First Floor Walls and a Fire Place Decision

YUP - we now have a few walls and the place grows like a mushroom. HOWEVER - I see some potential problems. For one thing now that I can see where the windows are all of a sudden I can also see golf balls flinging our way.


As you can see we have a sun room/dining room that juts out towards the fairway. When I was looking at the house before it was a house I thought it would take a real bad shot to hit us!

Looking out the window DJ is looking out of in the above photo - there is no problem.


However - looking out the other window


I'm a little more nervous as the tee box is that little brown area 40 yards behind those two left trees. I intend on putting in 4 or 5 Birch trees and lilac bushes in that direction but just like those four other trees . . . it might be a while before they are stopping balls.

Still - looking from the other side of the fairway it WILL take a bad shot and since this is the 16th hole and MAYBE the real bad golfers only play nine holes AND since the Community course is cheaper and in the same area . . . . . maybe we'll only get the good golfers LOL . . maybe.

OK - I'm dreaming.


Looks small doesn't it. Our house is the same size as the house on the left. MUST be an optical illusion. Plus the no roof thing and so forth. Still, the tee box is that brown area inline wit hte green house. MAYBE we have a chance!

Then there is the fireplace decision. I have been reading a very good forum on fire boxes and they were steering me away from Lennox. They are builder boxes. Very low efficiency and just look sort of bad.

Mendota direct vent fireplaces are the way to go and not THAT much more expensive. They look awesome and have won all sorts of awards. Plus with Lennox you have to add a blower kit and ceramic bricks which is an extra $500. With Mendota they are added in already AND better. Lennox has Off, Low and High, Mendota is variable.

Look at the differences and remember that Mendota's are 25% more efficient then Lennox.

Mendota

Lennox

Another thing I learned was that it takes 15 to 20 minutes for the fire to really start to work. I would turn on fire places and be totally underwhelmed with their weak blue flame. HA - It takes time to get the logs roaring and the system working correctly.

it also takes 5 hours the very first time you turn in on to get all the garbage burned (oils and so forth).

I also did not know that ventless fireplaces were illegal in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

SO we're going with a Mendota DXV35.

More photos in a few days!

Rod and DJ