I wasn’t expecting to have the plumber in this early in the game

As I said, the best place in the house for our new woodburning stove was occupied by a large cold-air intake duct for the furnace. We needed a plumber to move the vent over a few feet. “Piece of cake,” as we were told. Well, he needed a carpenter, too. We were already covered there. Ditto for the electrical.

In addition, as I’ve explained, the best pathway for the wood stove’s metal pipe chimney ran right through a cubbyhole where our water heater sat. We were already intending to replace the unit for a more efficient heat-exchange model anyway, so we bumped that up in the timeline. As long as the plumber was in, right?

And while Thomas was at it, the float on our old, jerry-rigged sump pump had begun sticking, causing the cellar to flood, so that could go, too. No problem, he’d replace that at the same time.

If we like him, there’s a lot more ahead – a kitchen remodel, a new bathroom upstairs, and then remodeling the little one downstairs that’s way too outdated. Oh, yes, and the outdoor faucets.

Its pad was installed earlier.

So that’s how the heat-exchange water heater was installed in the cellar, under the old, inefficient water heater. Adam, our contractor, handled the new concrete footer and the electrical wiring. We’re told it should also dehumidify our cellar. Now that’s a happy bonus!

And all this was wrapped up the day before Christmas Eve.