Heated Concrete
Many home improvement projects have several benefits and can both improve the curb appeal of your home along with its design function. Heated driveways, though, have essentially one single advantage. You guessed it—Snow removal. This solitary quality is no small matter for some homeowners. If you live in Winnipeg, you may spend countless hours each winter shoveling your driveway. Having to shovel two, three, even four times in one day can leave Winnipeggers begging for a solution.
Installing a heated driveway can allow you to endure the winter with safe passage to and from your home without ever picking up a shovel or firing up a snowblower.
How Heated Driveway Systems Work
Heated driveways are actually radiant floor heating systems, which can be installed both indoors and out. For outdoor use, radiant floor systems are quite beneficial to those who live in snowy climates, as they function as a snow-melting system, virtually eliminating the need for physical snow removal. When temperatures drop, heated water and antifreeze are pumped into the tubing, melting any snow that collects on your driveway. From the comfort of your home, you can flip a switch and watch the snow melt away.
If you want a heated driveway, you don’t necessarily need to install a whole new driveway because sometimes the tubing can be run under your current one. Bear in mind these situations are not typical. The majority of the time the driveway needs to be ripped up and replaced because the installation process often leaves the driveway in shambles. Many factors influence whether you need to have the driveway replaced including time of year, soil compaction, trees in proximity, etc. Replacing the driveway ensures that the heated driveway system has been installed correctly. Many of the systems that are installed under existing driveways either won’t come with warranties or the warranties that they do come with won’t cover very much.
Cost is covered in the next section, but if cost is not the concern that safety, injury, or time lost doing this tiresome chore is, then consider having a new driveway installed and just do this right. There are definitely some success stories when installing one of these radiant heat systems under an existing driveway, but there are really just too many unknowns to be confident in this choice. Plus, you don’t want to fall in love with a new system, only to have to pay for it again—plus a new driveway—when the driveway finally crumbles to pieces.
Heated Driveway Costs
Typically, the cost of a heated driveway system is between $4-$10 per square foot, (not including boiler)
Approximately price for 600 sq foot garage floor including all the parts and electric boiler for 1 zone $4300 plus GST.
More Options with Heated Driveway Systems
Driveway heating systems can be installed under almost any driveway surface, including patios, sidewalks, and decks. Wherever you don’t want to have to shovel, you can install this same heating system under there, too, so you never have to worry about shoveling. Remember that it’s best to have your boiler placed as near as you can to the driveway. Our systems will have a mechanism that activates the system when snow falls. Even when you’re on vacation or away from your home, your driveway will stay clear for your return. Please call us for your free estimate.