Keeping Warm in Northern Michigan

It feels like a miracle! Last night we had a fire in our wood stove!

For some time, as in a few years, we have had the desire to install a wood stove. A friend mentioned that he would really like to help us get a wood stove in. We had complete disbelief that we could ever do that. Funds were one reason, and a small house was the other. We kept thinking about how nice it would be to have one. Propane heat can run as much as $1000/mo in the winter, surely it wouldn't take but one winter to have it pay for itself.

This fall, Jeremy went into a local business and saw that they were getting rid of a line of wood stoves at about half off. They had been displays, so they had actually been slightly used. There was one with a great rating for efficiency, the price was a little high, but still doable. In talking with our neighbor, he found out that they had just installed a wood stove, and highly recommended the brand that we were looking at.

So, now all we have to do is put it where we want it, and run the stove pipe through the roof. Hah! Sounds easy enough, but as we are soon to find out, there are still so many obstacles to overcome.

First project is to install ceramic tile on the floor. This made the perfect opportunity to make our entry way a little larger. It sure felt good to cut out some of the dirty carpet and replace it with tile! Perhaps I am the optimistic type, but I only thought this would take about 3 days. Instead it took 2 weeks. Of course, during this time, the only place for the stove to be was in the middle of the living room! This was definitely time of growing in patience for myself.

Jeremy did such an excellent job with his first tile experience!

The next job to tackle.... The Chimney! For this, we called on my dad. The stove pipe would be coming out of the roof, right in a valley. This creates an amazing amount of work, and someone who really knows what they are doing. I believe they had to build what is called a "crick?". Anyway, I know that it took a lot of time, a lot of 2x4's, OSB, roofing tar, and cutting. I wish I had a picture of the finished chimney. Perhaps we will yet add one.

After the "crick?" was built, the stove pipe was fitted together, and up it went! It was so exciting to build that first fire

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While I was inside mesmerized by the beautiful picture and the delightful warmth, Jeremy went outside to watch the smoke come out of the chimney :)