"The owner had dreams of a traditional shingle style beach house with an informal atmosphere but with a feeling of playfulness, creative finish selections and with open spaces defined by design millwork elements.
The heat loss calculation was performed prior to construction understanding in advance that the owner desired in-floor hydronic radiant heat. The heat loss commanded 23 individual zones of radiant heating and there was concern about a light weight concrete/surface tube installation due to uneven heating potential (given the vast differences in room sizes) as well as the physical limitations and loss of an additional 1” + of height in the plan. The architect selected Warmboard’s 1-1/8” panels (Warmboard-S) for a sub-floor and radiant application.
We, Monetti Custom Homes, have vast experience with Warmboard previously and found it to perform exceptionally well in terms of evenness of heat and flexibility of zones. However, given the projects’ more than ample size (plus 10,800 sq. ft.) MCH was in contact with the Warmboard tech department long before ground was broken. Several different layouts were produced with unlimited phone and email support as well as some value engineering that was required. Warmboard’s support and responsiveness through this process was impeccable. The radiant tubing rough- in time was less than 2 days for a small team of plumbers.
A multitude of flooring types were used, including random width, reclaimed custom milled white oak; which was installed directly over Warmboard using mechanical fasteners and adhesive. The comfort in the home during the cold season is unparalleled and one has no sense of any temperature differential while wandering through its’ some 10,000 plus square feet of wonder."
Robert Monetti, Monetti Custom Homes LLC.
1215 South Ocean Avenue
Seaside Park, NJ
Custom Beachfront Home
10,982 sq. ft. living space
Cabana, pool, outdoor areas inc. fire pit, pergolas, boardwalks covered porches
Classic 1920 shingle style architecture.
Demolition of existing structures (2) October 2012
(Construction/demolition cessation for 90 days as a result of Super-storm Hurricane Sandy)
Construction main residence completed December 2014
Architect: Phil Iannitto-Albert Bol; Bol Architecture, Berkeley Heights, NJ
Designer: Donna Sirianni, Donna Sirianni Interiors LLC; Maplewood, NJ
Contractor: Monetti Custom Homes LLC; Brielle, NJ
Photographer: Stephen Govel
“The Martis 416 home is 4,670 square feet and sits on a 1 acre lot. It is a luxury home with five bedrooms and a convertible den. It is designed for comfort, privacy and flexibility. Warmboard certainly caters to all of that.
Radiant floor heating is ideal for the mountain climate – it keeps the warmth close to the floor where people are, rather than pushing hot air to high ceilings. And [Lake] Tahoe is quite dry, so hot dry air is really not ideal. Warmboard’s better heat distribution and response time make it an ideal fit for changing climate zones like these. In addition, the home is divided into 6 zones, which allows for a lot of control over the heating of the home.
We use Warmboard in virtually all of our projects. We only do prefabs, and the integrated aspects of it being a radiant floor system, but also acting as a structural subfloor is great. No other company has a comparable product in that regard.
Additionally, the home has a variety of flooring types – tile, hardwood, and some carpet, so the flexibility in flooring that comes with choosing Warmboard is definitely a benefit.”
Blair Porteous, Sage Modern
Sagemodern was started because they are passionate about simple, elegant modern design and believe that prefab is a more efficient and sustainable approach to building a custom home."
sagemodern
65 annie street
san francisco, ca 94105
(p) 415-315-9881
info [at] sagemodern.com
Find sagemodern on Houzz
Photo Credit: Lisa Petrole
“Broadly speaking, there were two distinct challenges to be confronted during the construction and design process. Of primary importance was building an environmentally respectful home that maintained the custom features and quality that would appeal to prospective buyers. Secondly, was the fact that this building did not have a specific end user, an issue DFA does not usually encounter. The result was the inability to provide specific features that would appeal to the needs a certain individual.
Radiant heat was chosen for its many health and lifestyle benefits. When radiant was initially suggested we were pleased that our LEED consultant immediately embraced the proposition, and we're certain that the use of radiant was a key factor in attaining the first LEED for Homes Gold rating in Manhattan.
Warmboard was easily chosen over other radiant technologies due to its many technical advantages over its competition. The aluminum top sheet especially impressed us as a means of more evenly distributed heat. Specifically, we liked that the sub-floor would be pre-routed to accept the radiant tubing. In this respect, Warmboard made far more sense to use than the other products available.
...
Over the course of our last few projects with the Warmboard team, we have grown from cautious to enthusiastic. We think the Warmboard product addresses many of the historic pitfalls of earlier radiant systems, while providing the multitude of benefits of radiant heating. We encourage people to research the product and consider it for their own projects.”
Daniel Frisch, Architect
Daniel Frisch Architecture
ph: 212-489-8941
www.danielfrisch.com
+ + + + +
For additional photos and to hear more about this project from Horizon Contractors and Oyster Capital Group, see "Renovating the Town Home in NYC" at warmboard.com
We spoke to Mel Price of Work Program Architects in Norfolk, Virginia who was using Warmboard in two separate projects simultaneously – Norfolk Tug (commercial renovation) and Mowbray Arch (residential construction).
Norfolk Tug
Located right next to the Elizabeth River in the Berkeley neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia, the Norfolk Tug project is an adaptive reuse of a late-1800’s pickle factory. The renovation was designed to highlight and utilize the existing character of the building to the greatest extent possible. With an open-office concept, the perimeter offices are framed by a custom steel and glass partition system designed to allow as much natural light into the interior as possible. The “Pickle” also features bays of large windows, multi-wythe brick walls and piers, and heavy timber trusses.
But the open environment and spaces also created concerns when it came to heating the space.
“Norfolk is prone to bad weather from quick storms that that travel up the Chesapeake Bay. The site is right on the river so it’s very windy and can be cold in the winter. With the thick cement slab beneath, uninsulated brick walls and many windows – we needed a way to keep the space warm. We wanted to be able to heat the space closest to the ground, where the occupants are, instead of paying to heat the entire volume of space. We realized radiant floor heating would be the ideal option. We wanted the most efficient heating system we could find, and we quickly found Warmboard.”
WPA also installed a high-volume, low-speed Big Ass fan to help de-stratify the air and push it down to the occupants.
“A back up forced-air heating system was also installed - as you can see in some of the photos. But truth be told, the office has never used it. They’ve found that Warmboard provides all the heat they need.”
Mowbray Arch Residence
While the 3 story house looks like an upgrade to a decades old home, it is actually a new home from top to bottom.
“The 2700 square foot home was designed to fit in with the historic neighborhood. It’s a relatively small lot, and while the 3-story home looks massive, it’s actually only 17’ wide in the front and 12’ wide at the rear of the site.
When the Mowbray Arch project came about, we knew the clients were focused on using good building systems while employing very energy-efficient solutions. They knew the benefits of thermal comfort and were certain they wanted radiant heating. With the great experience we were having across town on the Norfolk Tug building, we introduced them to Warmboard. And they have been very pleased with their decision to use it.”
Process
“It was great to have two completely different types of projects going at the same time – an old warehouse and a new home – and seeing how Warmboard’s products worked perfectly in both types of projects. Working with the [Warmboard] staff was a great experience. We sent them our CAD files, and they sent back plans with the whole system laid out, with manifold locations, tubing layouts and panel locations. The drawings were color-coded, clearly labeled and easy for both the client and the contractors to understand the scope of the system.
Our contractors worked directly with the Warmboard staff as well. As you know, it can be a bit daunting to work with a new product for the first time, but GCs on both projects received all the support they needed, and plenty of tips to ensure the installation went smoothly.
In the Norfolk Tug project, Warmboard-S was installed over the thick slab, while in the Mowbray Arch Residence, it installed over joists. In both projects, the contractors took a little extra care to ensure the panels and tubing were not damaged, but there were no issues. Water pressure tested fine in both projects before the finish flooring was installed.
While we understood that any flooring could be used over Warmboard, we were still cautious and were very careful to make sure flooring installation was done correctly. We put down carpet, tile, hardwood - you name it; all worked out wonderfully. GCs on each project said things went easy for them and that they would recommend Warmboard and use it again.”
Summary
“Our experiences with Warmboard has been fantastic. We were very happy with the product, and company, on multiple levels. It’s been a total success! In fact, we plan on using Warmboard on every project where radiant heat is an option. We would definitely recommend it to others as well. It’s been an awesome experience.”
—
A sincere thank you to Mel Price for her kind words and to the whole team at Work Program Architects. We look forward to our next project together.
—
The WPA mission is to raise the bar in the design of environments and objects while continuously exceeding the expectations of their clients, collaborators, and community. WPA satisfies the desire for architecture and design, that makes a positive dialogue with its physical and historical context, that is durable and responsible in its utilization of resources, and that is fun in the process of its formation and execution.
Work Program Architects
208 E. Plume Street
Monticello Arcade, Suite 2
Norfolk, VA 23510
Web: wparch.com
Phone: 1.757.227.5310
Find WPA on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn
"…In this project the homeowner explored the pros and cons of radiant heating and concluded that radiant was the best choice for her. As the homeowner and I worked through her needs and desires, we concluded that as she aged a slab-on-grade would feel hard under foot so she eliminated this option.
She had also decided that she wanted the majority of her flooring to be wood with the remainder being tile. Since both the builder and I had worked with Warmboard and found it easy to combine with these flooring materials, it became the obvious choice. The fact that Warmboard is so energy efficient also helped meet our performance goals for the home.
I enjoy working with Warmboard because finished wood floor can go directly on top of it. That makes things a lot easier! I also find that other methods of radiant heating are much more complicated than Warmboard. It really is a simple system and easy to design into any project.
I also appreciate that Warmboard makes it possible to use radiant heat over raised floor joists. Compared to concrete, raised joists are softer to walk on and easier on the homeowner’s joints. The subfloor and radiant panels are installed at the same time and the end result is a floor with some give and an exceptional home heating system.
This project was designed with an extended future in mind as well as super efficient performance. We were able to be creative to achieve these goals and had a lot of fun collaborating with both the homeowner and builder.”
Cheryl Heinrichs, Architect
Cheryl Heinrichs Architecture
Bend office 541-382-8914
Olympia office 360-350-0628
Cheryl [at] CHArchitecture.com
+ + + + +
For more about this project and to hear from the Builder and homeowner, read "Designing for her Future" at warmboard.com
“Warmboard has been running in my house all winter and I could not be happier with the results. The house is an even, constant temperature and feeling the warmth on your feet is like being in a spa. One of the biggest benefits has been my heating bill. I am seeing huge savings and the return on my investment is already paying off. This product is well worth the investment and I cannot wait to use it on the next build.”
John Colaneri, Builder, TV Host on HGTV
+ + + + +
To learn more about The Cousins and their involvement with Warmboard, visit warmboard.com
Jeff Gerber of Gerber-Berend Designs tells us about a house he designed in Elkins Meadow in Colorado. The clients came to him with the ambitious goal of building a Net-Zero home that didn’t sacrifice any of the look and aesthetics they envisioned for their home. A zero net energy building is one that creates the same amount of energy that it consumes in a year.
"I think just that when you have a house like this with really aggressive goals for performance, for energy performance, it can’t be done with just one product or one strategy and using Warmboardreally allowed us flexibility in a lot of other areas because we got so much value in the radiant wall panels and in the floor heating towards our goal. Warmboard was a really instrumental part of satisfying our clients desire to be super aggressive on energy performance.
“The clients had a really aggressive goal in that they wanted the house, if possible, to be Net-Zero. Our climate is super heat intensive, we’ve got about eight months of the year where we’re going to be using heat, and to have a Net-Zero goal in our climate took a lot of engineering upfront.
As soon as we had a rough schematic model for the house indicating materials, services and percentage of glass relative to the areas we were heating, we did our first calculations. So it was only three or four weeks into the process that we were estimating what the heat loss was and how we could overcome some of those larger glass view-type walls and rooms with larger volume.
Trying to get to that possibility for a Net-Zero goal led to having to look at different strategies, one being piping for a geo-exchange system with a tunnel and fields and using the temperature differential from the ground to provide a preheating for the main floor as well as the domestic hot water system. Other strategies were photovoltaic electric panels, and trying to figure out creative ways to satisfy the heating loss loads in the different spaces that had a large glass to floor area ratio, and Warmboard was instrumental in that.
When you have an aggressive goal to be Net-Zero and you have a very heating intensive area, you run into trouble in rooms that have a lot of glass relative to the floor area. We had a couple of spaces that had a very large amount of glass because of the gorgeous views that we’re trying to take advantage of, and there was no way to satisfy the heating loads with just radiant floor heat alone.
We ended up using Warmboard as wall panels, which allowed us additional surface so that we could satisfy the heating loads without having supplement heat, like active systems with blowers, or venting in the floor, which would sacrifice some of the aesthetics that we were interested in. This was the first time I had done that and it was just a really great fit. A perfect solution to satisfy heating loads while retaining the aesthetics and not adding yet another system with an active blower.
Also, with the installation in the walls, the great thing about Warmboard is the substrate itself. You can put any surface over it. Using that as a wall radiant panel allowed us to put the drywall finish directly on it and still get a really good, efficient, high value from it.
I’m on the design end at Gerber-Berend, so being the head of the architectural side of our design-build business, I especially enjoyed working with Warmboard on design. I find the shop process super easy. Your team is really responsive, the turn around times are quick, which helps us with some of our tighter schedule issues, and I just think the people in Warmboard’s design department know what they’re doing. They understand the issues that we’re dealing with, and I feel like I’m working with someone that really gets what we do and what’s important to us, and that makes all the difference. We review a lot of different shop drawings for different components and the the easiest is always Warmboard.
For all of our projects we recommend Warmboard in the floor because we live in such a heat intensive environment. We can’t get a better performance than with your product and additionally the response times are superior. In our climate, when the sun goes down, within minutes you can have a fifteen-degree differential of cold-to-hot or hot-to-cold. So to have a really quick response time and quick response of cooling down or heating up, it really lends itself super well to where we are and how we can make a comfortable environment for our clients."
Gerber-Berend embraces a collaborative Design/Build model, Gerber Berend combines experienced designers with meticulous craftsmen into one Integrated Team. Through the process of Design/Build, they offer efficiency, service and an extraordinary product, at a great value. Call them to set up a consultation for your project in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Gerber Berend Design Build, Inc.
2546 Copper Ridge Drive, Unit D
Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
Office numbers:
970.871.4504
970.879.1725
Follow Gerber-Berend on Facebook and Houzz.
Visit their site at gbdesignbuild.com
Photos by David Patterson Photography
For more information and images, visit Cuded.com
“…We also wanted a comfortable and quiet heating source, and found Warmboard, which heats up fast and makes the space very comfortable. The heat feels consistent throughout the day, even with the peaks and valleys of outside warming and cooling. The radiant system always feels very comfortable and there is no noise or blowing air. It’s a comfort that keeps its presence hidden.
While initially we were only somewhat familiar with radiant, we really looked into it more when we began working with Method Homes. They were big advocates of Warmboard as it provided a sub-floor and heating source all in one product. It was a natural fit for our ‘green home.’ The builder really sold me on it and when we toured the model Method Cabin in Glacier Springs, it just had that hidden comfort we knew we wanted. It looked and felt warm.
I was sold on the efficient building method of using a radiant technology that was also the sub-floor – it just made sense. I also liked that the panels were aluminum-covered which dispersed the heat quickly and evenly. This was very important for the cabin as we keep the heat turned down when we are away for any length of time.
We used Bamboo throughout the entire upper level of the home, and it works well. Walking on the floor I feel satisfied that we used a sustainable flooring material along with an efficient heat source. It’s the little things that can really give you the most satisfaction and comfort. We love our cabin home! We also love that our home was pre-fabricated in a warehouse and shipped and craned into place. It was ‘über-efficient’ and very well controlled. The method used to build the home and the efficiency with which our home was constructed are bragging points. It also just looks cool. It’s a technique that we read about in home magazines like Dwell for many homes in New Zealand and Australia. It was not such a new thing there, but here it may be much more common in the future. Italy kept us on budget as the costs were very well managed by Method Homes.”
Mark Mikols, Homeowner
+ + + + +
See more photos and hear from the builder, Method Homes, and architect, Balance Associates at warmboard.com
“We try to approach design from a personal bent and think, ‘What would I feel like working in the space? What colors, textures, and details would make the building a feast for the senses? What can we do to help shape the environment of the building?’ Our underlying objective upon completion of the project is that we want people to say how much they love the space!
Building in Bethel presents many challenges, one of which is the extreme location. Careful consideration was given to every facet of the design to ensure the headquarters came together and functioned as desired. All building materials were shipped by ocean and river barges because the city is inaccessible by road.
The weather here is fierce, to say the least, and we wanted to build an energy efficient and stunning headquarters for the AVCPRHA. Steel pilings sunk 40 to 60 ft. into the tundra gives structural support, instead of a conventional foundation, which cannot be used due to the year-round permafrost. Another important design feature takes advantage of the copious amounts of sunlight Bethel receives in the summer by covering the 300-ft. long south face of the building with large windows. Conversely, on the north side the building entrances were designed to be lit in a striking, yet subtle way.
SIPs were used for the exterior walls of the building to minimize heat loss because the building envelope is our first priority when designing an energy-efficient building.
As a bonus, SIPs are easy to ship and erect quickly, which helped to keep construction on schedule within a short and unpredictable timeline. If we don't take care of the walls and roof, then everything else we do up here just isn't very effective.
Temperatures in Bethel average 7°F in winter so heating a building of this size, efficiently, is also a significant challenge. Warmboard was integral in achieving this goal and interfaced smoothly with the multiple systems used in the building composition. Warmboard radiant heating covers 70% of the 30,000 sq ft building floor and is powered by oil-fired boilers. The Warmboard assembly was then covered with 1/4" wood underlayment and followed by finished floor coverings of carpet and rubber tile.
I have worked with Warmboard on 8 or more projects and will use it again. I especially like that Warmboard solves 2 problems at once - the radiant panels are also structural subfloor. The structual aspect is a huge benefit to our design team. If it wasn't for Warmboard we wouldn't have put radiant into the project.
I also recognize the extreme efficiencies of Warmboard which is also a big benefit to our team. The heating system can be run with relatively low temperature water while still outputting ample BTU's. We designed the Warmboard system to have 44 zones so the occupants can precisely control which areas of the building get heat, and how much is delivered. This helps further increase the overall comfort of the building while decreasing the operating cost."
Wallace Swanson, Architect
Larsen Consulting Group
907.245.8899
wallace [at] lcgak.com
www.larsen-anc.com
+ + + + +
Read "Exquisite Design in Extreme Bethel, Alaska" on warmboard.com to further understand the massive scope of this project, see more photos and hear from the AVCP Housing Authority.
My wife and I bought a house in Alameda in March of 2014 with immediate renovation plans in mind. We envisioned how we would add on to the back of the house before we even closed escrow; a renovation that involved essentially tearing off the entire back half of the house.
The house is a 1910 Neocolonial-Victorian of sorts. It has some craftsman features, some Victorian features; it’s kind of a transitional period house but with a lot of original detail including some great wood floors. When we bought our home, it had a completely unfinished basement, which we planned to dig down and finish. When we added onto the back of the house, we blew out what was a fairly small kitchen into a completely open kitchen that joined a sunroom. It was in this area that we used Warmboard.
Once we knew that the addition would be a brand-new, from the ground up construction, we started doing research. First, about radiant floors in general, and then about what the options were for radiant other than concrete.
As an architect, I’ve specified radiant floors on several projects where it goes into concrete. I was very familiar with that set of details. We were hoping we’d be able to make it work upstairs too, given that the most dramatic room of the house, the sunroom, has a high ceiling and this wall of windows that’s nearly twenty feet high. But I knew the height and weight of the concrete method would be an issue.
I reached out to Warmboard and discussed the difference between the retrofit and the new construction options, and it was a slam-dunk. The slightly thicker Warmboard-S matched up almost exactly with the hundred-year-old existing subfloor that we were splicing the addition onto. We didn’t extend any radiant into the existing house because we wanted to keep the existing floors, but we did add about 500 square feet of Warmboard in the new addition.
I did the drawings myself and sent the CAD files to Warmboard, who then prepared the panel layout diagrams for me to review. Those were all clear, I didn’t have any changes. What I was interested in discussing was the custom routing required. and I realized that Warmboard does its best to put together the puzzle pieces of panels in the most efficient way. And they certainly did, effectively minimizing routing as much as possible.
I ended up doing some of the custom routing myself just to reduce the cost that the radiant installer was charging since the routing is sometimes the most labor-intensive part of the job. So step one was to minimize the amount of routing, and step two was to actually do it myself. I even borrowed the router from one of your fellow employees who was kind enough to loan it to me.
The radiant installer came out and looked at both the installation of the panels that the contractor did, and the routing that I had done. He had no problems with either and took over from there, laying in the tubing and drilling a few holes down to the manifold which was actually below the floor, which I guess is a bit unusual. In the end, I think that turned out to be easier because the majority of the complexity in the routing and the installation happens when the pipes need to turn up above the floor to go to a manifold above the floor. By drilling down, it was much more discreet and we didn’t have to build any softhead or bulkhead. It was completely invisible and pretty easy to do.
My wife and I tried to make our home as sustainable as possible. We have great natural ventilation in the summer with three levels of operable windows. In the winter, we wanted to use radiant. We both agreed we didn’t want to put in a furnace, but I originally had to convince my wife that a radiant system was worth the additional expense. Now that she’s walked around barefoot for almost a year, I think she’s pretty convinced. The comfort level has been just great. It’s been a pretty unique feeling to have the warmth without any disruptive air movement. It’s working really well.
Another area of research that we did very carefully was to make sure that there wouldn’t be any problems with the solid oak T&G flooring that we were putting over the Warmboard. We had a lot of conversations with Warmboard and with my flooring installer about getting the right temperature balance for the radiant system, getting the right moisture content in the wood floor, and allowing it to acclimate properly. In the end, we did our acclimation in the middle of the summer when we didn’t have the system on. In hindsight, we should have done it in the winter when the system was on. That additional warmth is creating a very minor amount of shrinkage in the wood planks, which I think we could have avoided. But it’s almost invisible. It’s been really comfortable.
Without question though, the one facet of our Warmboard experience that stood out most was when your salesperson offered to lend me a router to finish the installation. It was definitely above the call of duty and I really appreciated it. From one craftsman to another, he had clearly done quite a few projects himself and I was in the middle of working on many portions of the renovation myself, so it was really helpful to see that you guys would go that extra mile to make it happen."
Ben K. Mickus is an award-winning furniture designer and practicing architect. Ben has 14 years of experience in architecture and design, working with Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. His independent design studio, Mickus Projects, has been featured in exhibitions internationally and his work is included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York. Among his influences, Ben counts the cities in which he has lived and worked, including San Francisco, New York, Washington DC, and Copenhagen. Ben is a Bay Area native, living in Alameda, California, with his wife and two children.
"In 2013, we began to design a custom home for our retirement in the mountains of western North Carolina, with construction ongoing throughout 2015. The particulars of selecting the proper heating system gave us a great amount to think about, specifically from the standpoint of operating and fuel costs as well as the type of environmentally friendly fuel we wanted. Compounding the issue was a design that included 21 feet of exterior walled, sliding glass doors leading to our deck. Hot water baseboard and forced hot air were not viable options, leaving radiant underfloor heating as the logical choice when combined with a geothermal well system for our cooling and heating needs.
Surprisingly, geothermal radiant floor hot water heating is not terribly popular in North Carolina due to the shoulder day temperatures where the chilly 30ºF morning air is replaced by moderate 55-60ºF temperatures by mid-morning. The issue with typical radiant heated flooring is the time it takes to heat the concrete mass traditionally used along with the time it takes to cool the mass down when heat is no longer needed. The slow response times associated with a high mass system were at complete odds with the rapid heating and cooling times nature delivers in this area of the country.
To solve this portion of the puzzle, I found Warmboard, a product that appeared to meet all of our needs. After numerous conversations with your Project Manager, reviewing the content on your site, then seeing an actual product sample that was sent to us, I realized Warmboard would be ideal for our needs. It would be able to heat up and cool down much faster than traditional concrete floor alternatives. The need for increased size floor joists to handle the additional weight of the concrete, as well as the associated costs, would also be eliminated, and unlike high mass systems, with Warmboard, the heat can be adjusted using traditional setback thermostats. Best of all, this system gives us the ability to independently control the heat in each of our rooms for the minor additional cost of the additional manifold zone valves.
My contractor had never installed Warmboard before, but he had no issues installing it whatsoever. The plans provided by your design group were precise, clear and easy to understand.
Since we were building through the winter months and wanted to take advantage of the heat beneath us, we had the heating system up and running early on in the building process. It was during that time that we learned something very interesting. We found out we only needed about 104ºF water temperatures to heat the flooring completely in 7-9 minutes. In that short amount of time we could tell things were already cranking along. And within about 15 minutes, the system was putting out incredible amounts of heat. Now, keep in mind this was a completely open house during the winter. Snow and strong winds blowing through that site. But that heat was so warm and toasty, the crew never really noticed how cold it truly was. Very impressive indeed!
Warmboard was a more expensive option. But when compared to the alternatives, it performs extremely well and exactly as advertised. We are extremely pleased with the performance of this product."
Mike Scuderi
President, Avanti Coatings, Inc.
Avanti Coatings has been the world’s leading company in the development and application of specialty adhesive coatings to the narrow woven label industry for over 70 years. Find them online at avanticoating.com
“This building, though derelict and in disrepair, had value - both to the urban fabric of the downtown community, and to potential users. By investing in the structure and making a commitment to breathing new life into a building from another era, we participate in realizing and sharing this value. CTA was determined to create a dynamic out-flowing, open air space without jeopardizing the attributes that gave the building its unique character, particularly inside the space. One of the goals was to leave as many structures exposed and eliminate intrusive, unnecessary structural additions. Given the building’s age and other issues a lot of thought, and, the right technologies, were deployed to minimize and negate those issues.
We were impressed with the efficiency of the Warmboard product as well as the accuracy of the original quote which kept the project in budget. In the end, there were 13 different heating zones. Both the architects and the contractors touted Warmboard’s radiant responsiveness, perfect for the Montana climate. The space performs well – the heating is even and controllable for each of the individual zones throughout the building.
At CTA we love working within the constructs of existing buildings, especially those that have a rich history from the early part of the century. There are literally thousands of buildings like this one, that aren’t immediately recognized as architecturally important or spatially interesting, and all of these buildings have potential to become landmark structures.
Added to this landmark structure, and not originally specified, was a 3-foot cut out in the hardwood flooring where Plexiglas was used instead to show off the unique Warmboard radiant installation.”
Tony Houtz, CTA Architects Engineers
——
“To say that specifying radiant heat in the Orange Crush building presented some challenges was, well, an accurate assessment. We needed a product that adhered to CTA’s insistence that the architectural integrity of the building wouldn’t be compromised but we also had to get around some tough structural problems.
Indeed, the existing flooring in the building was uneven as was the foundation itself. Installation of a traditional poured radiant system would add layering and weight which couldn’t be supported without additional structural support, which would then compromise CTA’s mandates regarding not compromising the architectural style. Also a layered installation would take much longer and the large amount of water needed would cause unwanted moisture, detrimental to the old wood in the building.
Warmboard proved to be the perfect solution on all fronts. It was very easy to work with, user friendly, lightweight and since it also served as the subfloor it made the final flooring installation fast and easy. You have to consider that a layered radiant system would have cost us as much as 8 inches, not to mention the weight. Warmboard was an inch and an eighth.
As a subfloor Warmboard performed equally well under the three types of primary flooring installed throughout the space –tongue-and-groove fir, tile on backer board in the restrooms and main entryway and rubberized epoxy flooring in the janitor’s closets.”
Mike Tabacco, Guy Tobacco Construction
* Photos: Scott Vosen, JSV Photography
+ + + + +
To read more about this project and see additional photos, read "Recycling the Orange Crush" on warmboard.com
“When introducing a new product to our range of energy efficient products we always spend sometime researching the product to ensure it fits our criteria. The more we discovered about Warmboard the more excited we became. The product ticked all our boxes.
Our Company Director, Peter Taylor began to tell his clients about Warmboard. A Melbourne-based architect became interested and told his client about it and next thing we knew was that we had our very first order in Melbourne Victoria Australia.
The first thing that struck us when dealing with Warmboard Inc. was the friendly and professional service we received on Day 1 from Casey. He could not have been more helpful. All our questions were answered quickly by email and phone, before we knew it the plans were being drawn up. Everything went smoothly and in June our product arrived in Melbourne Australia by ship.
We were present on delivery day to the buiding site and the response by the tradesman was totally awesome. We returned the next day and they said it was the best hydronic system they had ever worked with in their 25 years in business. Their comments included “It is so easy to install”, “The plans supplied were so simple and easy to follow” “It’s a winner”, “Top quality product” and “Amazing and quick installation”. Everyone was happy!
The architect visited the site and is extremely pleased with the product and install and consequently has now requested more quotes for jobs currently in progress.
The fact Warmboard-R can be retrofitted into older homes is a huge plus. Until now, hydronic floor heating had not been an easy option for people in Australia who own an older home. But we are excited to say they now have a choice in Warmboard.
Our website and Facebook pages has seen many hits since putting up the photos of the install and enquiries are coming in from all around Australia. Australian Sun Energy is proud to be associated with Warmboard Inc. and is looking forward to placing many more orders.”
ASE is based in Mount Gambier and provides high quality products that are designed to save you money on energy costs and assists you to reduce your reliance on coal power by using alternative energy sources and energy efficient products. Now in its sixth year of business the company has built an excellent reputation and now sells world wide. They also offer energy monitoring systems for commercial and domestic markets.
Australian Sun Energy
PO Box 8535 Mount Gambier East 5291 South Australia
35 Brolga Street Mount Gambier 5290 South Australia
Phone 1300 137 407
…Not only did Tim have the challenge of designing a new home that would work with the preserved Victorian, he also wanted to address other important issues facing Aspen today. One of those issues included energy conservation. He accomplished this through the home's extensive use of sustainable products and systems. Tim chooses to use radiant heat in the homes he builds because it is a much more pleasant and comfortable heat source that also provides a healthy and clean indoor air environment.
Tim states, "I prefer Warmboard because I believe in the efficiency of the system". In fact, in this home the ultra efficient Warmboard radiant system reduces the supply temperature required for in floor heat by approximately 15º. The low mass, highly conductive panel improves the efficiency of heat transfer resulting in lower operating costs while eliminating cold spots. "This system runs on 115 degree water instead of the typical 130-135 degrees required by a Gypsum Concrete radiant system," Tim explains.
Multiple solar systems efficiently heat the hot water used for the Warmboard radiant heat. A very large flat plate collector on the south roof and a high efficiency vacuum tube collector on the garage roof feed hot water into an exchanger in the house. The exchanger heats the water for the seven-zone Warmboard system, as well as domestic hot water and radiant snowmelt systems.
Tim says, "My Warmboard system operates seamlessly and is much more responsive to thermostat adjustments than other methods of radiant heating. Warmboard is one of those products that works all the way around; providing better heat, better energy efficiency, and is simple and easy to use."
Tim Semrau, Architect
Semrau Building & Design
Aspen office 970.925.6447 x1
California office 310.456.0642
tim [at] sbdgreen.com
www.sbdgreen.com
+ + + + +
To read the entire article, see more photos and hear more from Tim who acted as the homeowner, architect and builder, visit warmboard.com
