We install radiator circuits and underfloor heating in apartments as part of a renovation, planned together with the plumbing, the floors and the electrics. The heat source — a boiler or another generator — is installed and commissioned by authorised partner installers. Underfloor heating has to be decided before the floor is laid, and radiators before walls are finished. We do not install air-conditioning systems.
Why do so many coastal apartments lack proper heating?
Many flats on the Costa del Sol were designed for mild winters and summer use, so heating was often left out or reduced to a few electric panels. Owners who live in them year-round tend to discover that tiled floors, single glazing and north-facing rooms can feel cold and damp from late autumn onwards. Portable heaters and dehumidifiers fill the gap, at the cost of overloaded circuits and condensation on the walls.
When a renovation is already opening floors and walls, adding a proper heating circuit is a modest addition rather than a project in itself.
Radiators or underfloor heating: which suits an apartment?
Both can work; the choice depends on the flat and on how you use it.
- Underfloor heating gives even, gentle heat and frees the walls. It needs some height for insulation, pipes and screed under the floor finish, so it is easiest when the whole floor is being replaced. It responds slowly, which suits rooms used continuously.
- Radiators heat up faster, can be added room by room and need less floor height. They take wall space and must be placed where furniture will not block them.
Some owners combine the two: underfloor heating in the living areas and bathroom, radiators or a towel rail elsewhere. We look at floor heights, door thresholds and the layout during the visit and recommend what fits.
What does installing underfloor heating involve?
On our jobs the sequence is:
- strip out the old floor and check the level and condition of the slab;
- lay insulation panels to direct heat upwards rather than into the flat below;
- lay the heating pipe circuits and connect them to a manifold, usually in a cupboard;
- pressure-test the circuits before anything covers them;
- pour the screed and let it cure before the floor finish goes down;
- lay the final floor, chosen to be compatible with underfloor heating;
- connect to the heat source, which the partner installer commissions.
Our gallery shows underfloor heating panels in place before the screed, which is the stage that decides how well the system will work.
Who installs the boiler or heat source?
The heat source — whether a gas boiler or another type of generator — is installed, connected and commissioned by authorised partner installers. Gas work and thermal installations follow their own regulations, and in an apartment block the flue or outdoor unit position may also involve the community. We plan the space, the water and electrical connections and the pipe routes, and coordinate the installer’s work within the renovation schedule.
We do not install air-conditioning systems, and we do not make claims about the running costs or efficiency of particular equipment; your installer can explain the options for your flat.
How does heating affect the rest of the renovation?
Heating touches almost every trade. Underfloor heating changes the floor build-up, which affects door heights and the threshold between rooms. Radiators need pipe routes in walls or floors and space on the wall. The heat source needs a location, a flue or outdoor position, and an electrical supply. The controls need cabling to each zone.
All of this has to be decided before the first fix. Our plumbing page and the guide to services in older apartments explain how the pieces fit together.
Can heating be added without a full renovation?
Radiators can be added to an occupied flat with less disruption, by running pipes along skirting lines or through cupboards, though the result is rarely as tidy as when walls are open. Underfloor heating without replacing the floor is not realistic in most cases. If a full renovation is planned for later, it may be better to wait and do it once.
What about condensation and damp?
A heated flat suffers less from condensation, but heating alone does not solve damp. If walls are wet because of a leak, a roof problem or moisture rising from below, that cause has to be dealt with first, sometimes with input from a building surveyor. Condensation is also reduced by good extraction in the bathroom and kitchen, which we include in the renovation where it is missing.
How are heating controls and zones planned?
Controls are what make a heating system pleasant to live with, and they are easiest to plan before the walls are closed. In an apartment, a sensible arrangement is usually one zone for the living areas and one for the bedrooms, with the bathroom on its own if it has underfloor heating. Each zone needs a thermostat position on an inside wall, away from windows and direct sun, with cabling run to the manifold or the heat source.
If you are often away, controls that can be adjusted remotely are worth discussing with the partner installer at design stage, together with frost protection settings for winter absences. For flats that will be let, simple and robust controls with clear labels tend to cause fewer problems than sophisticated ones tenants do not understand.
Whatever the choice, the positions of thermostats, manifold cupboard and boiler or generator are drawn on the plan before the first fix, so plasterers and tilers know what to leave accessible. Moving a thermostat after the paint is finished is a small job, but an avoidable one, and it always leaves a patch to repaint and a hole to fill.
Bauman Raymond Attila · Reforma Pisos Málaga · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
