Heating a Modular House or Timber Cabin

Heating film suits a timber modular house well, because it is thin, goes behind the floor covering or the suspended ceiling, and can even be built in at the manufacturer's factory. In a modular house at Balatonfenyves used as a holiday home, we installed underfloor and ceiling heating in 2020: the floor gives pleasant warmth to the feet, the ceiling provides fast warm-up, and the controls also work remotely.

It was not the client's first infrared heating: earlier we had also installed ceiling heating with heating film in a plastic surgery operating theatre for him – our article on infrared heating in the operating theatre is about that. During the project we also got to follow how a timber-built modular house is made.

Heating a timber house: floor and ceiling together

Laying out the heating film in the modular house

In modular houses, electric heating is most often used, because it can be installed quickly and simply. This house has both underfloor heating and ceiling heating, and there was a practical reason for this:

• the owner likes a warm floor, but a thick Swedish floor warms through more slowly because of its greater thermal inertia;
• the house works as a holiday home, so fast warm-up was a requirement – this is provided by heating film mounted above the plasterboard ceiling, whose warmth people inside feel within 5–15 minutes, depending on the floor covering.

Ceiling heating still at the factory

The ceiling heating was completed at the manufacturer's factory, before the modules were transported. The heating film and the reflective foil were easy to fix to the ceiling; the surface was then clad with plasterboard, so no heater is visible in the living space.

Underfloor heating under the Swedish floor

Infrared heating film also went under the Swedish floor. The reflective foil had to be cut out along the route of the wires so that the upper floor could be laid on a completely flat surface. The total height of the heating system is 6 mm. The wires run into a junction box, and a sensor built into the floor monitors the comfortable floor temperature.

Heating you can start remotely

Control is by a smart-home system, with the temperature adjustable separately for each room; the same system also handles the boiler and the roller shutters. For a holiday home this is especially useful: with IQotthon control the heating can be started remotely, and in winter the house can easily be kept tempered. You can read about room-by-room control on our thermostat page.

What is a modular house?

A modular house is built of spatial elements prefabricated in a factory and fitted side by side or on top of each other. The idea is related to buildings joined from shipping containers; the manufacturer of the house shown, Németh-Fa Kft., however, makes its modules of timber instead of metal, which makes this way of building closer to nature. The modular house started in America: families who moved often could even take a house made of modules with them, and did not have to build again at their new home.

Its advantages: it is variable and can be extended later, it can be transported, it is quick to install, and it can be moved into almost immediately. It can be made for many purposes, from simple to exclusive finishes – a family house, an office building, a home office, a lakeside house, an outbuilding or a home gym.

A short video presents one of the manufacturer's modular houses:

The manufacturer's basic types in 2020

When the article was published, the manufacturer offered 3 basic types, but also built houses to individual requirements:

Type	Usable floor area	Gross floor area	Modules	Ceiling height
CAMP HOME	23.46 m²	29.81 m²	2	2.5 m
NEST HOME	48.88 m²	57.57 m²	4	2.5 m
FAMILY HOME	72.41 m²	111.15 m² (covered terrace: 24.8 m²)	6	2.5 m

How is a modular house put together?

One of the main advantages of a modular house is that it can be brought to turnkey condition at the factory and transported to the site that way. This helps mainly those who would build far from home: they do not know the local contractors, cannot keep checking the work, and do not want to look for tradespeople or coordinate the work processes.

1. Design and order: the manufacturer's designers help you choose the house and put together the individual technical specification.
2. Production: at the time of the article, 3–4 months after the order. Cold and warm floor coverings can both be laid inside the house – the heating can also be built in at this stage.
3. Foundation: preparing the receiving surface – a concrete foundation or ground screws – is the owner's job. The modules are carried by large lorries and a crane is also needed, so access to the plot must be thought through in advance.
4. Assembly: connecting the modules, roofing and the full technical handover take a few days, after which the house can be taken into use.

The price of a modular house depends on the raw materials, the built-in equipment, the floor coverings, the quality of the windows and doors, and the insulation. The house shown was in the manufacturer's upper category, with a Swedish floor covering and well-insulated windows and doors.

Permitting

When the article was published, permitting a modular house was no different from that of a conventionally built house. A modular house must not be confused with a mobile home: different rules apply to the two. Building rules have changed several times since then, so it is worth discussing today's procedure with your designer.

Why is wood a good building material?

Our ancestors gladly used wood: there was plenty of it, and it was easy to work. Building with wood had its heyday in the late Middle Ages, was then pushed into the background by new materials, and is now enjoying a renaissance again – both in custom designs and in series-produced houses. A timber structure also gives great freedom in design: the special wishes of the occupants can be realised with it just as in a brick building.

• a renewable raw material that recycles well without chemical treatment;
• its production and processing need little energy;
• among traditional building materials, the ratio of weight to load-bearing capacity is favourable;
• its surface has a pleasant temperature, and it also balances the moisture content of the indoor air.

Other electric heating solutions

If you need supplementary heating, or heating film cannot be built into a room, these product families may also come into question:

GLAMOX heating panel

It can be controlled with a manual or digital thermostat and, with proper installation, connected to smart-home control. Its wide design and curved upper part form a long air curtain, so it is also suitable for less well-insulated houses. The TPVD type can also be placed in a bathroom or wet room. GLAMOX heating panels

ADAX NEO heating panel

A panel with a clean, modern look in 4 basic colours, which we recommend primarily for well and moderately insulated homes. It can be controlled with a digital or manual thermostat; this type is not suitable for wet rooms and bathrooms. ADAX NEO heating panels

ADAX NEO WiFi heating panel

It can be controlled remotely from a mobile phone and installed in any insulated house. A higher-priced product family, in white, with 2 types of front panel; it can also be used in wet rooms and bathrooms. ADAX NEO WiFi heating panels

Infrared panel

A radiant heater mountable on the wall or ceiling, also as a later addition. Infrared panels

Towel warmer

For the bathroom, as a complement to underfloor heating with heating film. Towel warmers

Planning a modular or timber house?

Sizing the heating starts from the house's heat loss, and the installation of the underfloor and ceiling heating must be matched to the production schedule. You can read about the process on our on-site survey and consultation page (available in Hungary), and you can request a quote here. The manufacturer of the modular house in the article is Németh-Fa (nemeth-fa.hu).