On those cold winter days, it’s always nice to have that extra warmth on your feet as you stroll through your home. It’s a luxurious feeling that is growing in popularity in new homes and renovations. Although it may add some cost to your build or project, it’s well worth it to add radiant floor heating if you can, in particular, electric heating, and there are a number of reasons why.

Energy Efficiency

While traditional radiators must reach temperatures of 65 to 76 degrees Celsius to heat an area of your home, electric floor heating only needs temperatures of 29 degrees Celsius to effectively warm a room. This can dramatically lower energy bills.

Plus, floor heating evenly distributes the heat, as radiators cannot, which eliminates cold spots in the room.

Easy to Operate

Once the underfloor heating is installed and operational, it is simple to use and does not require much maintenance, if any. If you can operate a thermostat, you can use in-floor electric heating. In fact, you can program your setting based on when you are most often in the area. Red Deer electricians can install these throughout the year.

Additional Space

Since your heat source is under the floor, you will not have a radiator or electric heater taking up space in the room. This will allow you to make use of the additional space in any way you wish, opening the room up to all kinds of design options. And when it comes to cleaning, you don’t anything in the way, so you can take care of dirt and dust with ease.

Your Choice of Flooring

When thinking about in-floor heating, tiles usually come to mind as the primary flooring material since they tend to feel cold. But you can choose any type of flooring you prefer, even hardwood or carpeting.

Feel Safe and Comfortable

Without a hot radiator on the wall or potentially sharp vent edges on the floor, you don’t have to worry about burning or scraping yourself, or even worse, a child getting hurt.

As well, your air quality can improve since underfloor radiant heat maintains fresh air that is oxygen-rich. Radiators tend to get so hot that the air nearby becomes uncomfortable by creating thermal circulation that raises dust in the air to the ceiling and back down again endlessly.

Easy Installation

When going through a new home build or a home renovation, it’s simple to add in-floor heating as you would like it throughout the home. It can even be done yourself before laying the floor you choose to finish the space. It simply needs to be rolled out with the electric wiring already spaced out accordingly.

Take full advantage of your home’s space, feel comfortable with the perfect heating system that radiates evenly, and save on your energy consumption. These benefits and more are waiting for you when you add in-floor electric heating to your home. There may be some added costs involved, but it is well worth it in the end.

Whether you currently use your detached garage or not, you will definitely find a way to improve the space so that you not only use it, but you can also enjoy it. There are several ways to get the most out of your garage space, and each one brings its own benefits. So with that said, here are some ways you can benefit from upgrading your detached garage, and it doesn’t even have to cost all that much.

Additional Space

The garage is no longer just a place for your car. You can turn it into anything you want, like a seasonal storage shelter, games room, a workout area, or even a self-contained apartment. No matter how you want to handle the additional space, it’s important to plan everything out first. That means you need to consider how the space will be used and go from there.

If you want a second kitchen, you will need plumbing and electrical installed, so you should call qualified electricians in Red Deer. For an entertainment centre, you must work out the arrangement and design of the room. For any plan, consider the electrical requirements you will need in the upgraded garage. You may have to add an electrical panel, or simply update the panel that you have in your home to accommodate the bigger load.

The Ultimate Man-Cave or Even a Woman-Cave

You may not have a basement, or it may already be occupied, but that doesn’t mean you have to go without your special place that you can call your own. An upgraded detached garage can serve as your man-cave in ways that a basement can’t. With the right insulation, electrical systems, and customized features, you can store your car and still have plenty of room to spare for calling in all the boys (or girls).

Other Unique Options for a Garage Upgrade

While you may have a small backyard or no backyard at all, the garage can be transformed into an incredible entertainment area that you can find a use for all year long. Your backyard can’t do that! So invite everyone over for a garage party in the dead of winter.

If you ever wanted to work from home but didn’t have the office space, your garage can easily accommodate a large office area that is bright and functional. And on nice summer days, you can open the garage doors to work “outside” without fear of rain or wind.

A detached garage is a perfect place to start a business. It doesn’t have to interfere with your home’s interior and there is plenty of room to do just about anything you can imagine for an entrepreneurial enterprise. Fit in the right heating, plumbing, and electrical, and you’re all set.

You don’t have to live with the detached garage as it is. Be creative and create a new space that is customized to fit your lifestyle. There are so many ways you can benefit from giving your detached garage a little upgrade.

Finishing the basement can add customized living space to your home, property value, and it can remedy some shortfalls you might have upstairs. But a basement renovation must be done right or it could cost you down the road. Doing it right means planning, and with that in mind, here are some things to consider before you go ahead with a basement renovation.

Planning

Determine exactly what you want to accomplish in your basement. Whether you want a home theatre, extra bedrooms, a games room, a rental apartment, or anything else, decide on the best course of action for you and your home.

Permits

To complete a basement renovation properly, you will need every aspect of it to come up to code legally, and that means you need permits. Do a little research to find out which permits you need in your local area. Reach out to the city to point you in the right direction for permits and the ensuing inspections during the renovation.

Building and Electrical Requirements

While things like plumbing, structural supports, and electrical are always best left to the respective professional electricians in Red Deer, local codes can determine how they are handled. For example, there should be an electrical outlet within a certain distance from the next, power loads may require additional breakers or even a new sub-panel. Depending on what you want to do in your basement, these could lead you to adjust your plans accordingly.

Waterproofing

Finish your basement without waterproofing at your own risk. It may cost more to waterproof your basement but imagine spending all that time and money on finishing it only to have a major leak destroy it all.

Outdoor Access

Since you will likely only have one shot at this, you may consider a separate entry for your basement renovation project. This can allow you to adjust your plans for the way you utilize the basement in the future. But note that you should ensure compliance with local codes to do it correctly.

Flooring

Will you go with a subfloor or simply lay out the flooring of your choice? Do you want something warm and comfortable like carpeting or something easier to clean and replace like laminate? Depending on whether you add a kitchen or a bathroom, you might have two or three flooring options to consider.

Lighting

The lighting you choose will depend on your preference for how bright or soothing you want it to be, but it also depends on how high your ceilings are. If you have low ceilings, pot lights, or something the sits flush with the ceiling may be the only option, while high ceilings could accommodate a chandelier or low-hanging lights. Today you can choose from LED, incandescent, and fluorescent lighting, all of which offer varying degrees of energy savings.

So much thought goes into a well-planned basement renovation because it should be made to last. So make sure you consider these important factors and more before you proceed with finishing your basement.