Underfloor heating for laminate floors

Earlier, I posted on the subject of heating the floor. This post is on the subject of underfloor heating that is suitable for wood laminate flooring.

Wood laminate flooring is not a very good conductor of heat, so a different type of heating is required to that of an under-tile heating solution.

Under-tile heating comprises a coiled cable that is stuck to a mesh. It requires a screed to be poured over it in order to keep it in place and to provide a stable base for the tiles. With heating suitable for under laminate wood, a flat mat solution is required. No screed needs to poured, but the matting is laid over a firm-sponge acoustic underlay. The wood laminate is laid directly on top of the mat-heater.

Heat matting for under wood laminate

The heated mats are connected to mains electricity which must be installed by a licensed electrician. The controllers enable the heating temperatures to be easily controlled, and they can be placed on timers, with manual over-ride capabilities.

We had the solution laid in a large open area, in a house that is elevated from the ground, in a room with high ceilings, yet we are very warm in the area after only half an hour of the heating being on. The added bonus is having toastie toes while I walk around first thing on a frosty morning!

Laminate flooring gets laid on top of the heat mat

Sell your own home

We made a tough decision. Despite everyone telling us to keep our current house and use it to earn rental income, we decided to sell it in order to significantly reduce our home loan.

The house we wanted to sell was a three-bedroom, one-bathroom, brick construction, built in the 1980s. Located in a suburb north of Perth, it was not the most expensive house around; in fact, the house was valued in the price-range that was selling the quickest at the time. So it was a bit of a surprise when a real-estate agent valued it at a lower price than we expected. However, the biggest surprise was the fee the agent quoted to sell the house for us. The average time to sell  a property in the price-range in the area at the time (April 2013) was 39 days - that's from listing to 'under offer'.

The agent's fee quoted was $7,500. We thought that was more than a bit steep and indicative of another rip-off Perth service.

So we decided to sell the house ourselves. We conducted a lot of research in owner-sales, and chose to use forsalebyowner.com.au. A little reluctant to risk the fee ($699), without really knowing what we were doing, I started an online chat with one of their 24-hour support staff. I was truly surprised that, on a Sunday evening, Colin (one of the founders of the company), was available to chat online, give me all the risks, the positives, and the guidance, to place my property listing in their care.

After taking several photos of the property, and writing a description of its features, we paid the fee and logged on to the website to list our property. It was publicly listed on the most well-recognised real-estate websites (including realestate.com.au), by midday the following day. We had our first enquiry (SMS received to my mobile phone) by late Monday afternoon, and our first viewing on the Friday of the same week.

After purchasing a Sale of Contract form ($4.50) from our post office, we held an open day on the Saturday (just five days after listing) where 21 prospective buyers viewed the property. We received five offers, and accepted an offer at above the asking price - you should know that we listed the property at a higher price than the original real-estate agent wanted to list at.

We will honestly never again list our property with a real-estate agent, without first trying to sell it ourselves. The feedback we had from the prospective buyers, at the home open, included them being grateful that the actual home-owners were there to answer their questions about the house, without the real-estate agent spin being added. They also said that they felt the house was listed at a fairer price and they did not feel the price had been inflated to cover the real-estate agent's fees! In short, people were attracted to our property BECAUSE we had decided to sell it ourselves - we'd thought it might put people off!

We settled six weeks later - it was far easier than any previous experience I've had using real-estate agent.

Settlement agents

A settlement agent is required if you are not able to manage all the legal tasks and paperwork associated with buying (or selling) property. A quick internet search, via your favourite search engine, will produce a rather long list of settlement agents in and around your local area. So how do you choose the right one?

It's important to choose a settlement agent with experience with your type of property (residential, commercial, strata, etc.). It's also a good idea to check how many actual conveyance agents there are at the agency. This ensures that should your agent be away from the office for any reason (including holiday or sick) during your settlement period, there will be other agents available to handle your case. Settlement agents need to have a good reputation, and you need to feel that you can maintain a good relationship with them for the duration of the settlement (anything from a couple of weeks to months!).

We searched the internet to find our settlement agent. We made a wrong decision to begin with, choosing an agent whose website was very informative (and included a settlement calculator). The problem was, after a few days, the agent still had not returned our calls or emails. We searched again, finding another good website with lots of information and a convenient calculator that included all settlement costs, including stamp duty.

Advantage Settlements were excellent. We used them for the both the purchase of the house in the hills, and the sale of our previous home. So confident are we in their capabilities and services, that we are resolute to use their services again in the future.

Heat the floor

Prior to settlement we have a lot of things to line up. For example, underfloor heating. Yes, the house is in Western Australia, and, yes, it is a very hot part of the world. What is not so well understood about this part of the world, is that it gets cold here too. When there have been months of extreme temperatures averaging 35 degrees Celsius  those weeks when the temperatures drop to zero at night, and don't rise above 25 degrees Celsius during the day, seem very cold by comparison.

In-screed heating
Picture courtesy of Radiant Floor Heating

We have chosen underfloor heating for three areas of the house. The two bathrooms shall have underfloor heating suitable for tiled flooring, the main living/kitchen/dining area shall have a solution designed for wooden flooring. We shall also have split-system reverse-cycle air-conditioning in this main living area. The reason for the two types of heating becomes clear when you understand that the living area is large with very high ceilings. In addition, the main living area is in the part of the house that is elevated by over two metres. This elevation on a framed home such as this, allows for air and wind to circulate beneath the house, as well as around it. This is great to assist in cooling the house in the summer, but it can make the house very chilly in the winter. We'd use the underfloor heating on its own during the colder days, and top it up with the air-conditioning if necessary. It will be less costly to use the underfloor heating system, than the reverse-cycle air-conditioning unit.

Our underfloor system will be supplied and installed by the fabulous people at Radiant Floor Heating in Joondalup.

The hills are a life

The first reaction from our friends when we told them of our move was 'why do you want to go to the hills?'. This question is usually followed by 'but it's miles away from anywhere'. This is quite funny, really, when you consider that said hills are just to the east of Perth - the most remote city in Australia. It could be argued that the hills are closer to the Eastern States than is Perth.

It's all about the view!

The hills to the east of Perth are fairly untouched; that is to say there is an abundance of natural bushland and scrub, whose inhabitants are mainly of the winged and four-footed variety (not to mention the scaly non-footed variety). There are amazing walking trails and cycling trails. A fair amount of Perth's history can be found on these trails, many of which follow or cross the historic railway. 

Imagine how fit I'll be by Christmas
with all these walks on my doorstep!

The attraction for us is the reasonably-priced block of land (half an acre-ish), which is surrounded by the aforementioned bushland and not suburban rooftops and cars. I have a feeling that, although I'll spend an extra ten minutes on a train (or an extra twenty minutes in my car) when I return from work in the city, it will be nice to feel the city stripping away from me as I make my way past the concrete walls, and through to the tree-lined roads instead.

Approximately 40 minutes by car from Perth CBD, up the Great Eastern Highway, is a lovely village called Mundaring. It is home to a vibrant shopping precinct, lovely cafés, and possibly the State's most loved bakery! But the visitors to the area are mostly drawn to Mundaring Weir, an enormous construction that controls the flow of water to the goldfields, and agriculture areas. 

The stunning Mundaring Weir

To describe this area of the hills as 'picturesque' would be an understatement. There are so many things to do here including a tour around the pump house, strolling around the dam (a loooong walk!), and having a barbecue in one of the many park areas with lush green grass, picnic benches, and visits from the local kangaroos.

My only regret for this area, is that it is frequented by an abundance of visitors on motorbikes. I suspect they appreciate the long roads and amazing views, but they can't possibly appreciate the tranquillity of the area - sadly, nor can the rest of us when the bikers are visiting!

Please, Sir, May I have a loan?

Asking the bank for a home loan couldn't be easier. You just walk in, sit down, and ask. It's the next part that is difficult. The part where the bank's representative looks at you blankly then repeats just one line of your many-worded pitch: "The house isn't complete?".

"How will you service the loan...?"

We were a little naïve because we thought that asking for a loan on an unfinished house would be easier than asking for a loan on land with a view to building a customised home. The problem with an unfinished house is the bank needs to find out what the eventual value of the home will be, and how much you'll need to spend on it in order to move in and get it finished. This may not seem like any of the bank's business at first, but at the back of their mind they're thinking 'how will you service the loan if you're spending your monthly wages on completing the house?'

Get quotes - for everything!

This is, perhaps, where we learned our first lesson on the project. The bank engaged a valuation company to place a value on the incomplete house, and the cost of 'completing' the house.

I honestly do not know how much we'll eventually spend on 'completing' the house. After living in houses for many years I've worked out that there are always things to do to 'improve'. We had already received a verbal estimate of the cost of getting the house to a point where we could move in. That figure was $30k, and included a margin for the 'unseen eventualities'. So we were a little perplexed when the valuation report stated that to complete the house would cost $50k - an extra $20k.

This interested the bank. We then had just five working days to get some quotes from the electrician, and plumber to get the essential work completed. Luckily, we were able to prove that that the work would come in at below $30k. 

This was an important lesson. You see, had we obtained the quotations prior to visiting the bank and asking for the loan, we would not have required the valuation report to include completing the work. This would have saved a lot of last-minute stress and would have reduced the time taken for the status of the loan to be 'unconditional'. This would have brought on an earlier settlement. Those lovely keys would have been in my trembling hand much sooner!

You can't live in a frame!

One of the first things we needed to find out was at what stage a house must be in prior to being 'allowed' to occupy it. 

The rules are quite strict! Although many people 'live' in sheds on their properties whilst they await completion of their home, it's not exactly permitted! To reside in a property, most (if not all) Shires require at least the following, prior to them carrying out a health and safety inspection. A stamp to certify the house as 'safe to occupy' allows you to move in.

What's required prior to occupying the house (supplied by the lovely people at the Shire of Mundaring):

1. The system of effluent removal must be installed and 'commissioned'. This means that your waste for the loo, and any grey water areas, must be connected and working. It must also be signed-off by a licensed plumber or waste water system professional. If you're using a septic tank system (we are using a Bio Systems 2000 unit), it has to be commissioned by the company installing and testing it. They send their papers to the relevant Shire. Once the Shire has it in their system, it's accepted as safe.
2. There must be electricity connected to the property, and light and power sockets must be installed and tested by a licensed electrician. Again, the papers are sent by said electrician to the Shire.
3. There must be running water installed by a licensed plumber. There are some particulars for this:-
1. The occupier must be able to achieve basic hygiene: wash and shower
2. The occupier must be able to prepare a meal for themselves (kitchen requires a working sink and tap)
3. The occupier must be able to clean their clothes (water connected to a washing machine in the laundry)

We must go from this...

...to something like:

An idea of a completed laundry with electrical and plumbing installation

If you have a verandah that is only partially constructed (as do we), you don't necessarily require it to be complete prior to occupying the building. However, there must be imminent plans and arrangements to do so. There are some standards that must be met for verandahs and balustrade that are above a certain height, we'll cover this in a later post!

Our contact in health and safety, at the Shire of Mundaring, said they were not concerned with the floor being complete, as long as the home has a solid base (the concrete foundation, or the concrete sheeting that comes with a frame-built house).

For further clarity on what is required from your Sate or Shire, contact the shire in which your building resides. Their website will likely have the contact numbers for two departments that are concerned with residential occupancy. The first is the health and safety department, and the second is the building and construction department.

Note: We were initially told by friends that we required a certificate of occupancy. This is not actually true for residential occupancy in Western Australia. It only applies to commercial property. However, this does not mean there are no strict rules prior to residential occupancy (see the list above), and there are harsh fines if you fail to comply!