Cheap firewood!

[FarmerChick]

thanks beekissed

see we had a cast iron coal stove when we lived in PA. But the floorplan of the house was such that the heat did not get into the bedrooms, bathroom or laundry room. It was 2 stories cut into the side of a big mountain, with the stove in the lower fun room area, above the kitchen and living room....but the bedrooms etc. were off to the back kinda up on the hill....

So the heat was so intense downstairs, vented into the upstairs and that was always hot, but the rest of the house was cold! LOL---just didn't heat the whole house the way my Dad intended. I guess the way the house was laid out just didn't work well......and YUP, I know what you mean, we had to open windows and doors when it was 10 deg. outside just to survive...LOL...the coal stove worked beautiful but it seemed you had to heat hot to get the other rooms heated, and die in the other room from heatstroke...LOL

So I was wondering if she had the type of floor plan that kept the whole house warm and how it was ducted to do that.

Seems like your floorplan works well with your stove. That is great cause in winter anyway to cut down using electric heat and such is such a money saver big time!! In PA it was so cold you almost had to have an alternative heat source to help with that nasty bill!

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah, this old farmhouse is, I think, what they called a saltbox? design? with 2 rooms down, 2 rooms up, and then someone added onto the back in later years. I think the original design was okay for heating but the add-ons seem to be a little more cold than I like. Too many twists and turns in these little rooms to let heat flow efficiently. I'm going to add one of those little doorway fans this year and see if the heat can't be more evenly distributed.

I put plastic over the windows in the enclosed back porch to help with this, but none elsewhere, as the other living areas are too hot in the winter the way it is...have to leave windows available for opening!

This house is insulated very well, as I hear it, it is insulated with sawdust. Stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Only had to run the fan a little bit this summer and only a couple of times at night.

Going to vent the dryer into the house this winter, with a panyhose over the end of the vent hose. I think this will return heat and moisture into that laundry room where its needed. Better than wasting it outside!

 

[FarmerChick]

yea having a older home would mean it surely was designed with heating in mind from wood source and such. Dad built our house and never truly thought about how the floorplan would effect the heat...oh well on that one..HA HA

smart idea about venting the dryer into the house. I am thinking of doing that also but another project I just haven't gotten around too yet.

yea the add-on to your house being out of alignment, I can see it being more cool.......what is the add-on for? Is it a family room or something like that? Is it an add-on that you can close off and make into a cold store room for food? Just guessing. Or is it a room you live in alot?

 

[Beekissed]

Actually, the add on was a bathroom, laundry room/toilet, and extra bedroom. Originally, there was no plumbing in this home and an outhouse across the yard. Hand dug well right outside the kitchen.

Now, of course, there are these little "after thought" rooms for the newer generation...say back in the 50's? So the bathroom is in the very middle of the house with two doors, no windows, moldy and close as all get out. The laundry room is behind that right off what used to be the back porch, that someone closed in. Its kind of cute and old-fashioned and inconveniently layed out, but it is what it is!

The people that lived here and built the house were extremely tiny people and the doorways, ceilings, appliances and rooms are to scale for their comfort. Even the outhouse seating is short and small, with a tiny little child's seat right beside the grown up hole! Cute as can be, really!

 

[FarmerChick]

HA HA tiny kid seat next to the adults....sure don't want the little kiddies falling in...yikes..HA HA

you are right...it is what it is. add-ons and such and new plumbing etc. were just put in for convenience then...not like now where every inch of a new home is bashed to death with planning.

My friend Cindy bought a very old home in the mountains in PA and it had original stone foundation and all that.....and yup her floorplan was wierd...LOL...It was just a small 2 story with big kitchen/living on bottom, 2 beds upstairs, and then the bathroom and laundry added off the back....and a master added off the side later with having to walk thru a closet to get into the master bedroom...LOL....crazy. And of course it surely wasn't the size of what is considered a master bedroom now....lol....But she sure loved that home. I think it was the character of the age....she just was enthralled with older homes like that. They meant something to her and when she bought that home she was in heaven.....but sadly the money pit problems started for her, one being a big rock retaining wall on the front mountain holding up her little front yard...yikes...now that was expensive and something she could not handle. But after completing that she enjoyed her home til she moved to NC like me cause her job was laid off. She had no choice but to find a better job area and Charlotte NC was it. She is doing very well down here but often talks about her old home...LOL...she misses it dearly! And it boggles her mind she made all the great repairs just to let someone else enjoy them...HA HA

 

[Beekissed]

I love older homes as well. If someone gave me a choice between an older, but well-maintained, home and a brand new one, I would choose the older. They have stood the test of time, are built like nothing else nowadays and they were usually built with a family in mind. Over the years love and attention were given to them and some houses echo with it. This one does. You can tell those older folks loved this home from the neat lines and the well-built sturdiness of it. It has the original paint inside and it was done like a professional...neat as a pin. I love that about this house. Long may she stand!

 

[FarmerChick]

In a disposable world, it is good to see others wanting to fix up old time houses. I couldn't agree more..LOL

There is a "feel" to them that can not be duplicated!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Quail, so that firewood is very important to you...I understand why now.

At least with the propane backup you have control to warm up the coldest nights. I just put in a 250 gallon propane tank to run my new propane stove (I got it for winter emergencies and not be stranded) and yes, it cost alot. Propane was $3.14 a gallon and I will use it sparingly.

Curious, one big cast iron stove? Is it in the main room and how do you keep bedrooms warm enough? Just curious when I hear someone heats with wood only?? thanks for enlightening me..LOL

Well, we live in a 3 bedroom singlewide trailer, and believe me, that woodburner runs us outta the house in the winter! It takes about 4-6 big men to move the woodburner. Our goal is to add on to the living area and put up a permanent chimney so the woodburner will be permanent in the add on area. Like a sitting room type deal.

We actually cut doors in half so the heat from the woodburner goes into the kid's rooms and keeps them warm. Our bedroom door is kept shut because I like a cool room to sleep at night.

 

[FarmerChick]

That would do it for you then. thanks. I am always interested in how people get away with heating a whole house with wood....just always curious how it vents thru the floorplan.

Very smart idea. Make double dutch type doors and let the top open to allow heat.....definitely an idea I will keep in mind, ya never know!

You sound like Tony, he always want a very cold room to sleep in, me I like warm..

good luck with your add-on. Tony lived in a singlewide when we met...he lived on the farm and I bought hay from him and then we started dating. But his trailer also had an add-on off the living room. Wow, what a difference that made in his home. Just the widening of the space gave the room so much more comfort. He had a big fireplace in the living room which also fried us out of the room..LOL

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I really want a bigger home, but economiclly it is just easier to add on to this. We plan to add another bedroom off the new livingroom add on, too.