The Last Bid

Hurray! Last night we got our final bid! A1 Stove and Fireplace Shop owner and son came out and evaluated our new house from the inside to see what they could do for us and how much that would cost. The final recommendation was to get a Lopi ( low- pie) insert to replace what we thought was a wood stove insert in the fireplace upstairs. What we had wasn't even really an insert but a "face" that just made the fireplace a bit more efficient and they even found a crack in it so it's basically useless. FYI the life expectancy of a wood stove is about 15 years. It's a shame the hearth downstairs isn't big enough or even the best place to place a wood stove to get the most bang for our buck. We'd have to dismantle the wall tiles, and dig back in hoping there'd be a nice alcove to set the stove in and then the heat probably wouldn't circulate up to the bedroom wing. Big project and so we'll think about what do to with that whole area sometime in the future. It will be lots simpler to pop in the Freedom Insert by Lopi and have them run new piping up the existing chimney for now. The one in the picture looks pretty good and it has a nice 7" wide shelf for a cook top. I doubt that we'll be able to get a small enough dutch oven to fit but we'll be doing some research to find some appropriate back up cooking accessories for emergencies. Any suggestions? Our contractor took his computer into the shop last night :( so I typed up all the bids and will have to stop by the library to get copies as our printer still is on the fritz. If everything passes his approval they'll be signed sealed and delivered firsts thing in the morning. Then Wells Fargo can schedule the appraisal. Gotta Go! always, Vickie