Radiant Budget Estimates

Jim_19

Next 12 to 24 months will see us in a single story home on slab. I plan on radiant in slab heat. For budget purposes only - is there a reliable, generic estimate on cost per square foot? At this point I envision one zone for the home of about 2,000 sq feet and one zone for the workshop/garage of 800 to 900 sq feet. One web site says that $5. per sq foot is a realistic number for budgeting.

True or false?

Weezbo

in a word, no.

our country and its topography and population distribution is such that there are no set numbers even within a community..there are so many variations of installation practices and there are new ones entering the market every day with costs associated with them ,so really No.

Rick Kelly_3

Pricing

I don't know what part of the country you are in but that $5/sq. ft. cost estimate sounds more like a bottom end starting point. Without knowing what you have in mind for a boiler/DHW system, your $5/sq.ft. price should cover your design fee, slab, and a little distribution piping.

Jim_19

Puzzling!

Something doesn't compute. In order to even put together a budget for a project a year off, you're saying I need to get contractors quoting prices now? My carpenter can tell me the approximate cost per square foot. Can't and won't quote or commit to anything until blueprints are available but at least I know how many banks to knock over! (Touch of humor there)

Any other thoughts?

Paul Pollets

False

$5 PSF gets you a very basic budget system, and no more. No offense intended, but on any Euro project designs, that amount would barely cover the cost of materials. It is possible to quote an approximate SF price for radiant applications, providing each contractor calculates his costs and overhead for each particular application, including the mechanical room.
It seems easy for me to look at the mech room as a separate item price, with boiler, indirectDHW tank, controls, pipe, pumps, valves, fttgs and pipe insulation.
Then I'd price the heat emitters (and distribution piping), whatever they may be, as a separate line item.
Pricing is a dicey subject on The Wall.
You'll always pay more for better equipment, design and skillset, competence and reliability.

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Jim_19

Still puzzled

While I'm not a rocket scientist (or a great speller), I'm still puzzled. I can look up most contracting specialties and see the general pricing trends in that profession. I'm not nearly at the stage where I want to get contractors involved yet. What I'm trying to find is if radiant is achieveable in my budget.

There is an established price range in every profession. You know if you are doing an economy, plain vanilla job that $5. per sq foot will be in the right ball park. (Numbers are for illustration only!!!!)

You know that if you're stepping up to a luxury home with more bells and whistles, $7.50 per sq foot is more accurate.

You know that if you get the mansion on the hill job that will have all the toys, $10. per sq foot is more like it.

Once we have firmed up the general layout, then we'll talk to the contractors and begin the long process of comparing references. When we added FHW heat to our current home we paid several grand MORE than the low bid because the contractor was worth it! His references and his workmanship was impeccable.

So, what type of budget should I be estimating for this part of the project?

Paul Pollets

Why...

Why don't you call several radiant contractors in the area you're building in and ask what they think? If you were in Seattle, I'd surely be able to tell you.
Have you tried the "Find a Professional" feature of this site?

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Weezbo

Try tell people around here that.!

"Your in La LA Land". or ok i have a job for you .Prove it!

Unknown

Even if we could estimate past the great variance in material choices available out there, let me lay this out for you.

Some of my clients have come to me... I've gotten two from one area specifically, for example... and said that the contractors in their area are consistently bidding radiant at $20-30/sq ft.

Some I've seen can come in at 5-10.

Bottom line, we can say whatever we like here; it has no bearing on reality for your area. We'd be guessing, just like you.


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Weezbo

MRT.,Paul....right now we pay 500$ premium

on Heated material, every thing costs 2 3 times any cookie cutter idea and to get the people out of bed ....well buddy thats gonna be spendy..not going to go gypcrete?wanna go cement? from a batch plant? can we say ,$10000 wouldnt entice one of them to fire the steam boilers blah blah blah? to get them to do that...you have to have lined work up all the way to the day and min.....and down on thier doorstep as soon as the last job was about to be started..even though the guys are my buddies they would laugh in my face to even suggest, that .Like i say ..you dont belive me ..Prove it.i will sell tickets.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Hydronic systems in general and radiant panel systems in particular have a dizzying number of variables--some in your control and others out of your control.

There are choices at EVERY step--the tubing, the piping strategy, the boiler, the controls, etc., each of which can and frequently does affect the choice of the others. Even your choice of floor coverings has an effect! Quite different from the world of forced air where there are FAR fewer interdependencies.

Also, the cost of doing business varies widely in this huge country of ours.

Since you're in the early planning stages, the best thing you can do is educate yourself regarding many of the options. You'll learn about the things that contain costs with little or no effect on performance and longevity. You'll learn about the amazing variety of boilers that can be used and how AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) isn't as applicable in the hydronic world as it is with forced air. Most importantly you'll learn how to identify contractors who really "know their stuff" and weed out the wanna-bees.

tls_9

Budget Figures

Once up on time......I worked for a company whose owner had on his shelf a 3 ring binder of "Budget Figures". It may have been from MCA or it may have been some other industry organization, I don’t remember. But it was a published volume of budget figures and he had added to from his own years of experience.

Unfortunately, that was long ago and I do not have access to it to help you. But this type of information is available. Try calling local contractors, some one should be able to help you. Have you hired an architect yet, they rely on the same publications to give budgets. Try calling a few of them.

To you wallies that are RPA members, does the RPA do labor and budget estimates? If not; they should be.

good luck

tom

Jim_19

Thanks

Some very thoughful responses. A couple that are incomprehensible but mostly very thoughtful.

Thanks