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Timber frame houses are increasingly popular in the Leningrad Region. But underfloor heating in a frame house must account for the constraints — wooden joists, light foundations, limits on floor load.
In masonry houses screed weighs ~130–150 kg/m². Timber joists are rated for 200–250 kg/m² including furniture and people — heavy screed consumes most of the allowance. Frame houses also sit on light foundations (helical piles, shallow strip), so extra tons of screed are out.
Pipes in shaped heat-spreader plates in EPS mats or between joists. Above — two 10 mm GVL layers and the finish.
Weight 25–35 kg/m² instead of 130–150
Install in 1–2 days, no 28-day cure
Warm-up in 20–30 min instead of 2–3 hours
Repairable
30–40% more expensive
If the structure allows 70–100 kg/m² extra load, a 40–50 mm screed with plasticiser works. Cheaper, better heat accumulation. Standard for frame houses on Swedish slab (UShP).
EPS 100–200 mm. For frame on piles — 150 mm min (ideally 200 mm). For UShP — 100 mm. Without it, 40–50% of heat is lost downward, plus condensation that rots the timber.
Place close to the geometric centre. Components: supply/return manifold with flow meters and valves, mixing group, thermo-manometers, air vents, drain taps. Cost for 4–6 loops in 2026 — 18 000–45 000 ₽.
Fill, purge air, 6 bar, hold 24 hours, ≤0.5 bar drop allowed, visual check, leave 4–5 bar during screed pour.
Prepare substrate — flat (≤2 mm over 2 m), dry, clean
Install EPS 100–200 mm staggered, tape joints; 150 mm overlap vapour barrier
Expansion tape around perimeter, 20 mm above finish level
Lay mats or wood battens with channels
Install spreader plates
Run pipe per design (snake or snail), terminate at the manifold
Connect and pressure-test (24 h at 6 bar)
Two 10 mm GVL layers staggered, screws + glue; then finish
Screed without load calculation — sagging
No vapour barrier — condensation and timber rot
Rigid pipe-to-wood fixings — pipes expand when heated
One loop for the whole house — need 5–7 loops in 100 m²
Item | Dry, ₽/m² | Wet, ₽/m² |
|---|---|---|
PE-Xa 16 mm | 520–780 | 520–780 |
EPS 150 mm | 450–650 | 450–650 |
Mats + plates | 800–1 200 | — |
Screed 45–50 mm | — | 500–750 |
GVL 2×10 mm | 350–500 | — |
Tape, film, fixings | 80–130 | 80–130 |
Labour | 500–800 | 450–700 |
Total | 2 700–4 060 | 2 000–3 010 |
The dry system costs more but avoids overloading joists and speeds up the schedule — often the only safe option for frame houses on piles.
StroyInvest24 calculates and installs underfloor heating in frame houses factoring in joist and foundation load limits, across the Leningrad Region.
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