Press

As the temperatures drop and mornings get colder, getting out of a warm bed and stepping on to a cold floor can feel like adding insult to injury. This is where radiant floor heating comes in. This system is most commonly found in bathrooms, and heats the floor directly rather than the air in the room. Not only does this feel pleasant under one's feet, but it also acts as a quiet, low-maintenance, hypoallergenic solution to heating a small space.

There are two types of radiant heated flooring systems. Hydronic systems rely on pipes that run are heated by a boiler, and are far more likely to be used in single-family homes. Apartments are more likely to incorporate electric systems that use heating wires or heating mats underneath the flooring.

Installing radiant floor heating in a New York City apartment can be a challenging process. Industry leader Warmly Yours notes that in addition to installing the system, the existing flooring needs to be replaced with materials that are better suited to conducting heat. Additionally, the installation will raise the height of the floor by about an inch, meaning existing doors may not clear it anymore.

This is all assuming one can get approval from a co-op board or building management to add radiant heated floors, but this isn’t usually a problem as long as the building’s electrical service can handle the added demand (h/t Brick Underground). Finally, there is not yet enough data on how much radiant heated floors add to property values, so sellers might be okay leaving this off their list of pre-listing renovations.

It is against this backdrop that a growing number of developers and designers are opting to include radiant heated floors in their new developments' bathrooms from the start. We look at a selection of new developments with this luxurious feature, as well as individual listings that have incorporated it.

Brooklyn/Queens

One Wiliamsburg Wharf, Williamsburg

6 availabilities from $785K

One Williamsburg Wharf, #12A

$1,970,000

Williamsburg | Condominium | 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths | 1,155 ft2

From the Listing: Welcome to this impeccably designed 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condo. A sun-splashed entry gallery with picture-window views flows into an open-plan living room, dining room, and kitchen with southern and eastern exposure. The king-size primary suite boasts a huge walk-in closet, an additional reach-in closet, and a spa-like en-suite adorned with radiant heated honed Carrara marble mosaic tile floors.