HEAT!

So far we have burned through a few tanks of heating oil this season, and at nearly $3 a gallon, there is some incentive to investigate alternative heating sources.  Over the recent holidays we visited our neighbors, and were wowed by the nice toasty feeling that their wood stove gave the house... we were sold.

I spent some time lurking on a wood-burning enthusiasts' web forum at www.Hearth.com.  It's unbelievable how many forums there are today.  A quick google search will find you a forum to discuss nearly any topic.  So at hearth.com I read reviews on hundreds of different stand alone stoves and inserts, along with much dialogue on lining a masonry chimney with stainless flex duct.

We decided on a stand alone wood stove by Woodstock Soapstone Co. www.woodstove.com.  The Fireview model advertises nearly 55,000 BTU output with a small footprint (24x18).  The stove is a catalytic type, which means that it qualifies for some tree-hugger tax credits...30% credit!

Here's a photo of the fireview with a fake fire inside.

In order to safely use the wood stove in our living room we need to make a few modifications.

1. the hearth is quite small, and the stove would be 1/2 on the hearth, 1/2 on the hardwood floor.  this is a no-no, so the only option was to extend the hearth out into the living room.

2. the existing chimney is HUGE, big enough for me to fit inside and clean it!, but it is made of brick and coated with mortar.  the mortar is in less than perfect shape, and the flue is a bit oversized for the stove, so we are going to install a chimney liner. 

First we chiseled out the old hearth. it was made up of a top coat of mortar on a 4" thick layer of mortar and rubble.  below the old hearth is a cement pad that tops off a huge stone chimney foundation in the basement.  I'll have to find a photo of the foundation, it is impressive.

Here is the old hearth after chipping out the mortar bed.  the hole in the center was an ash drop to the basement.

Here we have lifted the trim on the front edge of the hearth and cut back the floorboards.  we extended the hearth about 6".  you can see straight thru to the basement here.

My parents donated a pallet of recycled bricks last fall, and this project was a good chance to continue the "green" trend.  this is actually the 3rd (at least) time the bricks have been used!  They originally came from a demo'd house in Germantown.

Here's dad laying in the first courses of basket pattern brick.














And here's the finished brick layout. all that's left is to mortar the joints once the cement has set.

Old Bricks.

More to come.