Building in Gungahlin: Why We Chose Hydronic Underfloor Heating

We built our home in Gungahlin from scratch, and from the very first planning meeting, I knew I wanted underfloor heating in Canberra to be part of the design. After years of renting in Braddon and spending winters in drafty old homes with cold tiles, I wasn't going to build a new place without solving that problem properly. The question was: which system was right for a new build, and who had the expertise to install it correctly from the ground up?

A family friend who works in construction recommended Livella Underfloor Heating and suggested we bring them in during the planning stage, not as an afterthought. That turned out to be some of the best advice we received during the entire build.

The Problem: Getting It Right From the Start

Building a new home gives you a rare opportunity to make choices you can't easily reverse later. I'd done my research on both hydronic underfloor heating and electric systems and was leaning toward hydronic for the whole house given the floor area we were working with. But I wanted to speak to someone who could look at our plans and tell me honestly whether that was the right call, rather than just confirming what I'd already decided.

We had a concrete slab design, which is ideal for hydronic heating, and the build was going to include polished concrete floors in the main living areas and stone tiles in the wet areas. Both surfaces are excellent conductors of radiant heat, which I knew, but I didn't fully understand the installation timing, the system zoning requirements, or how to integrate everything with the HVAC setup we were also planning.

The builder was great but specialised in structure, not heating systems. We needed a specialist who could work alongside the builder and coordinate the installation at the right stage of the build. Timing matters enormously with in-slab hydronic systems, and I didn't want to get that wrong.

How Livella Underfloor Heating Responded

From the first meeting with Livella Underfloor Heating, it felt like we were dealing with people who genuinely knew hydronic systems inside and out. They reviewed our architectural plans, asked smart questions about the zones we wanted to heat independently, and talked through how the system would interact with our planned hot water heat source. They also raised considerations I hadn't thought of, like the floor finish transition points and how the manifold placement would affect accessibility for future servicing.

They produced a detailed proposal that covered the full hydronic loop layout, the zone manifold configuration, the thermostat and controls for each zone, and the integration point with our hot water system. Everything was clear, itemised, and explained. There was no vague language or hand-waving. We knew exactly what we were getting and when each stage of the installation would happen in relation to the broader build schedule.

The coordination with our builder was seamless. Livella Underfloor Heating communicated directly with the site supervisor to ensure the pipe runs were embedded in the slab at the right time and to the right specification. That kind of professionalism made a real difference to how smooth the build went overall.

The Solution and Outcome

Livella Underfloor Heating installed a full hydronic in-slab heating system across the ground floor of our new home. The system is divided into four independently controlled zones: the main living and dining area, the kitchen, the master bedroom wing, and the study and hallway. Each zone has its own thermostat, which we control from a central panel as well as via a smartphone app.

The result is exceptional. The polished concrete floors, which I'd been slightly worried might feel cold even with underfloor heating, are warm to walk on and hold heat beautifully throughout the day. We typically run the main living zone from early morning until mid-afternoon, and the slab retains enough heat to stay comfortable well into the evening without the system running.

Our first Canberra winter in the new house was nothing like the winters we'd experienced in our old rentals. The home feels genuinely warm from the ground up, not just heated from above. Guests notice it immediately. Several friends have since contacted Livella Underfloor Heating off the back of visiting us, which I think says a lot.

What I'd Tell Other New Builders

If you're building a new home in Canberra and you're considering underfloor heating, involve the specialist before your slab is poured. That's the most important thing. Retrofitting a hydronic system after the fact is a much larger and more expensive undertaking. Getting Livella Underfloor Heating into the planning process early saved us from potential problems and meant the system was designed specifically for our layout and how we intended to live in the house.

For anyone building in the Gungahlin, Belconnen, or wider Canberra area and wanting the best underfloor heating in Canberra for a new build, we'd point you straight to Livella Underfloor Heating. Their knowledge of hydronic systems for new construction is excellent, and their ability to work within a build schedule made the whole experience far less stressful than it could have been.