Resources / Checklists
Underfloor Heating Renovation Checklist
For Devon & Cornwall renovations — solid floors, joists, height, disruption and heat source. Use before you order boards or agree a dig-out.
Independent planning tool from HeatWiseSW — not a fixed quote.
How to use: Work room by room if needed. Measure door heights. Photo floor construction where visible. Decide programme before product brand.
1. Construction (per floor / area)
- ☐Ground floor: solid slab / suspended / mixed / unknown
- ☐Upper floors: joist direction and deck type known if possible
- ☐Rooms listed with construction type (do not assume whole house is the same)
- ☐Existing floor finish and whether it is coming up
2. Height & thresholds
- ☐Door clearances measured (finished floor to underside of door)
- ☐Stair nosings / top step checked
- ☐Kitchen units / fixed joinery constraints noted
- ☐Level access / threshold requirements considered
- ☐Maximum build-up you can accept written down (mm)
3. Programme & living in the house
- ☐Which rooms must stay usable during works?
- ☐Can you accept screed cure time (often long on traditional pours)?
- ☐Phasing plan: which zones first?
- ☐Temporary heating needed?
4. System family (not brand yet)
- ☐Solid floor + occupied → lean toward overlay unless dig-out planned
- ☐Floor already open / new slab → screed may win
- ☐Joisted upstairs → plates / deck overlay / structural boards (not casual wet screed)
- ☐Insulation below heated plane planned (especially joist voids)
5. Heat source
- ☐Boiler / heat pump / undecided
- ☐If heat pump: design output at low flow temperature
- ☐If boiler: blending at manifold expected
- ☐Manifold location agreed (length of runs, access, noise)
6. Finishes & output
- ☐Intended finish per room (tile / timber / vinyl / carpet)
- ☐Design assumes that finish — thick carpet needs honesty
- ☐Room heat loss vs floor output discussed for high-glazing rooms
7. Commissioning (do not skip)
- ☐Manifold balancing to design flows — not “all valves open”
- ☐Air purged; actuators and thermostats tested
- ☐Handover: how to run steady temperatures (especially with heat pump)
Next step
Get a planning band by floor type, then survey height properly before ordering.
HeatWiseSW — independent advice for Devon & Cornwall. Checklists are educational planning aids.
Next step
Get a realistic planning band for your home, then use the checklist when you speak to installers.