Alicate, I live in an area where evenings are often not only chilly but windy as well. I love the outdoors and convincing my husband to sit outside and relax with a glass of wine at the end of the day has always been difficult because of the chill. I thought a fire pit would be a solution and bought a portable one thinking I could use it at different seating locations on our property. What I quickly learned was it burnt and killed the grass below and the smoke from the fire pit was always blowing relentlessly at someone no matter how many times we rearranged our seating. Having given up on the fire pit I was thrilled when I saw a relative had solved the smoke issue by using an old pot belly stove (American chiminea) they had found in their tool shed. It didn't take me too long before I found and dragged home an old rusty pb stove that did a great job keeping us warm but admittedly was an ugly beast that didn't quite fit in with the patio furniture or even the Adirondack lawn chairs, so as we are replacing out of necessity our old patio we are adding a fireplace...now if this doesnÂt work I suppose I will have to learn to drink my wine in front of the tv. Personally I would suggest that you don't locate your fire pit close to your deck and house as frankly the last thing you want is smoke being drafted into an open house window. I also think that the fire pit is a destination wouldn't it be nice if you had not only a patio area where people liked to gather but the fire pit area as well. The seating for the fire pit will come over time don't base your decision on where your picnic table is. Katy

CRL-The backyard and eating area is actually directly behind wall A. So one already has to make a right hand turn to go to backyard, if that makes sense. I'm not sure I want to move it further away from the patio, but it might certainly be an option worth exploring. I hadn't thought about that. You guys are really good. I think this might just be the right idea...just needs fine tuning and tweaking. The good thing about this is that the sink is still over the existing kitchen, which is crawl space so that makes plumbing considerably easier vs. having to drill into slab. I was also concerned about being able to have space for some type of seating in front of fireplace. I put cabinet placeholders in that are roughly the size of the chairs I have planned for the space. I could also shave some space off island left side to open it up a bit more. What do you guys think about the range wall? I have to do open shelving to the left of the post due to the elec sub panel on wall. (I did already inquire about moving it. It requires too much rewiring and makes it prohibitively expensive. We're already having to upgrade main panel too.). I can do open shelving and just stack plates or something in front of it. But does it not look cohesive to have part uppers and part open shelving? I don't know why shelving did not show up in this elevation: Annie-Fantastic idea for a banquette!! Do you think it will fit? I also like the idea of having counter seating that is not all 'ducks in a row', hence the overhang on left side of island. If we do proceed with banquette, we will probably turn existing dining nook into additional living space, so I would like both.

My understanding is that boiler, pump and radiator reps often do a lot or all of the engineering calculations for boiler and radiator installations. I must be missing something because I don't understand this at all" Runtals use 1/4 of the water of Myson, so this justifies their higher price - you get it back in energy savings. A btu is a btu. The boiler makes it, the structure looses it. How it gets to the room from the boiler has little effect on efficiency provided the return water is the same temperature. Even if you have to put 2 or three times the electricity into pumping with an inappropriate piping/pump and maybe radiator system, it won't make that much of an impact. I can't say much about CI rad design with respect to internal water volume. Water carries the heat so flow has to be sufficient and transfer from water to metal and metal to room has to come out right. It really boils down to the rated heat output of the rad at a given temperature and the rate needs to maintain that given temperature. Cast iron baseboard need not be any more of a dust collector than the higher mounted Runtal rads and has the advantage of putting the heat low where you need it most and heat transfer will be maximized. Are you sure about that 40k calculation? Right now I am looking at heat loss calcs for a home about that size. It is 50 years old and, although the insulation and air sealing is excellent for a home of that vintage, it is only good overall. The calculation comes in at below 50k at a design temp of of 0F. My fuel use calculations, however, come up below 30k. I put more faith in the latter since there is guesswork involved in the energy rater's estimate.. The walls have insulation blown in, The ceiling is filled to over the joists and there are double pane windows. Exterior doors are good.

Outdoor heaters typically use one of four main types of fuel sources — Natural Gas, Propane, Electric & Wood — each with their own set of pros and cons. 1. Propane Propane heaters are pretty easy to add to your patio or yard. They don’t usually require professional installation, so it’s just a matter of putting them together, attaching the gas tank, and turning them on. Unfortunately, they cost more than natural gas outdoor heaters in the long run and you should plan on replacing the gas tank every so often if you go with this option, but the startup convenience appeals to many users. And when the propane tank does run out, it’s incredibly easy to replace the tank with a new one. 2. Natural Gas Natural gas outdoor heaters will usually require professional installation, since you’ll need them to be hooked up to your gas line. Because of this, they can cost quite a bit more upfront than other types of outdoor heaters — both for the heater itself and the installation costs. However, they’re the cheapest to use once you have them installed and they’re incredibly easy to maintain. https://www.heating-air-conditioning.net/ 3. Electric Electrical Power Outlet Electric outdoor heaters are typically a very convenient option. With the exception of hanging and wall-mounted models, electric outdoor heaters don’t require any installation and merely need to be plugged in. The main inconvenience you may experience is having to keep your electric heater close to an outlet. Electricity costs more than gas and wood for ongoing use, but electric heaters are very easy to use and maintain and they’re the only type of outdoor heater that it’s safe to use in an enclosed or covered space. 4. Wood Wood is a favorite choice for the atmosphere it provides. It requires more maintenance – you have to continually add more wood to keep the fire going and clean out ashes after, but fire pits and chimineas are popular because people appreciate the ambiance of sitting by a fire and the smell wood releases as it burns.