Rocket mass underfloor heating - in a roundhouse

Conjuring up a self build based on the following layout:





There is a central living area with rooms branching off it. I figured why not raise the floor hear and use it as a storage mass for a rocket/masonry stove.

If the sides are left exposed the platform should kick out a bit of heat into the surrounding rooms. Just gotta watch the steps! Any thoughts?

Very nice design! I think it would work if the building is well insulated and with segment fans to blow the ascending heat down into the bedrooms.Good luck!😊

I also like it! But I don't like steps.

Hmm. What if you left the mass raised in the center, but built raised wooden floors in other rooms to bring them to the same level? Lot of wood...

What are the downsides to leaving the floor level and using the entire footprint of the house as the mass? More insulation/digging..

Dillon Nichols wrote:I also like it! But I don't like steps.

Hmm. What if you left the mass raised in the center, but built raised wooden floors in other rooms to bring them to the same level? Lot of wood...

What are the downsides to leaving the floor level and using the entire footprint of the house as the mass? More insulation/digging..

It would be great to avoid steps...

Should have mentioned - the idea of raising the platform as also so I could install the stove at an accessible height - it wouldn't have to be below ground level.

Alternatively, all the rooms could be raised, whilst the kitchen with the stove could be "sunken".

There's probably a simpler solution, maybe heating the central wall hydronically or just opting for more conventional underfloor heating...

The plan includes stairs down, so obviously some sort of basement. An underfloor plenum to distribute the heat would require the RMH core to be sunken to some degree, so I would suggest a batch box (so it doesn't need to be tended regularly) in the basement with a mass plenum bell possibly in circular form running around but not under the living room footprint... a donut of heat. The basement would need to be rather tall to accommodate this, or else the middle of the donut not used, but that would probably be the most functional application of the concept to heat the whole house. There are too many openings in the living room perimeter to have a bench along the walls.

A bell-type plenum would probably require minimum 4" of masonry on top, say a foot of height to allow stratification, and a few inches of insulating closure below to direct heat mostly upward. An 8' ceiling and a foot for regular floor framing would allow more than 7' of headroom under the plenum. Of course if you are not planning a full basement under the whole house, the setup becomes much simpler.