It’s officially fall! And we officially have a primary heat source!! Hooray! Last winter we just had the heat pump, and while we survived, it definitely was not meant to be our primary heat source, we just didn’t prioritize getting the stove in as we thought it would fair a little better than it actually did. Oops. While I did lose an aloe vera plant to the cold, we made it through with some space heaters and extra blankets.
The first thing we had to do was chip off the final “bird mouth” (remnant from the foundation pour) which essentially dusted our entire home. We had been dreading that little part of the project, but once it was done we were able to push forward. Then we put up some backer to brighten up the corner, and to protect the log wall from the wood stove heat.
Once we had the backing up, we moved the stove inside. This stove is large and heavy. We had to use the tractor to bring it up. So exciting to see it in place though. Then we took another couple weekends to get the stove pipe up and out.
Once the stove pipe was all installed we got to have our first fire! We love wood stoves because of the dry heat they provide and how homey and cozy they make the space feel. We then quickly got on building a temporary wood shed for easy fire wood grabbing this winter. At this point I am just so excited for the seasons to change. It’s a little too warm for nightly fires currently, but we’re happily waiting the colder weather to welcome the cozy warm fires. And also, I adore the holidays. And they are coming!!!
The Homestead Journey 