Underfloor heating specialist Timoleon was among a number of construction manufacturers who responded to an appeal from a respected television programme, which was seeking to convert a family’s home near Hereford to the needs of their young son who suffers from a life-changing medical condition. Fire-fighter Colin and his wife Clare had already invested a lot of time and effort in creating a comfortable home for their two sons, when Christopher, aged seven, was diagnosed with Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy; a neurological condition which swiftly affects the limbs and neck, requiring the person to rely on a wheelchair. The strategy for the conversion was worked out by occupational health specialists in conjunction with locally based DA Forrest Architectural Services, and involved completely re-building a two-storey section to the seventies style semi-detached property in the Bartestree area of Hereford. A spokesperson for the project team told: “Sadly Christopher’s condition is just going to get worse. He already has to use a wheelchair and the family house just isn’t designed for these access requirements; and mum Clare has trouble getting him into bed when she is there on her own. “Because of behavioural issues associated with the condition, Christopher needs to be on the same level as his parents – so for this reason we planned a two-storey extension incorporating a through-the-floor lift, as well as a tracking and hoist system linking Christopher’s bedroom with a wet room. The whole house will be made wheelchair accessible with doors and openings being widened downstairs.” Timoleon’s contribution to this effort was in supplying its FoilBoard underfloor heating product as part of the build up to the ground floor structure, which was being relaid during the course of the conversion.
Importantly, underfloor heating not only frees up space in dwellings, but also provides an energy efficient and comfortable living environment without the air currents and cold zones common to radiator type emitters. The manufacturer’s engineer spent six hours on site, installing the FoilBoard sections over the concrete sub-floor, these then being overlaid with screed replacement boards which are also available from Timoleon as part of a system that avoids wet trades. There are a number of options within the FoilBoard range, including a modular version for use with suspended timber floors or ceilings. The FoilBoard Floating as employed in the Hereford home can feature either high-strength CFC free polystyrene of wood fibre insulation and presents parallel grooves into which the underfloor heating pipe is laid. Tongue and groove boards are then laid installed above the aluminium diffuser as a floating floor offering excellent heat distribution. The FoilBoard was installed throughout the conservatory extension with panels being cut to size where necessary, and the special end units create the return loops so that pipes are supported throughout the whole of their run. FoilBoard also lends itself to the creation of different heating zones in larger properties. A spokesperson for the programme said: “Timoleon supplied this underfloor heating product to the family featured in the BBC One series, DIY SOS: The Big Build and installed it as part of a life-changing transformation to their home in Hereford.”