Getting underfloor heating installed sounds simple enough. You find a UFH company, they fit the system, job done. But anyone who has been through a flooring or renovation project knows that the reality is rarely that clean.
There’s the insulation and damp-proof membrane that need to go in before the pipes; or substrate preparation for overlay systems. The screed that goes on top. The floor build-up that has to be calculated precisely so your finished floor level matches your door frames and thresholds. Each element depends on the last. And each one is often a different contractor, a different quote, a different site visit, and a different person to blame when something doesn’t line up.
At Cozia, we do it differently. We’re set up to handle the full process in-house: PIR insulation, damp-proof membranes and vapour barriers, UFH design, supply and installation, and liquid screed. All these elements are under one roof, managed by one team, from site survey to finished floor.
Here’s why that matters more than you might think.
There’s no gap between design and installation.
Underfloor heating only performs as intended when the design is done properly. Pipe spacing, flow rates, heat loss calculations, zone layouts. Get that wrong and you’ll have rooms that never quite get up to temperature, or a system that runs inefficiently and costs more to heat than it should. Even more so if you’re pairing with a heat pump, where the set up of your heat pump must be taken into account.
When your UFH design and installation are handled by the same team, there’s no translation gap. The engineer who designed the system is accountable for the result on site. If something needs to be adapted – a column in an unexpected place, a floor build-up that’s tighter than the drawings suggested – it gets dealt with by someone who understands the whole picture, not a fitter reading a plan drawn up by someone they’ve never met. It’s a seamless process.
Floor build-up errors are expensive. We catch them before they happen.
One of the most common, and costly, problems in UFH projects is the floor build-up not matching what was planned. A few millimetres here and there adds up quickly, and suddenly your doors won’t close, your step thresholds are wrong, or your new floor doesn’t meet the existing finish in the adjoining room.
The build-up on a typical Cozia screed installation involves:
- PIR insulation – specified and installed to the right thickness for the room’s heat loss and the floor’s overall build-up target
- Damp-proof membranes and vapour barriers – supplied and fitted correctly, accounting for the substrate below
- UFH pipework – laid to the design, clipped or stapled into the insulation
- Liquid screed – the correct screed specification, poured by our own screeding team to the correct depth over the system
Because we’re supplying and installing every layer, we know exactly what’s going in.
One point of contact. One point of accountability.
Every building project encounters surprises. A subfloor that isn’t as flat as expected. A wall that isn’t where the drawing said it was. A joist that’s running in the wrong direction for the planned pipe layout. These things happen and they need to be resolved quickly, on site, by someone with the knowledge and authority to make a decision.
Our site team understands every layer of what we’re installing. When something comes up we can adapt without delay, without passing the problem up a chain of separate contractors, and without the cost of bringing multiple people back to site.
If something goes wrong on a multi-contractor project, lack of accountability between trades can be very frustrating for a homeowner. With Cozia, there’s no finger pointing. We designed it, we specified it, we installed it. If there’s an issue, it’s ours to resolve, so we’re motivated to get it right first time.
That single point of accountability isn’t just reassuring for you as a homeowner. It actively makes the job go better. Our team isn’t trying to protect their element of the project; they’re trying to make the whole thing work.
Thermal performance you can trust.
An underfloor heating system is only as good as the insulation beneath it. Underspecified or incorrectly installed insulation means heat loss side or downwards rather than upwards into the room, and a system that costs more to run while delivering less warmth.
Because we specify and install the PIR insulation ourselves, we can guarantee that it’s right for the system above it and well-installed so it won’t cause issues with the screed at a later date.
The same logic applies to vapour control. A DPM or vapour barrier that’s poorly lapped, wrinkled, incorrectly positioned, or missing altogether isn’t just a thermal problem. It’s a long-term moisture problem that can damage the screed, the pipework, and the finished floor above. We don’t leave that detail to chance, or to someone else.
What this looks like on a real project.
A homeowner in a 1930s semi extends the rear of their property and wants underfloor heating throughout the ground floor. Their builder is coordinating the main structure, but the floor finish and heating are left to the homeowner to arrange.
With separate contractors, they would need to find and manage an insulation supplier, a UFH company, and a screed contractor. Each would need to visit site separately. The UFH company would need to communicate the pipe layout to the screeder. The insulation depth would need to match the UFH specification and feed into the screeder’s calculations. If anything changes on site, someone needs to tell everyone else.
With Cozia, an account manager reviews the project plans and undertakes a discovery call with the homeowner to ascertain the best system solution. A quotation is then provided and, at the appropriate time in the build/renovation, a member of the install team visits, assesses the project for the quoted system, after which an install booking can be made. During the site visit we look at floor build-up, ceiling height, manifold location, zones and controls, floor substrate and site conditions, for example water supply. One team and one invoice at the end.
In a nutshell…
Underfloor heating projects involve more layers, literally and figuratively, than most homeowners expect. The best results come when those layers are designed and installed by a team that understands each one and is accountable for all of them.
That’s what Cozia offers. Not just underfloor heating, and not just screed, but the whole floor, done right, by people who will still be answering the phone if you have a question six months later.
If you’re planning a renovation or new build and want to understand what a full-service approach would look like for your project, get in touch with the Cozia team for a no-obligation survey and quotation. Or call 01283 759085 for an initial chat about your project.
