Kirstie Allsopp speaks about Nu-Heat Kirstie Allsopp, well-known TV presenter and property guru, recently embarked on the complete renovation of Meadowgate – a substantial five-bedroom detached property – for her latest television series ‘Kirstie’s Homemade Home’.
The prime-time show illustrates how to transform dull, tired rooms into inviting, welcoming spaces – ‘and what better way to achieve this than with warm water underfloor heating’, says Kirstie.
Kirstie talks about her experiences and motivations for choosing warm water underfloor heating:
‘Meadowgate was originally bought as a personal project but its renovation became the basis of a TV series. Producers cut the overall project timescale by approximately six weeks, but as most people know, site deadlines are seldom met. The new completion meant there was even more pressure to stay on schedule. I believe integrating underfloor heating helped to achieve this as it was super-quick and hassle free to fit, meaning the next stage of the project was well underway by my next site visit – testament to a brilliantly designed and installed system.’
Underfloor heating is definitely the way forward and I would not hesitate to recommend Nu-Heat’s products.
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‘In my opinion home heating is just as important as interior design. There’s little point investing the time and energy trying to create the right ambience and setting if it is jeopardised by a poorly designed or badly functioning heating system – and this is where Nu-Heat’s bespoke design service came into its own.’
‘We wanted to create a striking open-plan kitchen/diner and underfloor heating allowed us to make the best use of the space, whilst also ensuring complete design freedom. The alternative method was to place oversized radiators on the walls – not a feasible solution given that we wanted our guests to appreciate all of the little details and original touches, rather than focus on big, cumbersome pieces of metal.’
‘The kitchen is a focal point and a great place for socialising and there’s nothing more satisfying than getting out of bed in the morning and going downstairs to a cuddly room. That may seem an odd word to describe underfloor heating, but I think it sums up exactly how it makes you feel – in fact I am often tempted to lie on the floor to fully enjoy its cosiness!’
‘Aside from the aesthetics, running costs were a major consideration. The property is used as a holiday let and we wanted to ensure two things – that running costs were kept to a minimum and that guests were welcomed by a warm and pleasant space, and underfloor heating definitely helps to achieve this. We didn’t want to be in a situation where occupants would have to rush around the house turning on radiators only for the space to become uncomfortable and stifling.’
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‘Underfloor heating is extremely versatile and gone are the days when it is just suited to new build developments. Due to land shortages, more and more self builders are turning to projects in need of complete refurbishment and more often than not, this will often involve major works – presenting an ideal opportunity to fit underfloor heating and I would urge anyone in this position to install one of Nu-Heat’s systems.’
The flow and return pipework was fitted to a five port manifold. Tube lengths are specified on Nu-Heat’s drawings and Enterprise UFH Ltd always recommends installers label zones/ports as it will save time when commissioning – especially in the event of customer call backs as it should allow a quicker diagnosis of the problem.
‘I have said on more than one occasion, that I would definitely recommend Nu-Heat’s underfloor heating. Everything we integrated or used in this house is something I would happily live with and I hope to have another project where we can specify underfloor heating – however next time we will ideally link it with something from Nu-Heat’s renewables range.’
For more information about solar, underfloor heating, heat pumps or renewables training, please call Nu-Heat on 0800 731 1976.
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0800 731 1976
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