These are two must have catalogs and resources...
1. Radiantec Company - radiant heating productss for the do-it-your-selfer - very response on the phone and they'll even send you their install manual free of charge....lot of planning tool...
www.radiantec.com 800.451.7593
2. Ikea - request their 2005 kitchen catalog - it's the best I've seen - an invaluable planning tool....lots of ideas....62 pages.....shows all the different cabinets styles along with pricess..,,request their other catalogs while your one the phone...
wwww.ikea.com 800.434.4532
I'm an IKEA fan myself. Be warned tho, not everyone can get a catalog. They cull their requests by zip code. If you're too far, no catalog.
I wasn't able to get one until they opened the new store in AZ this past fall. In fact, that 800# can't be called from all area codes.
Thanks for the tip about radiant tec. I'd seen links and blurbs about them. Good to know that they are responsive and helpful.
When you talk with Ikea....tell them you are visiting a relative near the store...they'll send what you request....Ikea is trying to be a web based business without customer service reps on 800 numbers....took me about 1/2 hour to find their 800 number...
Their kitchen planner is better than anything at Lowe's or Home Depot!
I have to agree with Chuckca about Radiantec. They are a rare company that believes the average person is clever enough to do things on their own. They have been very helpful with me as well. They also offer a free planning service based on house plans you send them.
Sherry
P.S. Spring(make that building season) is almost here ;D ;D ;D!
Looks like Ikea will ship now. Couple of years ago they wouldn't. Hardly seemed worth getting a catalog if I had to go to Atlanta (around 200 miles each way) to pick stuff up. I have friends who love Ikea.
Spring building season........And oh, joy, tick season is starting! I lost the dog also known as the tick magnet back before Christmas. I'd put up with pulling ticks off him again this year if he were still alive (Frontline worked on him for about a week!). Of course he loved having ticks pulled off him--lie on his back, head on my lap, looking extremely happy.
Amanda,
I'm sorry to hear about your dog.... :'(
One of the nice things about where I live is we don't have many ticks and NO chiggers. However, I have lots of other "critter chores" with 2 orphan calves, a beef steer, a milk cow(due in April, cheese anyone?) chickens, and horses. That's on top of the garden stuff.........it's amazing I look forward to spring so much. :P ;D
Sherry
An interesting thing. We've been talking to Radiantec. Great people. Helpful. Sent them a floorplan. They wagged the materials at 2k not including heat source. So, figure $800-$1000 for a good quality boiler. Let's say 3k....plus shipping.
Here's the interesting part. My RIH guy here in Abq quoted $4k for the whole thing. Includes all labor and materials. Rough-in, top-out, Finish, Fire-the-boiler. Four trips. Now he can do rough-in in a couple of hours. Us? Probably take a week what with double checking, triple checking, talking and thinking.
So, if I wanted to DIY, probably could do it cheaper than Radiantec. Local supply houses will give me a 27% discount. Not as much as they give to plumbers, but that's the way all speciality supply houses operate. Would have to educate ourselves on design....which Radiantec includes in the cost of material.
I'm not saying that Radiantec is too high. Think it might be a regional difference. They're in Vermont. Have seen several discussions over at FHB quoting 20-30k for a RIF installation in the NE. Never have understood what makes it so high there...unless it's because they use it so often on wood subfloors and the SW is mostly slab. Curious.
Constructions costs are just higher here period. People get paid a lot more, materials get charged out at higher costs. I am not sure, but here in Massachusetts a licensed plumber has to be used for all piping work inside and within 10 feet of a building (much higher wages than a GC). I'm not sure how that applies to a DIY for radiant heat, but if all goes well, I may be able to answer that question on my own house.
Check out the cost of living index, New Mexico is lower in every category: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883960.html
And the ENR cost index reflects the same trend.
I can certainly understand suppliers charging a little more because of their higher overhead. Labor rates for install wouldn't come into play in my instance.
Anyhow...got the official faxed bid today. $3450 with an estimated shipping cost of $250. Heat source would be HWH used as boiler. I have never been convinced that's the way to go, but plenty of people do it. Priced at $875. I can get a brand name boiler for that price. If I wanted to use a HWH for a boiler, I can walk into HD and get one for <$300.
As I said they were responsive, professional, friendly. But, evidently their solution doesn't make sense for all of us.
Might remember that the guy in Building with Awareness said that the one thing he would have done differently after a year or so in his house was to take use a second solar hot water heater in his house for the radiant heat instead of the standard gas hot water heater.