Why radiators are the usual answer
Water-based underfloor heating sits in a new screed with insulation beneath it, so it means lifting the floor. In a finished apartment that is rarely worth it unless the floors are being replaced anyway.
Radiators only need a pipe to and from each one. They hang on the wall, usually under a window, and can be chosen to suit the room, from slim panels to designer models and towel warmers in the bathrooms. For a single bathroom being retiled, thin electric underfloor mats are another option.
Where the pipes go
This is the question every owner asks, and the answer is planned room by room at the survey. Common routes are along the skirting, inside a short chase cut in the wall plaster and refilled, through internal walls, and above existing false ceilings or gypsum board bulkheads. Modern multilayer pipe is thin and bends neatly, which keeps the routes small.
The aim is the fewest openings in finished surfaces, in places that are easy to make good: behind furniture, inside cupboards, along corners. Where a wall has to be opened, it is repaired and repainted as part of the job.
Where the boiler or heat pump goes
With a natural gas line, a wall-hung boiler usually goes in the kitchen, a utility room or an enclosed balcony, where the flue can reach outside safely. Without gas, an electric boiler can go almost anywhere indoors if the electricity supply allows it.
A heat pump needs a place outdoors for its unit, such as a balcony, a roof or a service area, where it has airflow and its fan noise will not disturb anyone. In many apartments that decides the heat source on its own.
Living at home while the work is done
Most families stay at home. The work is planned room by room so that only part of the apartment is disturbed at a time, furniture and floors are covered, and each room is cleaned before the team moves on.
Before the walls are closed, the new pipework is pressure-tested, so any problem shows while it is still easy to reach. The system is then filled, balanced and commissioned, and we walk you through the thermostats and controls.
Building rules and neighbours
Check your building or compound rules before the survey: some limit where outdoor units and flues may go on the façade, or what work can be done on which days. A gas boiler connection must also meet the gas company’s requirements.
If the apartment is due for a renovation in the next year or two, it may be worth waiting and planning the heating with it, because that is the moment underfloor heating becomes easy.
What to expect from a survey
At the survey we look at each room’s heat loss, the window and wall positions, where pipes can run with the least disturbance, the gas and electricity available, and where a boiler or outdoor unit could go. You get a design you can see before any wall is touched.
Conversion EG has designed and installed heating in Egypt since 2010, with one team from design and supply through installation and maintenance, so the people who plan the routes are the people who install them.
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