Spray Foam Magazine-Fall 2021-heated driveways have a similar concept to underfloor heating-pipes run below the surface. Then, warm water and usually some kind of antifreeze are forced through the tubes to keep the lanes at the ideal temperature, thereby preventing ice and snow from accumulating, and the lanes are kept at a temperature slightly above freezing. The pipes usually run through boilers that are usually located in garages and help maintain a continuously warm temperature.

Newco Enterprises Ltd., a spray foam insulation company headquartered in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, was assigned to work locally under the responsibility of Sonbuilt Custom Homes Ltd., which is owned and operated by Jonathan and Carmen Zerkee. Newco staff loaded their custom 20-foot freight trailer onto the job site, which included two Graco Reactor E-30 proportioners (260-foot hose), Probler P2 Elite GlasCraft spray gun, 40kw generator, and air compressor and drying machine.

Sonbuilt Custom Homes is a net zero, R-2000 certified builder and Mike Holmes approved builder. They pride themselves on high-efficiency customized homes dedicated to providing high-performance finished products to all customers. When building these luxury homes in the Fraser Valley area of ​​British Columbia, they also required all contractors to meet the highest standards. Installing a heated driveway for customers helps protect the surface of the driveway from the effects of freeze-thaw cycles, thereby reducing cracks and breakage.

Sonbuilt Homes installed a circulation system in the customer's driveway, which includes glycol radiation (also called antifreeze and heating pipes). They also asked Newco Enterprises to insulate the ground to optimize the efficiency of the boiler. The installation does not require city inspection and is specified by the builder to provide their customers with the best thermal efficiency.

For the heated driveway, the preparation of the foundation is crucial, so before starting construction on the approximately 2,000 square foot driveway, the builder must prepare the ground with 3/4-inch gravel and tamper with it with slab compaction.

Workers poured two-foot-wide smooth-finished concrete edges along the driveway area. Then, Newco staff sprayed foam inside the edges of the concrete and sprayed directly onto the compacted gravel. Then place the wire mesh/rebar on top of the spray foam. Upon completion, the plumber began to install the radiant heat pipe on top of the wire mesh/rebar, which basically connects the pipe to the wire mesh/rebar. Then pressure test the pipeline to make sure there are no leaks. The final step is to pour concrete on top of the driveway. In this application, they decided to adopt a stamped concrete design, commonly referred to as patterned concrete or stamped concrete.

Newco Enterprises Ltd. is a family business that has been in business for more than 40 years. Derrick Larochelle and his father, John, do this work. Derrick is the installer and John is the assistant. Their morning includes work hazard assessments to determine immediate hazards, and they also complete daily inspections of all PPE to ensure they are in perfect working condition

Derrick wears a full face respirator, fresh air, long-sleeved clothing, and CSA-approved steel-toed boots with impermeable gloves. His father John is not in the direct work area, wearing an OV/P100 half-face respirator cartridge and Additional PPE clothing.

Newco Enterprises applied a 3-inch SES Nexseal 2.0 CDN (HFO) and used about two sets of foams, which provide higher PSI compressive strength than ordinary foamed polystyrene sheets. 

In addition, it provides an overall installation rather than a separate board, thus providing a better ground seal. The weather is warm 86° F, which is perfect for the Newco crew and helps to maximize their production.

Heated driveways may seem like an indulgence, but many contractors in the U.S. and northern regions of Canada are beginning to install these heated driveways as a standard feature in newly built houses. However, this practical luxury is becoming more and more popular with many old homeowners, who have changed lanes and installed heated driveways. Living in cold climates, these homeowners are accustomed to shoveling snow and scraping ice from the driveway, but if they install a heated driveway, they can save time, driveway damage and general annoyance, so they are willing to invest.

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