PR 36750
1 July 2015

When one of the UK's most successful property tycoons embarked upon a root-and-branch refurbishment of his luxurious north London home, the specification included GAIA's DEVImat electric underfloor heating system in all rooms upstairs.

The house in Hampstead was stripped back to its basic structure and rebuilt to the highest quality standards.

For maximum comfort, all first-floor rooms (including all bedrooms, master suite and ‘powder' room, dressing rooms and master sitting room), were fitted with DEVImat electric underfloor heating with hand-held wireless controllers linked to two central DEVIreg control panels.

The client, whose properties include some of the most prestigious commercial developments in London, knows a thing or two about building procurement and personally specified electric underfloor heating on the first floor.

Mechanical and electrical subcontractor, Lorne Stewart, selected the DEVImat system from GAIA. DEVImat is an electric UFH system comprising a slender heating cable pre-spaced onto a self-adhesive mesh that is installed within a tile adhesive or latex compound.

"This was the ideal system for this project because the underfloor heating had to be installed over a suspended timber floor," explains Bob Fletcher, senior project manager with Lorne Stewart.

GAIA laid a special thermal insulation board over the existing floorboards, then laid the DEVImat system over this and embedded it within a special latex compound.

The latex not only bonds the DEVImat to the floor but also protects it and provides a smooth surface for the final floor finish. In this case, most floors were finished with high quality Amtico tiles, while the master bathroom was in marble and carpet was laid in some of the bedrooms.

The client was adamant that he didn't want visible thermostat boxes fixed to the walls and so GAIA's wireless DEVIlink controller was employed.

"Each room has its own temperature sensor which is wirelessly linked to the central control pad which is discreetly tucked away in a cupboard," explains GAIA sales manager, Joshua Demetrescu.

"This central unit ‘talks' to each zone and the user adjusts the temperatures using hand-held battery-powered wireless controller," he adds.

The installation, which runs to a total of 70m², is confined to the first floor; conventional radiators have been installed on the ground floor.

Although you can install a ‘wet' underfloor system under floorboards, it is labour intensive, time consuming and the results aren't as good as an electric system.

For further information on Gaia, please call 0845 434 9488 or visitwww.gaia.co.uk.

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With compliments:
Alison Relf 
Taylor Alden Ltd 
Unit 2 Temple Place 
247 The Broadway 
London SW19 1SD 
Tel: 020 8543 3866 
Email: alison@tayloralden.co.uk