We’ve just move into a new (to us) house and want to knock the through to make a kitchen diner. The complication is that knocking through involve relocating the downstairs loo and going through a supporting wall. Various pipes, electrics and the consumer unit will also need moving.
On top of that Mrs CD wants UFH, I’m not sure whether that is possible due to a probable lack of insulation (early 90’s beam and block floor) and little scope to build up floor height. I only want it fitted if it is efficient so I’m not sure whether to trust a UFH installer to say that it will be.

I’m new to this home improvement stuff so the question is should I just find a building contractor to do all this or is it better to get an architect to make plans and then employ the individual trades?

Cheers

there are thinner insulation products with inset grooves for the UFH pipes out there. But you also have to allow for the floor covering thickness – which frankly ought to be stone tile for good thermal mass and transmissions. However the product below seems OK with anythign from timber, laminate to vinyl.

for example
http://www.eco-building-products.co.uk/underfloor_heating.php
http://www.eco-building-products.co.uk/downloads/polypipe_ufch_technical_guide.pdf

overlay is 18mm but then you might need to allow another 15-25mm for the adhesive and tile. Or as little as 5mm say for vinyl.

Sounds like quite a lot of work and shuffling things around. Is there scope to extend instead? You can minimise disruption in the existing house and punch through near the end. That’s what we are doing. Extending off the dining room to make a kitchen/diner and the current kitchen will become a laundry and somewhere to keep the bikes. Price will be a little more but you get a lot more.

Have you taken up a patch of screed? May surprise you and be insulation under it?

If it’s early 90s, there will be some form of insulation down there…

I’ve been looking at the Poly pipe overlay and similar. None give any info on the insulation values of the panel though. I can’t imagine they are sufficient if the floor doesn’t already have some insulation.

The house is plenty big enough, just a poor layout so we don’t want to extend. Besides that definitely wont be in budget. Budget is £20-25k and £10k of that is the kitchen units and appliances.