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Original poster

No heating upstairs? Are we mad!

77 replies

bounty007 · 08/02/2012 20:17

we are building a new house and have installed underfloor heating downstairs and in the bathrooms upstairs...bedrooms are plumbed for radiators but we decided not to install any...are we mad?

OP posts:
thestringcheesemassacre · 08/02/2012 20:17

yes.

jenrendo · 08/02/2012 20:18

Yes if you are in the UK Grin

thereinmadnesslies · 08/02/2012 20:18

Does sound a bit mad, sorry. Is the house really well insulated?
I guess if the plumbing is there you can always add radiators later if it's too cold upstairs

Grumpla · 08/02/2012 20:18

Mad. And soon you will be mad, cold, and possibly slightly damp.

Sidge · 08/02/2012 20:28

Yes.

I may be a softy southerner but I couldn't live in a house with no heating in the bedrooms.

I don't like a hot bedroom and use TRVs to keep the temperature lower than the rest of the house but I wouldn't like to have no rads at all.

Original poster
bounty007 · 08/02/2012 20:29

Oh cr*p! Insulation went in today..loads of it...surely someone has done this and will come along and reassure me that we don't need radiators taking up room and wall space.....please Grin

OP posts:
Francagoestohollywood · 08/02/2012 20:29

yes, unless you live in Sicily, but even there winters can be cold.

Choufleur · 08/02/2012 20:30

If they are plumbed can't you just put them in - it'll be cold.

ChippingInLovesEasterEggs · 08/02/2012 20:30

You are mad. I don't like 'heated' bedrooms, I like it to be cool when I'm sleeping, but not absolutely bloody freezing. IMO you need to take the chill off of the rooms. Ring him tonight.

Francagoestohollywood · 08/02/2012 20:30

I am sure lots of people will come to reassure you OP! There's plenty of MNetters who boast on those competitive freezing threads that they happily live in 12 decrees houses out of choice Grin

DonInKillerHeels · 08/02/2012 20:31

You are insane. Seriously.

hatesponge · 08/02/2012 20:35

I grew up in a house with no heating upstairs however we were a mid terrace (so insulated on both sides by other houses) and the ground floor was open plan with stairs in the lounge - so a lot of heat would travel upwards.

Unless a terrace/open plan lower level I think the bedrooms will be very cold and you should put some heating in! (I only have working rads in 2 out of 7 upstairs rooms in this house at present and we are bloody freezing all the time!)

LydiaWickham · 08/02/2012 20:35

You are insane - it will be very, very cold, unless you have your heating on full blast downstairs so the heat can rise. You'll end up sweating when downstairs so that you've got enough heat to rise for your bedrooms, or cracking the first cold winter and having massive electricity bills from running ugly fan heaters and electric blankets.

Littlefish · 08/02/2012 20:35

You need radiators, unless you are prepared to spend a small fortune on electric heaters when the bedrooms are freezing.

Littlefish · 08/02/2012 20:36

X post with Lydia!

Original poster
bounty007 · 08/02/2012 20:36

I'm sure I could turn into a lentil weaver and knit some woolly jumpers for the kids....Grin
We are Scotland too, so not exactly tropical ....whatever happened to global warming??

OP posts:
secondthought · 08/02/2012 20:39

Agree. A bit mad. Especially building a house from scratch where you can make it just as you want it, seems odd not to have the option to heat the bedrooms. Could potentially put off buyers if you wanted to sell.

Sidge · 08/02/2012 20:40

Franca I never never understand those competitive misery threads where people boast how cold they are. Grin

I can't see what's so great about sitting wrapped in thermals and blankets whilst your house is 13 degrees when you can afford to put the heating on and just choose not to.

LadyHonOricellaDedlock · 08/02/2012 20:40

No you're not if you have tonnes of insulation - heat will rise and you'll be fine. We have a woodburner only and upstairs is roasting (open plan); two more houses I know off have a similar set-up (although far less open plan than we are) and are absolutely fine

what kind of U values are you working to? And what is running your UFH?

Rhubarbgarden · 08/02/2012 20:43

I never have my bedroom radiator on. And they are switched off in the other bedrooms too, except for 19 month old dd's room. BUT I do put them on if we have guests, as otherwise I get complaints! And we have one in the corridor that is switched on, and that keeps things ambient. I really hate overheated bedrooms.

hellhasnofury · 08/02/2012 20:43

I think it depends. We all hate heated bedrooms so none of us run our bedroom heaters. The bathroom is warm but our bedrooms aren't I can't say any of us find the bedrooms overly cold.

If the plumbing is there you can always add them if you need to later.

Original poster
bounty007 · 08/02/2012 20:46

U values?? no idea! UFH mains gas, wet system...I think
Not open plan...the opposite in fact!
Please someone tell me it works....

OP posts:
Onlyaphase · 08/02/2012 20:46

My father has this exact set up - underfloor heating downstairs and no heating upstairs other than in the bathroom. And we are in NE England.

His house is always too hot for me, always. Including upstairs. I put this down to the super duper insulation in his house (recently converted and insulated to modern standards from a farm building). We live in the standard un-insulated house nearby with heating up and downstairs (normal radiators) and we aren't nearly as warm.

Runoutofideas · 08/02/2012 20:47

My PIL have a house with no central heating, just a woodburner in the sitting room and the upstairs is freeeeezing. I don't like going to stay there in the winter as it is uncomfortable. You can see your breath when you wake up and the insides of the windows have ice on them. Utter madness for you not to put radiators in - or do underfloor heating throughout if you don't like the look of them!

EnjoyResponsibly · 08/02/2012 20:47

Bonkers. Turn your heating off tonight and see how long it takes before you're properly uncomfortable.

If you have heating you can turn it down, if you don't you'll be cold, damp and very miserable.