House hunting question

How cold do your winters get? With that in mind, it would be a contributing factor in the decision.

As Backwoods Savage pointed out, having a stove in the basement means up and down the stairs. Certainly not the end of the world for a guy not yet 30, but in a few decades....different story! (Just as any stairs will be in a few decades!)

Myself, I think the best place for the stove would be the basement though. I don't know just how well the heat would be distributed to the main level (radiant/convection through the floors, of course) but I think it would be better placed than in the family/living/main room at fireplace. I can just read your next post...."Whats the best way to move heat around the house".

Now....about the price of the house...........

 

If it is already set up for hot water heat, why not use a wood fired gasifier boiler with water storage? There are high efficient units out there that don't burn much in way of wood or pellets.

 

Here is my 2 cents, get the house, then get a wood heating stove for that hearth. Live with it for a few years. When you have kids, it won't be long before you attempt to finish off that walk in basement.
Looks like a nice home. Wood heat in the living space will be very welcoming and comfy. If you can afford it, I would go for a quality wood stove right from the beginning. The longer burns will give an added convenience that is well worth it.

 

Put a fan in that cathedral ceiling. Will move the heat nicely

 

My boiler is in the basement. I agree the outdoor ones seem to burn a lot more, but that's not the case with mine.

My parents have a Vermont Castings Defiant and are in a very tightly built log home. Both of us burn around 3 cords in a winter, which seems about average for southern Ohio.

 

Ok gang. Went back and looked at the house again last night and decided to put an offer in this morning. The oil furnace is set up for 3 zones so I'm leaning towards a wood stove to supplement in the basement and here's why:

1) The chimney access and outside door and wood staging area makes it too perfect - regardless of the stairs. It's in the middle of the house so if the ends get cold, the multiple zones will kick the oil furnace on.

2) After walking the property there are quite a few nice oaks that could be thinned out as part of the 3 yr plan without having to stack up 30 cord

3) I like the aestics of the open fireplace in the living room.

4) Gets me burning wood and less oil but less dependent than all in on wood. Now to find a nice used Husky saw

Other notes:
- house price - actually a pretty good price for CT

- winters - big range, last winter not bad, the one before lots of single digits

- ceiling fan in the living room - it has one

- I've heard Vermonts are good stoves, how do you guys feel about Regency? A buddy has one and loves it.

- basement is unfinished except one "room" is framed and dry walled in.

I'm excited! Hope it works out. Plus I get to start shopping for a tractor

 

PS I really appreciate the input on this thread!

 

Good luck CtRider yeah thats a good price for that type of house in CT.. just make sure you include an inpection.. my .02 get a good GC or remodeled guy not a I took a 100 ? test and passed guy..

Ya will have a hard time convincing rust belt guys of housing prices in NE...

 

Lol yeah I'm 4 miles from the beach in central Jersey. I have the same size house on .7 acres and it was in the low 200s. I got a great deal too. I can sell it for about 280k 2 years later. That house in your pics is a bit nicer. That house on 8 acres would probably go for around 500k around me.

 

Well, got some bad news today. Found out the house we thought was "the one" has concrete from the company that has been in the news for failing foundations. So back to the drawing board... Feeling pretty bummed but glad we found out now

 

You can get core samples tested but at this point no one is really sure about what % of this rogue mineral is safe vs ultimately destructive. Just can't take that risk with limited information in the biggest purchase of my life. Stinks for sure

 

Its sounds so friggen stupid and nobody wants to hear it when they are buying a house but don't even worry about it. You will find something better. Let it go mentally and press on!

I had that happen twice when I was buying 2 years ago. End result is that I eventually found something better and cheaper than both of them.

 

^ yep, I know....this was #2 that we've bailed on. Maybe that 22 acre OWB will come back around haha

 

X2, I thought I had found the perfect starter house at a great deal several years ago. I had gone to look through it several times and had started dreaming about setting up a workshop and other things in it, but in the end I was outbid by another buyer. Fast forward about a month later and a buddy calls me and tells me about a place he drives by all the time that's been empty for several years that just go listed. I ignored his recommendation for about a month because the place looks ugly and small from the front, but about a month later I decide to check it out. Turns out it only looks small because it's very deep, which you couldn't tell from the road. I ended up getting a pretty good deal on that house, and it's much nicer and larger than the house I was originally wanting to buy and for now my wife and I intend to stay here forever. It's still ugly from the front, but one day we'll add a real front porch which will help the looks tremendously.

 

Well we found another one. This time only 4.7 acres but backs into a good size chunk of state forest. Big barn and plenty of room for some wood stacks. Comes with a Vermont wood stove, not sure if anyone can tell me more based on the photos. Deck with sliding glass door should make keeping the stove fed easy. Power company just cleared some trees and there's a 24" x 15' section of oak trunk that I hope doesn't disappear. Hopefully this one works out.

There's a 550xp on Craigslist I have my eye on haha.

Here's the link to the house
24 Worthington Road, Stafford, CT For Sale | Trulia.com

 

Nice, but Julie looks a little intimidating.....

 

Don't be afraid....It will only hurt for a minute!!