SR The new tile floor is down. We thought about electric radiant but did not have room (old house and had constraints). The kitchen is completed but we do have some space in a wall that is an enclosure that had been built to house a built-in refrigerator.

Yes you can have baseboard radiators and in-floor radiant. "Can they be in the same loop or zone?" That may not be the best way to plumb, as the radiators and in-floor will likely require different water temperatures (supply & return âÂÂT), flow rates and controls. Always use proper design and best practices for assured comfort and reliability, not easiest, quickest, cheapest hookup. Don't forget automatic air elimination and dirt separation. Proper placement of every component is crucial! Plan and document your mechanical room carefully with proper labeling, arrows indicating flow direction, supply & return and a DETAILED schematic that remains on-site and includes every component so that any technician coming on site can understand what they're looking at. HIRE A SERIOUS PROFESSIONAL - you'll be glad you did! IMO SR

Yes, electric heat is typically always cheaper to install (First cost)and yes electric heat will probably cost more to operate if your current boiler is natural gas. Your boiler (Assuming a remodel not expansion) is sized for the whole house heat loss and would operate more efficiently heating the kitchen. I would install a hot water toe kick heater and allow for an access panel in the bottom of the cabinet in which it is installed as you will have to bleed air from this unit. Installation may be slighly higher than electric heating system, but keeps your central heating system intact. This will give you a separate zone for the kitchen, have a remote thermostat for this system installed if you like. Keep Warm, Dan Martyn

Hola, Sorry, forgot to post layout: And no, we're not thinking of using our huge fireplace as a heat source. My kids have asthma, so all the tiny particles from wood burning or pellet stoves are not good for the kids. And I don't think they're that environmentally friendly. If we have the money, we would do geothermal heating. Here's our house in about 20inches of snow last year (does this help your decision, since it's nice and warm today?): plllog: "You have young children. You have a budget...Then the children can spread out their painting projects on the floor, roller skate, or whatever. Real linoleum, such as Marmoleum, is an ecologically friendly choice...you can easily replace it when you decide you want hardwood. In fact, you can do the subfloor as if you're getting hardwood... Then it's easy to mop. And you can make the change when the kids are older and you feel like spending the money--or not." These are my thoughts exactly!!! roobear: "Hardwood is better for resale, it would add value to your home, it can be refinished etc. Plus, it would fit the period and style of the house better." EXACTLY! The flip-side of my thinking as well. If I'm going to do hardwoods later, why not do them now and enjoy the benefit of the flooring, rather than pay twice? I've also thought about the heated rugs; the Japanese use them all over their house. circuspeanut: "have cold feet 6 months out of the year" Argh: sometimes it feels longer. cleo: "using engineered hardwood floors" Great idea, but because we installed some in our previous house, I really did not like them. My main concern w/ them is wear and tear, especially in between the planks. What happens if water (or raw meat juice) gets in between and swells the ?particle boards, etc? lovilynne: "have you considered DIY wood" Oh, while my house is not historical, it seems like it with the uneven floor, no insulation in the walls, etc :) We are DIY the hardwood floors for the 2nd floor right now. The learning curve was HUGE for us. And I'm not sure about my skills w/ hardwood floor over radiant heat. "they make a special heater to go under the cabinet" Oh!!! Can you please tell me more? Do you have pictures to share? Hmmm...