If homeowners choose to encase themselves in a concrete home, then radiant heat had better be in the cards also. Slab-on-grade, combining massive concrete walls and large, glass-enclosed areas would challenge the best of conventional forced air systems.
In this Missouri home, abundant Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired concrete acts as an effective thermal storage system. Even the finished floors, concealing a half-mile of radiant PEX heat tubing, are the actual scored and colored slab. It provides optimal comfort and an attractive, easy-to-maintain floor surface. Installer Bob ("Hot Rod") Rohr says that, combined with a substantial under slab insulation to minimize heat loss, the high efficiency system will provide unsurpassed comfort and low operating cost for years to come.
Weather-responsive controls and multiple zones allow the home office and guest rooms to be controlled separately in this 2,800 square foot home that includes some walkway snow melting, a radiantly-warmed, sunken concrete bath and cascade that spills from the back of the house where water plays gracefully within the mature property's sloped features.
