Kevin Simoes, Streamline Design Ltd., Abbotsford BC

Kevin Simoes of Streamline Design Ltd tells of his first experience using Warmboard. The Gabriola project is a post-and-beam home in British Columbia and features over 3000 square feet of Warmboard-R.

“We chose Warmboard for its ease and its convenience. The structure was built on an island, so we knew the construction costs were going to be high. Costs for using concrete for the radiant heating were especially high, so we knew that would not be a viable option. In fact, Warmboard was the cheaper option and definitely had a positive impact on the budget. Combined with its performance claims, Warmboard became the natural choice.

Working with the Warmboard has been a great experience. The design team was fantastic. They were responsive and easy to work with. They answered our questions promptly and produced working drawings very quickly. And while we provided only the architectural design (we were not the installers), the feedback from the contractor was very positive as well. The installation drawings provided were very helpful and easy to follow, and they were pleased with how quickly and easily [the panels] went down. The ease and speed of the installation was actually one of the great benefits with Warmboard. It definitely made an impression.

The homeowner was very pleased with the install and subsequent system performance as well. They have also remarked that they have really noticed the savings on heating costs.

Overall, we have had an incredible experience work with Warmboard. The team is very professional, easy to work with and always happy to help educate architects, installers and the clients. And you have a great product! The team at Streamline has been very pleased to team up with Warmboard on additional projects and we look forward to specifying the product on many jobs in the future.”

Kevin Simoes
Streamline Design Ltd.

Company Bio
Streamline Design Ltd.  is located in Abbotsford, British Columbia. They are a well-established firm, specializing exclusively in Timber Frame, Post and Beam & Log Home design. Their vast, proven experience and in-depth understanding of structural design, aesthetics and construction enables them to provide the highest quality designs and plans - delivered on time and within budget! They believe each of their clients deserves a personal and professional attention to ensure the design goals and personal desires are met. 

With the unique properties of wood and necessity for a thorough understanding of the craftsmanship involved, Streamline has carved out a great niche for themselves. They provide services exclusively to the log and timber industry and individual clientele and have designed projects all over Canada, the United States and internationally, including recently completed projects in Denmark, Switzerland, UK, Lebanon, Greece, Russia, Sarajevo, Austria and the Bahamas.

Streamline Design Ltd.
#102 – 2469 Pauline St, 
Abbotsford, BC, 
V2S 3S1

604.854.2966
info [at] streamlinedesign.ca

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Satisfied Homeowner

"Regarding the comfort of the system, it is ideal. In 2014, we had the coldest winter in statistical history in Montreal. We had no issues with heating the house. The house was always very comfortable."

Homeowner Benoit, B. Montreal

Louis Lu, Helios Roofing, Burnaby BC

"The existing house has 2 stories and 50 years old. The previous heating system used forced-air heat, and the ducting was claiming a lot of space, especially in the attic. The owner wanted to increase the available space inside the house, but were not able to change its physical size of the structure. The homeowner was considering radiant heating as an option.

 

We had the architect and interior designer to do some research on radiant heating, and they found Warmboard. The architect recommended Warmboard because it could be used as the subfloor and the control systems would take up a minimal amount of space. The homeowner agreed and the project began. 

We gutted the entire interior of the house and rebuilt with LVL beams (and Warmboard) to create open spaces throughout. We completely transformed an traditional single-family house into a modern smart home, with all the latest technology built inside.

We redid the structural, the framing, the roof, insulation, drywall the landscaping and even the swimming pool. The house contains all new plumbing, heating, lighting and an array of smart entertainment features (alarms, 3D home movie theater, smartphone and touch screen home monitoring systems, retractable vacuum system, zoned background music via bluetooth, and a piano stage with wireless mini microphones inside) along with a cigar and wine cellar, gym, sauna and massage table, pool table and more. It is an incredible 6000 square foot home, and it is all covered with Warmboard."

Louis Lu 
HELIOS ROOFING AND WATERPROOFING LTD 
200-5050 KINGSWAY (& NELSON) 
BURNABY BC V5H 4H2 
604-783-2806 
louisl@heliosroofing.com 
www.heliosroofing.com

Vivian Zhao, vivZ architects, Alberta

In this Warmboard Works we hear from Vivian Zhao of vivZ architects in Edmonton, Alberta. In 2015, Vivian used Warmboard in a 12 unit condominium unit in Edmonton. Here’s what she had to say about her experience with Warmboard.

Grovenor Condominiums, Edmonton. Alberta, Canada.

Grovenor Condominiums, Edmonton. Alberta, Canada.

“With this project we used to 2 lots and combined together. The result is 12 townhouse units with a shared basement and underground parking.

We wanted to use infloor heating from the very beginning. One of the managers on the project had heard of Warmboard (but not used it), and thought it might be a good option, allowing for much faster installation, especially compared to the alternative, gypsum concrete.

So I started to look into Warmboard. And aside from the benefits of having a faster installation, there were many other benefits as well. You can use a much wider variety of floor finishing materials. I read through all of your online material and contacted your sales rep in Vancouver. I then flew out to Vancouver with my husband, and we met with your sales rep who showed us a couple of active Warmboard jobs in the area. It was very helpful to go on site and see the Warmboard still exposed. And we were able to see the control systems as well. This was very helpful. At that time I felt it would be the right product for our project. I began working with your design team in California, and soon after we were making payment and coordinating the shipping.

Working with design team was good. The team was very cooperative in designing the system efficiently as to keep costs under control. They were very helpful.

Much of the construction took place during the winter. So we put the panels in put could not yet put in the tubing because of the freezing temperatures in Edmonton. It’s just not possible. We did cover the panels a couple of times during the construction process with Rahm board, first during the winter and again in the summer after the tubing was in. This did cause additional labor for us, and it was time consuming. We would have loved to be able to rent cover panels from you as a temporary covering. Obviously in a smaller house, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but on a large multi-res project like ours, we think this would be a good thing to offer in the future.

This occupants of the building have been living with Warmboard now for 2 full heating seasons, and I can tell you the performance works very well. It is very satisfying. Our residents are amazed and how comfortable it is. And our gas bill is very, very low. Warmboard is saving us a lot of energy for sure.

I would definitely recommend Warmboard in the future and hope to use it in more projects.

vivZ architecture
14021 23 street, Edmonton
780.908.2637

Andrew S., Renfrew, Ontario

"Thanks again. You have been amazing to work with, and fast.  I have never actually seen a Warmboard install around here yet so I am pumped to get going and maybe show it off a bit. There are a lot of old school builders around here. I will see how the install goes but so far I would certainly recommend Warmboard for the customer service, you and Jonathan have both been fantastic.”

Carol V., Victoria B.C.

“I have to say, I love Warmboard! During the process you were quick with responses whenever a question came up which was very helpful. I don’t feel hot and cold spots or even notice it. It just feel comfortable! I love the feeling and it’s exactly what I wanted and was expecting.”

Stan M., Quebec

"I am writing to you from my geothermally-heated home in rural Quebec. The entire house has radiant floor heating and I could not be more pleased [my decision to use] Warmboard. The majority of the house has ceramic flooring but engineered hardwood covers the floors in the bedrooms and the dining room. Following the excellent advice your company provided, no problems occurred during the installation of either type of floor-covering.

The house is best described as cosy - everywhere. From basement to upper floor, gentle heat keeps us comfortable even when it is bitterly cold outside. There are no overheated areas nor are there draughty spots.

When the kitchen cabinets were installed, and the plumbing was fitted in the bathrooms, your piping diagrams showing the exact location of each pipe, allowing the builders to drill the floors with confidence that a disaster was not about to happen. 

There are twelve thermostats in the house which regulate the temperature so well. The system is quite sophisticated but with the engineering expertise we received with the Warmboard package it was installed with few glitches and no major headaches.

I would like […] to thank you, for the support we received during the building of this house. We are delighted to live in a Warmboard house. Thank you."

Peter T., North Bay, Ontario

“[Your rep] provided a technical visit at the house project this afternoon. It was very informative. I want to thank you for the excellent after-sales service and support.”

Dave W., Toronto, Ontario

"Warmboard is in. Pipes are installed and pressurized. Client is happy. Contractor is happy. Floor is impressively solid. Can't wait to add [the hardwood] to it!"

Mario Kani, Sustainable EDGE, Toronto

For over a decade we have been using hydronic radiant heating and cooling in ceilings. The benefits of a fully hydronic house with moderate heating and cooling water temperatures and no recirculated forced air are many, including: 

  • Complements low energy envelopes which require lower heating and cooling capacities
  • Provides better comfort
  • Delivers healthy indoor air
  • Promotes minimum noise in living spaces
  • Requires minimal and smaller ductwork (ventilation only)
  • Results in lower distribution energy (by using a pump instead of a fan)
  • Increased flexibility for thermal supply source such as solar or geothermal energy

Locating the radiant cooling on the ceiling provides the maximum output for a specified design surface temperature. While we have designed several projects using concrete radiant ceilings, we have found that for wood construction, Warmboard is a natural match for ceiling installation, placed just behind the drywall. Warmboard is also an ideal candidate for radiant heating in the ceiling as well, able to provide either low- or high-intensity heating during winter months.

The principle of ceiling cooling is based on average surface temperatures between 60ºF to 70ºF over a large surface area, resulting in draft-free, low-intensity cooling. The cooling surface temperature needs to be high to avoid surface condensation. This system only does sensible cooling of the living space (i.e. no moisture removal) so that dehumidification needs to be done separately. For a successful ceiling cooling installation, the project’s attributes should be as follows: 

  • A high performance thermal envelope to minimize cooling loads through careful glazing selection and summer shading,
  • Significant envelope airtightness
  • 100% outdoor air ventilation without recirculation (also known as DOAS: dedicated outdoor air system )
  • Ventilation heat recovery (preferably an ERV)
  • Dehumidification of outdoor air with 45ºF to 50ºF chilled water (e.g. directly from ground water or via ground source heat pump) resulting in drier ventilation air than room air.

We look forward to using Warmboard–R, the thinner retrofit product in our next radiant ceiling project.

 

 

Chris Walker, Christopher Developments, Victoria BC

Christopher Developments is a luxury home design and build firm in Victoria BC. Read what he had to say about his experience with Warmboard and crew.

“The whole Warmboard crew and experience were great. The Regional Manager for my area was informative, responsive, and extremely helpful. I really can’t emphasize enough how enjoyable it was to deal with him.

I have to admit, Warmboard was expensive, in part due to the fact that we’re out of Canada, which adds some costs. That being said, I feel confident that as a radiant floor heating system, the benefits justify the costs. Warmboard truly is a superior product, and is worth the investment.

Not only is the product great, it was thoroughly enjoyable working with the Warmboard crew. You delivered on every promise. The service from everyone on the Warmboard team made it as smooth of a process as I could hope for. The product lives up to every claim, what I ordered showed up, and the installation was an easy one.

I don’t want to repeat myself, but Warmboard really is an all-around great company. So much so, that I already have another project in the works with Sean. This is certainly a product I will be recommending to future clients.”

Video provided by Chris Walker.

Wil Scheuer, Pro-Star Mechanical

Wilf Scheuer of Pro-Star Mechanical talks about a unique build on top of a mountain in the Gulf Islands.

“We’ve been quite happy with our Warmboard experience, had no issues whatsoever. It was easy to work with, and we’ve done a number of Warmboard projects. I think we may have done the first Warmboard ever in BC and we recommend it highly.

Warmboard was a good product for this particular job because it’s on a remote access Gulf Island.  The project is on the top of a mountain above Mayne Island, so it’s quite cold up there as compared to being lower down. It took them five years to finish the job, but it’s a really beautiful architecturally designed home, the best views in the world I’ve ever seen. It overlooks the ocean, Active Pass, and the other islands.

So when talking to the client we gave different options and both the client and ourselves found that Warmboard was the best solution. The owner wanted a high quality system that was compatible with a geothermal heat pump because we drilled three holes 350 FT deep into the mountain.

With the combination of Warmboard, geothermal and the water furnace heat pump he’s got an excellent system that runs reliably and is economical. It’s economical to heat the home as compared to other fuel pipes in the Gulf Islands, which would normally be oil, propane or straight electric, so he’s probably saving 70% of heating costs as compared to traditional sources and it has really good performance.

We find that the heat is very, very even throughout the home and is quite satisfying. It has a lot of glass in there too so in homes with large amounts of glass it’s important to have good distribution systems for your radiant heat so that heat is applied evenly throughout the home so you’re not getting cold sitting by a window.

Overall, Warmboard seemed to be a really neat package that had good performance of heating; he liked the idea of a smooth floor, extra structure, and that he could use it for temporary heating even before the floor was finished.  

Aside from the fact that Warmboard gives you very even heat, it seems to move the job along quickly. For the heating contractor it gives you a good guide for installing.  The installation ease and performance of the product is superior to other methods like concrete topping or stapling underneath and insulating. With Warmboard you just have to snap the tubing in there with a rubber mallet.

We’ve worked with Uponor quite a bit and Watts, and in slab, under slab, under joist, topping on top of plywood, ceiling radiant, wall radiant, virtually every way of possibly doing it, and I think the Warmboard situation probably is the simplest and easiest… an elegant solution to radiant heating a home.”

Michael Diacon

Michael, a homeowner, talked to us about the addition/renovation of his home in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The project included an overhaul of the old heating system to make way for a more effective, energy efficient alternative. 

It was during the renovation and addition to our house that we decided to a look at updating our heating system. One of my sisters had had in-floor heating in a couple of her houses, so I was familiar with the concept and had always enjoyed it. After some research we decided to go with in-floor heating, partially due to efficiency; furnaces tend not to be as efficient as hot water heat, and partially due to the difference in comfort.

This prompted research into the various methods of in-floor heat: staple-up, lay-down, the one where you pour concrete over top, etc. And then I came across Warmboard.  As I continued researching I realized that Warmboard was the most efficient at distributing heat. That’s what sold me in the end.

I did the majority of the installation work myself, however I did have a couple of individuals with some experience working on construction projects. They were impressed with how easily the Warmboard-R went down, as well as how heavy and sound the Warmboard-S panels were. Everyone that either helped with the installation process or witnessed it was quite impressed with the ease of it all.

Most remarkable though, is the follow-up from the company. Warmboard has been in touch with me many times over the course of the project. Right from the beginning when I first sent the query in, through the completion of the project, down to an email a few days ago asking for feedback and input. The company looks after you every step of the way.

I turned the heat on in March, so we’re just ending a full year of heating. It’s been wonderful to walk from one area to another and feel nice, comfortable warmth. Even my wife has commented how evenly heated it is, and the lack of cold spots. I’ve also noticed that when I don’t have all of the loops on, as I walk from one area to another I can actually feel the difference walking from a warm area into a cool one. Not just the heat on the floor, but the actual space itself feels much cooler. I’m very impressed with how well it keeps the whole house warm.

Alex Genzer, The Boiler Guys, Toronto

Alex Genzer of The Boiler Guys speaks about a remodel project in Toronto. They had initially chosen an alternative radiant heating method for their home but decided to make a last minute switch to Warmboard due to several concerns about Staple-up. 

“I’ve done a couple of Warmboard jobs now and they’ve all been really good. With this job we were originally asked to do Staple-up throughout the whole house, but there were several concerns with the floor which the original general contractor didn’t notice. The quick and easy solution was to put in Warmboard.

Once we made the switch, it went very smoothly. Probably the quickest install I’ve ever done. The people doing the subfloor were able to put it down in about a day, and then I came in and laid the tubing down.

The great thing about Warmboard is that the tubing took me only a couple of hours to lay down. It literally clips right into the grooves. I ran it to the mechanical room and had it pressurized all within a couple of hours, whereas other systems you usually have to budget the whole day.

The fact that we can install the systems very quickly compared to traditional ways is a definite benefit when using Warmboard. Speed of install is so precious here. You’re not on your knees as long, and the tools are much simpler. We don’t need zip ties, we don’t need staples, and they have that weighted roller for the tubing. It literally takes one person with an unwinder and PEX. It goes down as quick as anything else, and it’s cleaner than anything else. Not to mention it actually looks cooler because the pipe is dead straight, absolutely straight, and then it turns and the radiuses are perfect. Even the ‘Wow Factor’ you get when the customer sees the nice, new job is something you just don’t experience with Staple-up.

I’ve also noticed that the average temperature for water with Warmboard is lower than Staple-up or Onyx systems. We can do around 80 or 90 degree water temperatures with Warmboard whereas any other system you’d have to do up to 140 degrees. Everyone in the hydronics trade knows that the lower the water temperature the more efficient [the system] becomes, and Warmboard has the lowest water temperatures. It just does.

A lot of people are initially deterred by the fact that it is a more expensive product. But then you compare it to other systems that require other stuff. For instance engineering has to be done differently, we need to create bigger joists, we need a floor leveler, etc., – it just becomes a big nightmare. When you really compare it, it’s around the same price at the end of the day.

So when other customers are talking about the price I let them know that when they choose this product early on, the initial part of the job might be a little more than doing in-floor concrete or Staple-up. However, when you consider the fact that we don’t need all of those other trades to accomplish the same thing, it actually ends up being around the same price. And once I install it the customers love it. They love it and we love it.”