation then the more heat you may loose,but i have seen electric mat type that you only apear to use thin insulation and then tile on top and may only be about 30mm deep.but dont take my word for it have a look round and see whats on the market,and i believe even srewfix did this system

[Dave20046]

With my experience of an old terraced house (with cellar beneath the living areas) it sounds like a bloody good idea!
But I wouldn't do away with radiators for it.

[Dave20046]

OR you could go with the underfloor + this http://www.thermaskirt.com/ - if you're really offended by the idea of radiators

Personally I wouldn't go for electric underfloor heating except as in addition to conventional gas central heating. It's nice for tiled floors in your bathroom say, but even then you might want a radiator in there to heat the room up quicker. And don't rely on towel radiators, they're for heating towels, not room.
Electric under floor heating is more expensive to run and when it goes wrong can be a right pain in the posterior to repair if only for having to clear the room and lift up the floor.
If you're tight on space make sure you have a smart plumber who knows how to size up radiators based on cubic room size, not wall space. You can go for doubles with fins so you get decent convection heating as opposed to just radiation.
I also suspect you'll sell the house on easier.

[maviczap]

Mate had an electric mat underfloor system put in a extention, just one tiny section under a tiled floor in the dining room.

He soon had it disconnected as it cost a fortune to run.

If you want to stick with a combi and rads and are struggling for space, do a search for vertical radiators. A radiator does'nt have to be 2' high and 4' long, it can go the other way. Ideal for hallways or small bedrooms.
Some of them are quite stylish too. For a radiator.

Originally Posted by Stenno

And don't rely on towel radiators, they're for heating towels, not room.

Not true, sized correctly they will heat a room, big mistake most people make (i fit a lot of bathrooms) is buy one similiar in size to their old panel rad, size by btu's and not size of it and it will heat a room.

Ive got a 1500x600mm in a 8ftx6ft bathroom and it heats that fine, if you have a big bathroom, get a big towel rad or two.

Oh and electric ones can be repaired quite easily by the manufacturers, they do a trace on it and can pinpoint exactly where the break/problem is so you only have to lift that small bit of floor rather than the whole thing.

Ok. Well it does save a bit of hassle. Just need to find a way to rejig upstairs to get a bathroom in. Already been told a space saving ensuite (3m x 1m.) isn't the way forward which is a shame (in addition to a downstairs bathroom). Hoping to get this at the right price and should be a good small home for me .