Had a job last winter where the homeowner insisted on foam board under the slab for their heated driveway. Honestly, I was skeptical. They spent a chunk on the insulation, but after two seasons, they say it’s tough to tell if it’s really saving them much on energy. The mats do their job, but like you said, if the rest of the area isn’t insulated well, heat just escapes sideways or up through uninsulated garage floors.
“leveling compound just kept cracking with freeze/thaw cycles.”
Been there. Tried patching some uneven pavers at my own place with a leveling mix—looked good for about one winter, then the cracks came back worse than before. Ended up pulling them all up and resetting with fresh gravel base. More work upfront but way less headache later.
I get why folks want to try every trick in the book, but sometimes the old-school way (just running the mats longer or relaying pavers properly) ends up being more reliable in our climate.
Ended up pulling them all up and resetting with fresh gravel base.
I get the whole “old-school is best” thing, but I gotta say, that foam board under the slab actually made a difference for us. Maybe it’s just our setup, but after we put it in, the mats didn’t have to run nearly as long to clear the snow. Yeah, heat still escapes sideways if you don’t insulate the edges, but I’d rather pay a bit more up front than watch my electric bill spike every time it snows. Sometimes new tricks aren’t all snake oil…
