Walkway and Driveway Radiant Heating Systems

Last Updated: 2021-08-12By Steven H.

It has been a problem for decades to shovel snow off your driveway during winter season. Having car is not a luxury anymore and maintaining safe driveway has always been on our inconvenience list.

All of us have experienced with a snow surprise and early morning snow shoveling before going to work. The cheapest and easiest way was always to pay $20 to neighbor kid for cleaning all the snow from driveway but now there are more comfortable ways.

Today we are going to talk about radiant heating systems for driveway and walkway and here are the topics to cover:

Types of Heater Systems Under Driveway
What Other Benefits Does It Have
Installation of Driveway Heaters
Heated Driveway Costs Explained
Maintenance Throughout the Year
Lifespan of Heating System
Hiring Contractor of Walkway Heating System
Where to Purchase Driveway Heating Mats

This invention is definitely making life more luxurious for those of us who already have a house with a driveway and a car.

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Types of Heater Systems under Driveway

Generally speaking there are two types of heaters systems that can be used for driveways and walkways of your home. They are both installed under the surface and radiate heat through few layers installed on top.

Water Heated Driveway or Hydronic System – plastic water pipes are installed under your driveway or walkway in loops. Each section (run) should cover maximum 400 sq ft, otherwise heat will not spread properly.

Water is filled inside these pipes and it constantly circulates from one end to another. Pipes are connected to manifold with several sections or single switch for shut off.

Water is getting heat up by water heater or boiler system that is installed inside the house.

Electrical Heated Driveway – prewired mats are connected together and installed under the pavement similar to water pipes.

Low electrical charge is sent through the wires and they warm up. This process increases temperature of surrounding materials (concrete and asphalt).

Electrical heated driveway system is connected to one power line that meets at thermostat or other controller and continues into electrical panel on dedicated breaker.

Both systems are relatively similar in process and function. Only difference is one has hot water running through that is heated up from boiler and electrical system gets heated up by electrical current and uses direct energy.

What Other Benefits Does It Have

Aside from being luxurious addition to your house, driveway radiant heating system has few other benefits that we would like to point out to our readers.

Safety – accumulation of snow and ice on driveway becomes dangerous issue for your family and anyone who walks on it. Especially businesses may sometimes have unfortunate slip and fall law suits. Heated systems prevent from such incidents and have you stop worrying about falling on ice.

Smart System – as new technology progressing, the whole world can be controlled from your phone. Driveway radiant heaters can also be connected to smart system that works on phone application. Imagine driving from airport and turning on driveway melting system and having all snow gone by the time you arrive.

Saving Money – by spending money on installation of electric or water heated driveway you can be saving in long run. When doing new driveway adding heaters is not that expensive and you will be not spending any money through the winter for salting bags and hiring someone to shovel the snow.

Selling Point – when you have driveway heaters installed, it is easier to sell the property or even increase the selling price. This feature will stand out from other properties on market and puts you ahead of competition. High end homes require as many unique features as possible and this is one of them.

Installation of Driveway Radiant Heating Explained

Installation of driveway heaters explained

Pipes installed before concrete for heating.

Home owners that are interested in process of installation can see below On Point Remodeling Step by Step guide. Either trying to complete DIY project or monitoring contractor that you hired for driveway radiant heating installation, you can learn how it should be done here.

Demolition and Removal of Existing Driveway Surface – You can’t just install heating system on top of existing driveway. First step is removing the layers all the way to the ground/soil. This is done with specific machinery or excavator.

Preparation of Soil and Gravel with Leveling – To make sure your driveway does not sink in few years, we recommend stabilizing the ground by method of compaction. Gravel is leveled on top of stable soil to make subsurface even.

Running Tubes or Wire Mats – Next step is relatively similar for electrical and plumbing tubes installation. Specialists install heat transmission material along the perimeter you want to heat up. Matts come in sections that are connected one to another and plumbing tubes run in loop sections no more than 400 sq ft each.

Connection to Main Heat Source – The whole system is connected to main heat source that is usually placed inside the house. For water pipes it is either boiler or hot water tank, while wires are connected to electrical panel or breaker system.

Testing how Heating System Works – Before you close up thousands worth of work and material and install heavy construction on top we strongly recommend testing entire heating system several times.

Installation of Top Surface – Now it’s time to select what material to use for driveway and install it on top of heating mats or radiant heating system with pipes. Most preferred surface materials are poured concrete or asphalt.

Heated Driveway Costs Explained

Before any luxury feature is added to your home the number one question that gets asked is how much will it cost? Our idea was to break down several steps of the installation and give approximate costs for driveway heaters.

This way home owner can see how much it can cost to hire contractors or to do some of the work by themselves. For calculating purposes we took average size driveway being 500 square feet.

Demo and excavation – $3 per square foot or on average $1500 per regular driveway.

This includes ripping old part of asphalt or concrete with excavator and completely disposing it. For home owners who start building their new home, this expense will never show up. On new lot or after home demolition, there will be no more driveway to demolish.

Purchasing materials – Electrical heater mats cost $10 per square foot. Radian heat water pipe loops cost $4 per square foot with Styrofoam boards.

Heat from water is cheaper comparing to electricity and materials used are much cheaper.

Installation of heating system – For electrical system its $3 per square foot, while pipe loop system with water will cost you $6 per square foot.

Now electrical connections are cheaper than water. Matts simply connect together and within few hours the job is almost done. The last step is to connect it to main power unit. For heated system with water pipes, installers drag and bend loops of all cross the driveway. At end connection all pipes are attached to manifold which goes to either boiler or hot water tank system.

Redoing surface of driveway – We are going to consider only Asphalt which costs $5 per square foot and concrete driveway surface at $8 per square foot.

There is no average number simply because there are at least 7 different driveway materials you can use.

To sum it all up for an average size driveway home owners are looking to spend $10500 for new heated driveway system installation.

Maintenance Throughout the Year

Hydronic system with pex tubes does not require specific maintenance. The water mix inside the pipe has nonfreezing components that prevent it from completely freezing during the winter.

However the heater or boiler is recommended to have annual inspections for proper heat supply and other details.

Electrical heated driveway mats can be inspected at connections for rust and damage that could break the circuit and shut down entire system.

Breakers and main cable is also to be inspected annually by master electrician.

Lifespan of Heating System

There is a big debate on how long driveway radiant heating system can keep on going. Electrical matts on average serve around 15 – 18 years if installed properly and maintained. Small defects and bent cables can overheat and burn out.

Hydronic heat system with pex pipes tends to serve much longer and our research shows that average lifespan is 25 – 30 years. This is due to very strong pex pipes that don’t break even if bent.

In reality, heated driveway has not been around for very long time to properly test their lifespan. On Point Remodeling suggest ensuring careful installation, annual maintenance and not allowing heavy duty vehicles on driveway that can damage surface with system underneath.

How long does driveway heated system work.

Conclusion for Walkway and Driveway Radiant Heating System

Upgrading you home or business driveway with a function to heat up and melt the snow is luxurious. It is not for everyone, but those who do install in have not been complaining.

For new home construction we definitely recommend installing heated walkways and driveway at discounted price. New builds do not require tear up, and will surfacing driveway cost. You simply add the material and installation of heating product.

On Point Remodeling can help find trusted and experienced contractors for installation of heated driveway and walkway.

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Each building has some sort of driveway or at least should have. The main reason is for vehicles to come closer without need to walk all the way. Some homes are residential with small driveway for their car to come in and park before garage or front entrance, and others can be large commercial buildings with loading docks, delivery entrances and casual parking entrances. On Point Remodeling was asked for suggestions on residential driveway for new home construction, and we decided to write detailed article for all our readers. Using this guide you can select the material for your driveway and see what works for your budget. Here are the materials for driveway we will be discussing in our guide:

Asphalt
Concrete
Paver Stone
Crushed stone
Brick
Seashell
Gravel

To find good contractor for your driveway, you can either ask our team by email or try to find someone local that worked with neighbors or nearby buildings.

Installation process of any material surface on your driveway

a) Demolition and Excavation – Before anything is done, your contractor will get heavy machinery and scratch off old layer of driveway. They need to go down at least 5-6 inches to insure proper layering before your final layer of material is installed. b) Material Purchase and Delivery – At this point your contract is signed and you already know how the surface will look. Contracting company purchases necessary materials and delivers them to site. Double check if material is correct and not damaged. c) Preparation of Sublevel – Whatever you place as final material, it cannot just be installed directly on top soil. Gravel is the first choice of material that goes down at this stage. Other preferred material is screen sand that can go on top of gravel and works better with stone and bricks. d) Compaction of Ground – To prevent your driveway from moving and changing shapes, all the layers from bottom up have to be properly compacted. Do not leave any spot untouched while doing this or you can get small holes and cracks in driveway after installation. E) Final Installation – This is when all the magic happens. After all preparations and dirty work the final installation is made literally within hours and you can enjoy new driveway. Stone and brick is set up by hand, while other materials require some sort of machinery with manual labor to even out surface.

1. Asphalt

Probably the most used material for road top surfaces as well as driveways is asphalt. This is a mix of gravel and sand that is mixed in and combined by asphalt cement with crude oil. Pros of Asphalt Driveway

Very popular and easy to find materials/contractor
Completed in 1 day and you can drive on it after
Patches and small holes can be fixed fast

Cons of Asphalt Driveway

Easy to damage and cracks appear in few years
Almost everyone else has same surface
Oily surface and chemicals used in mix

Prepared for asphalt driveway will cost you around $5 per square foot to finish. The contractors that take care of entire process from taking out old driveway surface, install subsurface and compact the ground with new asphalt on top, will charge on average $5500 per regular size driveway at single home property.

2. Concrete

What we call concrete is a mixture of Portland cement, aggregate as well as sand with gravel. Suggested thickness of concrete for driveway is 6 inches. The mixture needs to cure without being touched or driven on top for several days. Pros of Concrete Driveway

Durable material for large weights
Long lifespan if installed properly
Winter and summer friendly

Cons of Concrete Driveway

Has marks and stains over time
Hard to repair without replacement
Super hard to DIY

To hire contractors for concrete driveway it will cost around $7-$9 per square foot. This will include site preparation with gravel spread and new concrete installation. They will order full truck of concrete (or several for larger driveways) to pour inside forming. Smoothening and curing is required after installation.

3. Paver Stone

The most luxurious material that you can use to create driveway path with is paver stone. It is made out of natural stone with uneven rough shapes that have different line patterns. Paver stones are very heavy and are perfect for weights on top of them. Almost every city in Europe has roads and walks made out of stone that were installed centuries ago. Pros of Paver Stone Driveway

Creative designs can be done
Personal looks, can match the house
Can replace single stone in minutes

Cons of Paver Stone Driveway

Weeds growing through
Stone can move over time
Most expensive material

There is wide selection of stone that can be purchased for your driveway. On average we recommend settling with $17-$20 per square foot for stone with installation included. Working with this material is very intense labor and we recommend hiring professionals that do this type of work every day.

4. Crushed Stone

Our readers sometimes mistake crushed stone with gravel, but this is not the same material. Crushed stone material is achieved when machine is mechanically crushing larger pieces of unused stone for this specific purpose. It is larger than gravel and can have smooth finish. Crushed stone can also have a mix of colors, which is much pleasant to eyes than gravel. Pros of Crushed Stone Driveway

Low maintenance required
Fits rural area style
Can be reused for other purposes

Cons of Crushed Stone Driveway

Gets very hot during summer
Can be messy after many drives
Hard to remove snow and ice

Buying crushed stone and installing it on your driveway is as easy as it gets. Similar to other rough materials discussed in this post, only small tools like shovels, dolly and buckets are required to spread it on the road. The cost of crushed stone driveway is between $4 and $6 per square foot from professional local contractors that can finish the job in several days.

5. Brick

The same brick we see being used in wall construction can be installed as top driveway surface. Brick is manufactured by compressing clay with plastic mass. It is heated to extreme temperature and dried up to become as solid as you know it. Pros of Brick Driveway

Variety of selections in shapes and shades
Bricks are recyclable
Slip resistant with rough top part

Cons of Brick Driveway

Needs regular maintenance
Change color over time
Old fashion looking

Installing brick on driveway costs $10 per square foot, which is not too far from masonry brick laying as part of the wall. To save money you can use or purchase old brick, that was part of a wall before. Do not mix these two jobs and contact landscaping professionals instead of masonry contractors that work with bricks.

6. Seashell

This material is popular on the coast line where shells can be found near the water. Construction companies use seashells to add in other materials as well as spread them on driveway in rough condition, without adding anything else. It usually comes in white or pearl color and darkens within year because of mixing with sand and dirt. Pros of Seashell Driveway

Environmentally friendly
Has natural drainage
Creates worm vibe of beach house

Cons of Seashell Driveway

Break and crack under light weight
Sharp and very hard to walk on
Gets stuck in shoes and tires

To deliver and spread seashells on driveways costs below $4, which is only slightly more expensive than rough gravel. As you go further from coast line, cost of material increases due to delivery. This material is elegant and very soft. We recommend adding edge lines with darker color landscape material to create visual path.

7. Gravel

This material is used in other construction mixes and underlayment systems. It’s literally fragments and small crushed stones that are put on top of soil. It is easily spread out by hands and anyone can do it. Pros of Gravel Driveway

Cheapest of them all
Easy DIY Job
Can install another material on top

Cons of Gravel Driveway

Needs to be graded very often
Will mix with dirt and leaves
Washes up with heavy rains

It is rough material and can be purchased in bulk (by metric tons or cubic meters). The cost of driveway with gravel should not exceed $3 per square foot, but you can save tons of money by purchasing materials and doings installation by yourself. You do not require specific tools or heavy equipment for the job and delivery of gravel can be arranged directly to your project.

Conclusion

To properly finish any and all of these driveways requires skills and experience. There is no way you can complete any of these projects without heavy equipment and tools that regular home owner’s just store in their garages. Most of those who will read this post will prefer to install asphalt driveway, because of its popularity and low costs. We want to encourage home owners to go for personal preference and what matches your house, rather than getting the most affordable and popular items. Driveway jobs have to be completed fast; otherwise you will need to park elsewhere while the project is running. To not overpay, ask us for quotation sample on material you prefer in specific region where the work need to be done and our team can provide some numbers.

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