(They both turned out to be guys. All the contractors I've dealt with have been guys, 90% over 40. Let's give that thought a moment. Mommas, please let any of your babies grow up to be contractors.)
Anyway.
Both gave me windows of arrival. Both arrived promptly at noon. There was a fair bit of shuffling large trucks, and then letting them get to work.
Good news is the septic wasn't nearly full. It never occurred to me that it would have had to been pumped into order to pass title 5 last year. It'll be a couple of years before that needs to be done again. I did get the opportunity to look down the hole. It is indeed a field stone cistern, about 8 feet deep and about 6 feet in diameter. I think he felt bad because it was so empty, so the guy spent quite a while out there, back washing the cistern to break up the solids that had settled into the corners of the downhill side. It's as power washed as a cesspool is going to be. There is some fine root action going on there, so that's something to keep an eye on.
In the mean time, the chimney guy was doing his thing. I got to look up the exhaust chimney, and it was dirty, so I had him clean that. Things to note: the exhaust chimney has a clay liner and a stainless steel liner that pipes directly into the furnace. This renders the clean out door I replaced mostly moot, but it looks better. This chimney has a cap too, but... we'll get to that.
The rear chimney that I dearly wanted to put a wood stove on has a pretty narrow flue - 4.5" x 8". While it is possible to put a stove on it, it would mean having to get a custom formed liner. All in, outfitting the house for a stove (wood or pellet) using that chimney, (per this company), would be between $10-15k, which is just far and away outside what I can reasonably afford. (Granted, that's the all-in price if I understand them correctly. Stove, liner, interior work, combustibles clearances, etc.)
If I had that kind of money, I should be getting a new roof. This chimney also had a cap, which is good, but...
Whoever put the caps on these chimneys did it with all the finesse of a rhinoceros. I watched as the guy pretty much flicked them off with little to no effort. I have no idea how they've stayed on through the wind storms we've had, other than I'm on the protected side of the hill. Because of the slip-shod epoxy job, moisture is staying trapped on the masonry, and is causing the mortar to fail. To this end, the front (exhaust) chimney needs to be repointed from the roof line up, and a new mortar apron formed at the top to hold the cap down and shed water away correctly. The rear chimney, which at this point feels useless, needs a new mortar apron but no repointing.
In the end, I'm disappointed. There's two things I wistfully wanted in a house and I got neither (wood stove and porch). I got a house I could afford within a reasonable distance from work, so that's the trade off.
At least now I know (and knowing is half the battle.)
But I can still be disappointed.
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| Daylight savings sunrise. |
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