Today was the day…
A store in Lee’s Summit had given us two quotes: a wood stove capable of heating the entire house that would completely replace the existing firebox for $5,ooo or a unit that would be inserted into the existing fireplace that could heat 800-1,200 square feet for $3,500.
When the woman gave us the quote, she encouraged us to talk to the owner. She was sure that he would give us a better deal. I called today to find out just how good that deal might be…
The news was a little disappointing…$250 off. Then came the kicker…
The young man who does the installation had just started his two week training program to be a fireman! Therefore, the earliest that they would be able to install it would be June 30th!
Well, that won’t work! If we want the contractor to put the stone on our fireplace, the wood stove needs to be installed in the next week or so.
Back to the Internet…
I found three other alternative heating merchants in the area. I wasn’t all that impressed with one of the websites so I scratched that one off the list, printed out the map, grabbed the Missus and headed out the door to the remaining two places.
The first one turned out to be a residential area. Scratch that one off the list!
On the way toward the last place, lo and behold, what should magically appear but the one that I had decided not to visit.
“Look at that…there is the store that I didn’t want to go to! How about that? I didn’t know that it was on the way.”
I pulled my map out…
Hmmm…
Evidently, I mistakenly pasted the address to the place that I didn’t want to go the store that I wanted to visit was nowhere to be foun.
My wife said that she wanted to go in. She is obviously not as weary of the “research” as I am.
I reluctantly agreed, grumbling and mumbling to myself as we pulled into the parking lot, “I didn’t plan to go here…I don’t want to go in.”
What a fortunate turn of events! The woman inside pretty much answered all of our questions!
Yes, they do make corn/pellet insert units that actually slide into your existing fireplace. However, we can’t use them because they stick out further than our hearth. But…
They do also have a wood stove insert that will work with work with our hearth…
and it looks much nicer than the one we were considering from the other store…
and it is about $500 cheaper…
and it should be installed after the stone in put in…
and we can install it ourself!
Well, that just about takes care of everything…
You know, I thought it might work out that way…
That is why I decided to go there in the first place!
