Designed for the Marin Lifestyle
Indoor-Outdoor Living
Marin homes often feature large glass doors and open floor plans to embrace the outdoors. Radiant heating warms the floor mass, meaning you stay comfortable even when doors are open to the patio — unlike forced air, which just blows heat outside.
Warms the floor mass, not the air outside
Heat Pump Efficiency
Marin’s mild climate makes air-to-water heat pumps exceptionally efficient. We can design systems that use electricity to heat your floors in winter and chill water for cooling in summer — perfect for warmer Novato days and fully compatible with solar.
COP of 3-5: for every 1kWh of electricity, you get 3-5kWh of heat
Marin Water Quality Protection
Marin’s harder water (compared to SF) can scale up boiler heat exchangers within a few years without proper treatment. On every new construction project, we install mandatory magnetic dirt separators and chemical feeders to protect your heating system investment for decades.
Magnetic dirt separators installed standard
Installation Methods for New Marin Homes
In-Slab (Modern Eichler Style)
For modern slab-on-grade homes common in Lucas Valley and new developments, we tie PEX tubing directly to the rebar before the concrete pour. This creates a massive thermal battery that stabilizes your home’s temperature day and night.
Warmboard & Subfloor Systems
For multi-story custom homes in Mill Valley or Tiburon, we use structural subfloor panels with grooves for the tubing. These offer faster response times than concrete — ideal for zones that need to heat up quickly in the morning.
Title 24 Compliance
We ensure your heating design meets California’s strict energy code requirements, selecting the right high-efficiency boilers or heat pumps for your specific climate zone in Marin.
Site-Specific Heat Load Design
We design for Marin’s microclimates. A home in foggy Sausalito needs a different heat load calculation than a sunny estate in Novato. Every system is designed for the actual conditions of your site.
Why Builders Choose Us
New Construction Radiant FAQs
When in the construction schedule do you install radiant?
Radiant tubing is installed before the concrete pour for slab systems, or during rough framing for subfloor systems. We coordinate directly with your GC to hit the right window in the construction schedule.
Can radiant also provide cooling?
Yes, when paired with an air-to-water heat pump. The same tubing that circulates warm water in winter can circulate chilled water in summer, providing radiant cooling. This is ideal for Novato’s warmer summers.
What flooring works with radiant?
Stone, tile, and polished concrete are ideal — they conduct heat well and tolerate temperature cycles. Engineered hardwood works well. Solid hardwood requires careful design (surface temps must stay below 82°F). We work with your flooring contractor to ensure compatibility.
How does radiant compare to forced air for a new Marin home?
Radiant is more comfortable, quieter, cleaner, and often more efficient — especially in Marin’s mild climate with heat pumps. The upfront cost is higher, but the comfort difference is substantial, and modern boiler systems are highly efficient.