Art Gallery Enhances Value and Provides Safety to Patrons Via Frost-Free Walks

When Suzanne Johnson decided to turn an old church building into an art gallery that would display her sculptures and jewelry, she found that she had a lot of work to do and many decisions to make regarding the renovation. Luckily, her husband Jeff is the owner of the Renaissance Company, a general contractor in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Together the Johnsons made plans to remodel the inside of the building. The process was long, but when the work was done, they had gutted the entire inside of the building, redone all of the electrical work and replaced the roof.

Jeff and Suzanne’s goal was to create a unique, peaceful environment to showcase Suzanne’s work. They also wanted to make sure that any changes they made would enhance the value of the building and last a long time. As part of that process, they decided to install electric radiant heat beneath the concrete stairs, sidewalk and handicapped ramp leading up to the gallery. Jeff didn’t want Suzanne to be out in the morning shoveling snow, and the couple also felt that keeping the walks free of snow and ice would allow easy access to the gallery, even on wintry days, proving much safer for those coming to see Suzanne’s work.

“We have had friends who have had people slip and fall at their businesses, and the average lawsuit is pretty darn expensive,” Jeff said. “We wanted to make sure that if it snowed or rained on a cold night, the walk would remain frost-free.”

The Johnsons went online and researched various systems, even in England and Poland, before choosing to install Nexans cable from Orbit Radiant Heating. They chose it because they found the company has a good track record and the cables hold up for a long time. (Orbit’s Nexans cable has a 30-year warranty.)

Jeff commented, “Because we were pulling up the entire walk to do this, we wanted to do it right. We didn’t want a problem with the system shorting out or breaking down and having to start again from scratch in two or three years.”

Now, it has been eight months since the system was installed and the gallery is open to the public. The Johnsons love that they don’t worry about the walk at all during the winter. A snow sensor automatically activates the cables to melt snow or ice when the required temperature and moisture is present.

“We definitely think this product was the best thing on the market for us,” they said. “It’s more than a safety precaution. Because we don’t have to waste time shoveling snow and can open the doors to the gallery right away, it is also practical and time-saving.”