Ripping out a gas fireplace, putting in a wood stove.

Well that'll hopefully be a decision rendered soon.

 

My wife actually turned on the heat pump for a few this morning after I left for work...oh, the humanity!

 

Chimney day!

Don't worry, I have a ceiling support box extension on the way, so this is just a dry fit for the time being. I have the inspection scheduled for tomorrow, so I hope the guy will still give me the sticker even though it's a dry fit.

 

I'm a little creeped out about how your whole chimney will be supported by those nailed in 2x4s. Are you going to be putting hangers in there?

 

There are straps at the 30 degree elbows that are taking a lot of the strain, but I'll go ahead and throw some hangers in for good measure.

 

Got the chimney stacked, but ended up about 6" short! I already let the inspector know, and he's fine with seeing the invoices so he knows the missing pieces are on order...I initially had 5 length of 4' pipe in the cart, but somehow I ended up only ordering 4. Bummer.

Got the other length ordered, as well as the chase cover now that I know exactly where the pipe ended up (dead center)

 

Forecast calls for 50% chance of rain tomorrow, so looks like we'll get one last chance to employ the kiddie pool in the alcove. Can't wait to get this project finally put to bed and start having a little time to do something other than hard labor with my idle hours. I knew this would be a big project, and it certainly has not failed to deliver...compounded by the fact that I haven't really plied my carpentry skills in well over a decade, as well as the reality of the toll that aging has taken on my ability to repeatedly ascend/descend 5 bucks of scaffolding without impact, and this has been quite the endeavor. I am very much looking forward to reaping the fruits of my labor this winter as the winds howl across the wide open farmland of the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and as they try to keep me reaching for the thermostat...not this time, power company!

 

Update: passed the chimney and framing inspections today, and made a little progress on the sheathing. Once the T-showers started, I made a Home Depot run and grabbed the Roxul that I'll be installing tomorrow.

My goal for the end of the day is to get the 2nd and 3rd floors insulated, the rest of the sheathing hung and taped, and the rest of the flashing installed...at that point, the chase will be dried in (with the exception of the chase cover, which is on order). I will shift my attention to pouring the hearth pad next, so I can green-light the stone mason.

Question: the hearth company wants $300 to deliver the stove to my garage...I'm thinking about just having them forklift it into my truck bed, then figuring out how to get it into my garage once it's here...bad idea?

 

Since you are not yet fully enclosed, can you have them deliver it right to your hearth area with their fork lift?

 

To avoid spending $300, I'd have them put it in my truck bed, and at home utilize a sturdy dolly along with some ATV/motorcycle ramps. One person holding the dolly handle from up in the bed, and one person on the ground on each side of the ramp, with hands on the stove corner. Between 3 people, you shouldn't have any problem. Another option could be to rent a u-haul or Penske truck for a few hours, one that has a power lift gate...probably get out for under $100.

 

Good idea...
Like MM said, as long as I own a pickup there is no way they are getting $300 out of me unless they are hooking it up too.

 

$300 to the garage NO
A trailer would be better than your truck, but you can take out bricks and take the stove apart some to reduce weight .
A pickup with lift gate is good idea too
My stove weighs 430lbs , I got it out of the trailer and in the house by myself , your King 435 lbs.

 

For a price, of course...call me old fashioned, but I absolutely can't bear paying someone for something I can do myself, unless of course the opportunity cost has exceeded my self defined threshold.

 

Chimney looks great BTW

 

Definitely leaning toward this option...I have a couple of neighbors with tractors who might be able to lend a hand.

 

I've seen some pretty creative ways of getting a stove unloaded and installed by oneself. (work smart, not hard)
One I recall that requires 4 guys (or two real strong ones) involved putting 8'-10' long 2x4s the whole way through the pallet and then using those as the grab handles...the way pallbearers carry a casket (sorry about the poor choice of example...it was the only one I could think of)

 

That's just to deliver it to my garage from their shop about 8 miles away...these guys have been trying to soak me every step of the way, which is why I decided to do the pipe install myself. Took me about an hour to line the pipe up, and they quoted me $1,600,
Including delivery and connection of the stove...that's half the reason why I'm thinking about just picking it up.

 

Depending on the situation furniture slider pads can work great